Health ministry officials: PM Narendra Modi’s photo removed from Covid vaccine certificates

The Union health ministry has made a notable change to the CoWIN certificates for Covid-19 vaccinations by removing the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Previously, these certificates prominently featured Modi's image along with a quote affirming India's collective resolve to conquer coronavirus.

While the quote  “Together, India will defeat COVID-19” – remains attributed to the prime minister, his name has been omitted from the certificates, sources reported.

Following vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca's admission in a UK court, discussions on Covishield's potential association with Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), a rare side effect involving blood clotting, have resurfaced. In India, many have examined their vaccination certificates in light of this development.

Some users on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) noticed a significant change: the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph on the Covid-19 vaccination certificates issued in India. 

Officials from the ministry of health and family welfare, however, told on Tuesday that the image was removed from the vaccine certificate due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in place for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time Modi’s photo was removed from Covid vaccination certificates.

In 2022, Modi's photograph was also removed from vaccination certificates issued in five states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa.

This action was mandated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in preparation for the assembly elections in those states.

The inclusion of Modi's picture on vaccination certificates had previously sparked a row in 2021, which escalated to the Kerala high court.