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The Tibetan spiritual leader said, “To prevent some serious problems, this injection is very, very helpful.”
Dr. GD Gupta from Zonal Hospital, where the injection was administered, told reporters that the Dalai Lama was observed for 30 minutes afterward. “He offered to come to the hospital as a common man to get vaccinated,” he said.
Ten other people living in the Dalai Lama’s residence were also vaccinated, Gupta said. All 11 received the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford / AstraZeneca and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
India has confirmed more than 11 million cases of the coronavirus and more than 157,000 deaths. The country, which has the second-highest number of cases in the world behind the US, launched its vaccination campaign in January, starting with frontline and healthcare workers. Earlier this month, it expanded its vaccination campaign to older people and those with medical conditions that put them at risk.
The Dalai Lama made Dharmsala his headquarters in 1959, fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. China does not recognize the Tibetan government in exile and accuses the Dalai Lama of trying to separate Tibet from China.
The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist, saying he simply advocates substantial autonomy and the protection of the native Buddhist culture of the region.
