The Dalai Lama was given his first coronavirus vaccine dose on Saturday at a hospital in the north Indian hill town of Dharamshala. The 85-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader then urged people to be brave and get vaccinated “In order to prevent some serious problems, this injection is very very helpful,” he said. Dr GD Gupta of Zonal Hospital told reporters that the Dalai Lama was observed for 30 minutes afterwards. “He offered to come to the hospital like a common man to get himself vaccinated,” Dr Gupta said. Ten other people who live in the Dalai Lama’s residence were also given their first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The Dalai Lama made Dharamshala his headquarters in 1959, fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. China does not recognise the Tibetan government in exile and accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking to separate Tibet from China. He denies these accusations and said he advocates for substantial autonomy and protection of Tibet's native Buddhist culture.
