Response to COVID-19 vaccination drive improves in Punjab as around 38 per cent health workers get jab

CHANDIGARH: The response to the COVID-19 inoculation drive in Punjab on Tuesday showed a slight improvement with around 38 per cent of registered health workers receiving the jab.

A total of 2,249 health workers got themselves vaccinated out of the target of 5,919, officials said.

During previous sessions of the vaccination drive on Saturday and Monday, only 1,327 and 1,992 workers had come forward for the Covishield vaccine, respectively.

Punjab was among those states which had received a tepid response to COVID-19 vaccination drive on the day of its roll out.

Officials had attributed hesitancy among government sector health workers as one of the reasons to the lukewarm response to the vaccination drive.

"Today's response was better than earlier as 2,249 health workers got themselves vaccinated," said Punjab Health Director G B Singh on Tuesday.

"We expect this figure will reach 4,000 in the next session," he said.

After civil surgeons and senior doctors received the shot, the confidence among government sector health workers for COVID-19 vaccination has improved, officials pointed out.

Health workers had been demanding that senior doctors should first get the vaccine, added officials.

During Tuesday's vaccination drive, Moga district received the lowest response with just 13 health workers out of targeted 200 getting the vaccine, as per data.

Patiala and Ludhiana received a better responses with 193 and 340 health workers out of targeted 300 and 550 came forward for vaccination, respectively.

No case of the adverse effect of immunisation (AEFI) has been reported so far in Punjab, said officials.

The health department is also getting requests from private health facilities for vaccination, said officials.

The number of vaccination sites will go up to around 70 from 59 at present, they further said.

Officials further said Punjab will receive its second batch of 1.96 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine.

Earlier, the state had received 2.04 lakh doses.