PATNA: Thanks to several measures taken by the health department, the state achieved 76.6% of target in the first phase of Covid
vaccination, the highest in the country. Mostly healthcare workers were vaccinated in the first phase. In terms of number of healthcare workers taking the vaccine jab in the first phase, Bihar stands at the sixth position.
Data released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare shows that 3,68,413 healthcare workers took the vaccine jab in Bihar till Saturday evening and accounted for 76.6% of registered beneficiaries in the state. The number of beneficiaries increased a little more in Bihar by late evening and the final figure reached 3,69,979. Across the country, 56,36,868 beneficiaries falling in the category of healthcare workers were vaccinated in the first phase.
Madhya Pradesh, where 76.1% of registered healthcare workers were vaccinated, stood second and Tripura finished third with 76%.
Bihar health department officials cited several reasons for this achievement. Patna civil surgeon Dr Vibha Kumari Singh and Patna Medical College and Hospital superintendent Dr I S Thakur said the decision to carry out vaccination seven days a week led to improvement in percentage.
Earlier, vaccination was being done four days a week. The 38 districts in the state were then divided into two groups and each group (19 districts) started carrying out vaccination twice a week on alternate days. However, the state health department made several relaxations and allowed district magistrates and civil surgeons to carry out vaccination on any number of days according to necessity. Private health institutes were allowed to conduct vaccination even on Sundays.
Dr Vibha said team work, coordination and motivation led to high percentage of vaccination in the state. “From principal secretary to other senior officials of the health department as well as heads of different hospitals set example by taking
vaccine shots,” she said, adding when the second phase of vaccination drive was launched in the state on Saturday for frontline workers, 28 district magistrates took the vaccine shots.