CHANDIGARH: PGI has considered 101 volunteers out of 143 candidates for clinical trials of the
coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca at PGI. And, one of them is a PGI doctor.
“I felt uneasy as I could not move out, so I decided to volunteer. Moreover, this will help those who are over 60 years of age with co-morbidities,” he said.
Sharing his initial experience after he was injected with the vaccine, he said, “I developed body aches a few days after the shot. I was given three Paracetamols for this. However, after a single dose, I recovered. It has been almost three weeks now and I have no adverse event.”
Though he is not aware if he has been vaccinated or given placebo shots, he said if proven a success, the vaccine can be a game changer.
“I got all the support from my family. My wife also was keen to participate, but I decided to be a part of this trial,” the doctor said. He said, “Being a senior faculty member, I thought to motivate others in the category of 60 years and above.”
Talking about the trials, the doctor said, “I have been given a diary to record the effects of the vaccination daily. I have been told that every month antibody testing shall be done to assess how much antibodies have been generated after vaccination.”
PGI had resumed the trials on September 14 after an adverse event was reported in a patient. The institute is screening many healthy volunteers who have registered for the trials. “As health workers are at the highest risk, they are at the top priority for vaccination. In case, this trial succeeds, I will be more than glad to be have contributed towards this trial,” the doctor said.
Real-time monitoring
After the first batch of training for Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) in the city, real time monitoring for all kind of vaccines has started. This network platform is mainly to be used for Covid vaccine but the UT health department has started training its staff for other vaccines. “There are 54 old gold chain points in Chandigarh and half of these points have been covered for the training. This platform will ensure maintaining the inventory and also track vaccine distribution and maintenance” said Dr Sangeeta Ajay, district immunisation officer, UT
54 fresh cases in city
Chandigarh reported 54 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, increasing the tally to 1,375, with 744 active cases. The
death toll is 209. As many as 118 patients were discharged, taking the recovery count to 12,842. PGI director Dr Jagat Ram said they have 105 Covid patients in Nehru Extension Block, out of which 19 belong to Chandigarh, 24 to
Punjab, 22 to Haryana, six to Himachal Pradesh and the remaining to other states.
Pkl reports 2 deaths, 30 new cases
Two people died of Covid-19 in Panchkula on Wednesday, taking the toll to 109. The district reported 30 new cases, raising the tally to 6,900, with 234 active cases. The victims were a 76-year-old man from Pinjore and 66-year-old man from Sector 16. The recovery count is 6,557
2 fatalities in Mohali
Mohali registered two Covid-19 deaths and 79 new cases on Wednesday, increasing the tally to 11,880, with 598 active cases, and the toll to 229. As many as 98 patients were discharged, taking the recovery count to 11,053. As many as 44 cases were from Mohali urban, 21 from Dhakoli, six from Derabassi, four from Kharar, two from Gharuan and one each from Kurali and Lalru
25 fresh cases, 31 discharged in Ambala
Ambala reported 25 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, increasing the count to 8,757, with 241 active cases. As many as 13 cases were from Ambala Cantt, four each from Ambala city and Chourmastpur, two each from Naraingarh and one each from Barara and Mullana. As many as 31 patients were discharged, taking the recovery count to 8,421, with the recovery rate of 96.16%. The death toll is 107
Place testing vans near religious places: Badnore
UT administrator VP Singh Badore stated that mobile Covid-19 testing vans should be placed near temples and gurdwaras during festivities. During the review meeting on Wednesday, Badnore directed the police department to be alert during the festival season to ensure that there is no crowding and gathering of people during celebration. The health department proposed Sood Dharamshala, Sector 22, may be closed as a quarantine centre as few Covid remained there