Covid vaccination drive at Mumbai's Cooper Hospital.COVID-19 Vaccination India Live Updates: As India began its nationwide vaccination drive against Covid-19, as many as 1,91,181 people were vaccinated on Day 1, Union Health Ministry said. A total of 16,755 vaccinators were also involved in the process across India, it said, adding that no case of post-vaccination hospitalisation was reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday launched India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive, the world’s largest inoculation exercise against the novel coronavirus. In a virtual address, an emotional PM Modi paid tribute to scientists and healthcare workers, who have been on the frontlines of the pandemic.
“Amid the crisis and the atmosphere of despair, someone was transmitting hope by putting his life on the line to save us,” PM Modi said. He added that safety protocol, including social distancing and wearing masks, must remain in place.
During the vaccination drive, Maharashtra recorded 14 cases of adverse events, however, none of them were fatal. State officials currently studying them.
India will administer shots to three crore frontline workers in phase one. There are 3,006 session sites across the country, where 100 beneficiaries each will be given either of India’s two indigenous vaccines, Covaxin or Covishield. Every beneficiary will need to receive two doses of the same vaccine, 28 days apart.
Since the pandemic hit India in early 2020, over one crore and 5.42 lakh people have been infected with the disease, while close to 1.52 lakh have died. At present, Kerala and Maharashtra are reporting the highest number of daily cases.
At the LNJP Hospital in New Delhi Friday, ahead of the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination drive across the country. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)
Covid-19 vaccination has been temporarily suspended till January 18 in Maharashtra due to technical issues with CoWIN App, the State Health Department has said.
Nearly a year after India reported its first case of the novel coronavirus, which has so far sickened more than a crore people and killed more than 1.5 lakh, India on Saturday kicked off the world’s largest immunisation exercise against Covid-19.
On Day 1, over 1.91 lakh beneficiaries from the three crore priority group comprising healthcare and frontline workers were given the first shots of Covid-19 vaccines as part of the first phase. No case of post-inoculation hospitalisation was reported, the Union Health Ministry said.
Stating that the vaccination drive was successfully conducted on the first day, Additional Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Manohar Agnani said a total of 16,755 personnel were involved in organising 3,351 vaccination sessions. The 11 states and union territories where both Covishield and Covaxin were administered were Assam (65 sessions), Bihar (301), Delhi (81), Haryana (77), Karnataka (242), Maharashtra (285), Odisha (161), Rajasthan (167) Tamil Nadu (160), Telangana (14) and Uttar Pradesh (317). Read full detail here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while monitoring the nationwide vaccination drive again Covid-19.
In the world's largest Covid-19 vaccination program, as many as 191,181 beneficiaries were vaccinated across the country today, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.
Asha workers share their thoughts after taking Covid vaccine at District Hospital in Hyderabad's King Koti area. Vaccination drive was conducted at 144 centres in Telangana on Saturday with 30 people each slated to receive the shot there, the state health minister said.
Expressing her dissatisfaction over the "inadequate number of Covid-19 vaccines" supplied to West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said her government "strongly feels" that all people of the state should be inoculated free of cost.
The chief minister also said that her government was ready to bear the financial burden for providing the doses free of charge in the state, if need be.
According to a state government official, Bengal was supposed to receive over 10 lakh vaccines in the first phase, but have got 6.89 lakh doses so far.
The CM, while telephonically addressing all doctors, nurses, hospital support staff, students -- who were attending a virtual meet from the 207 centres where Saturday's inoculation process started -- said she "strongly felt that all people of West Bengal should get vaccines free of cost as early as possible", an official statement said. (PTI)
The first phase Covid-19 vaccination drive was held at ten centres across Manipur on Saturday, inoculating over 9,000 healthcare workers with Covishield vaccine.
The vaccination exercise started with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh officially launching the vaccination drive at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS). An attendant of JNIMS hospital was the first person to get vaccinated by Covishield.
With the first phase completed successfully, the health department in the second phase is going to inoculate other frontline workers. In the third and fourth phase, persons above 50 years of age and people below 50 years of age with co-morbidity will be vaccinated, the department said.
The CM urged the public to refrain from giving negative comments about the vaccine without valid scientific proof as it may create suspicion and hesitation in people’s mind. Such persons could be penalised under relevant acts, he warned.
Biren Singh also appreciated the hard work of researchers and scientists of the country for developing Covid vaccines on time.
