First consignment of around 6.89 lakh COVID vaccines arrives in Bengal

Kolkata: The first consignment of around 6.89 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived here on Tuesday in a special flight from Pune, a senior official of the West Bengal health department said. "The first consignment of COVID-19 vaccines from Pune reached the city at around 1.40 pm. There are around 6.89 lakh doses of the vaccines," he told .

The consignment will be transported in two insulated vans from the city airport to a state-owned store at Baghbazar, the official said.

The vaccines will be dispatched from the depot to various districts on Wednesday.

Five walk-in-coolers and four walk-in-freezers have been installed in the Baghbazar store to keep the vaccines, he said.

India will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16 with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers.

The country had recently granted emergency use authorisation to two vaccines, Oxford's Covishield being manufactured by Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.