(Input by Jimmy Leivon from Manipur)
As the Prime Minister’s speech, being broadcast live at the Government Girls Primary School in Gurgaon, came to an end Saturday morning, 47-year-old Radha Chaudhary, a sanitation worker at the Primary Health Centre in Wazirabad, got up from her seat in the crowd and walked to ‘Vaccination Officer –I’, who was seated outside one of the classrooms.
After showing her documentation and getting her details cross-checked in the list of beneficiaries, Chaudhary walked into a second classroom, where her details were uploaded on the Covid portal. Once this was done, she crossed a green portable curtain set up in the room and emerged moments later as the first person in Gurgaon to have been administered the coronavirus vaccine.
Covid-19 vaccination: No case of post-vaccination hospitalisation reported, says Health Ministry During the nationwide Covid-19 vaccine drive no case of post-vaccination hospitalisation was recorded, Union Health Ministry said during a press briefing. "Since it was the first day of vaccination, a few issues came up such as– delay in uploading beneficiary list at some session sites and healthcare workers vaccinated though not scheduled for today's session," it said.
The Union Health Ministry said that as many as 3,351 sessions were held on Day of 1 the vaccination. Both Covaxin and Covisheild were used.
As India began its nationwide vaccination drive against Covid-19, as many as 1,65,714 people were vaccinated on Day 1, Union Health Ministry said. A total of 16,755 vaccinators were also involved in the process across India, it said.
As India began its nationwide vaccination drive against Covid-19, Maharashtra recorded 14 cases of adverse events, none of them fatal, on Day 1 of the vaccination rollout in the state. State officials are currently studying the cases.
Out of the two vaccines approved for restricted emergency use — Serum Institute’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin — apprehensions have been expressed for the latter, as it is yet to complete its late-stage human trials and no efficacy data has been made public. More details here.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday said he would get himself vaccinated for COVID-19 vaccine in the next phase as he rolled out the inoculation drive in Mohali.
Four healthcare workers, including three doctors, were administered the first dose of Covishield vaccine in the presence of the chief minister at civil hospital.
Amarinder Singh also gifted saplings to these five healthcare workers as a token of appreciation.
The chief minister said it was his desire to get vaccinated first but in accordance with the directives of the Government of India only healthcare workers could be covered in the first phase. (PTI)
As the coronavirus vaccine was launched on Saturday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav sought to know from the government how the drive will be conducted and when the poor will get the shot free of cost.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said he has faith in doctors of the country but not the government.
He also suggested that the BJP people should first line up in queues and get themselves vaccinated as the party conducts all programmes in a grand manner. "After one year, when the SP will come to power, we will ensure free vaccine for all," he said while asking from the government when the poor will get free vaccines. (PTI)
During the vaccination drive, Maharashtra recorded 14 cases of adverse events, however, none of them were fatal. State officials are studying them.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday urged people not to believe in rumours and listen to experts who say that vaccines against coronavirus are safe.
Kejriwal who visited the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital in Delhi, also interacted with some health workers who received the shot and lauded their contribution in fighting the pandemic.
"I have interacted with those vaccinated. No one has any problem. All are happy that they will get rid of coronavirus," the chief minister was quoted saying by PTI.
"I want to say to all not to pay attention to rumours and misinformation. The experts say vaccines are safe and there is no need to worry," he added.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Saturday asked the people to remain alert for rumours regarding Covid-19 vaccines and wait for their turn to get themselves vaccinated.
Adityanath took a round of the Balrampur Hospital Lucknow where he met the health workers who were administered vaccines.
"Today is a day of immense happiness and excitement. India is the first country which has launched two vaccines," the chief minister was quoted as saying by PTI.
"I have just now met the health workers who have got vaccinated and they are all fine," he told the media.
RML medical superintendent Dr AK Rana being administered the Covid-19 vaccine. Earlier today, the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi requested the medical superintendent to vaccinate them with Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield.
In the backdrop of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the country, senior Congress leader Manish Tewari raised questions over the emergency use approval given to the indigenously developed vaccine Covaxin and alleged that it was "sans due process".
In a Tweet, Tewari said: "As vaccine rollout begins, it is all a bit puzzling India has no policy framework for authorising emergency use. Yet, two vaccines have been approved for restricted use in emergency situation."
Hitting back, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the Congress party and Tewari are "only are only passionate about spreading distrust & rumours".
"Open your eyes, sharing photos of eminent Doctors & Govt functionaries getting inoculated," Vardhan said.
Bharat Biotech, which has received a government purchase order for supply of 55 lakh doses of Covaxin, a COVID-19 vaccine, said the company will pay compensation to recipients in case of any serious adverse effects experienced after receiving the antidote.