NEW DELHI: India started administering the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine from Saturday with around 7,668 healthcare workers receiving the second dose on the first day.
The Centre has urged all states to adhere to the timelines for covering all health and frontline workers with first dose of vaccines and scheduling their mop-up rounds. The health ministry also share SOPs for second dose scheduling on Co-WIN with states and Union Territories.
According to the dosage approved by the regulator, the second dose can be given in a gap of 4-6 weeks. While automated SMS messages and phone calls were made to those who were scheduled for the second dose on Saturday, appointments can be rescheduled within the stipulated time period if beneficiaries are not able to make it after exactly 28 days from the date of receiving the first dose.
With the beginning of the second dose administration, the total number of vaccinations given per day is also expected to increase significantly.
While three new deaths were reported in last 24 hours on Saturday, the Centre wrote to all states and UTs to ensure that all vaccination officers are trained and informed regarding adverse events, and they should provide related information to all the beneficiaries receiving Covid-19 vaccine.
Till Saturday, over 80.52 lakh beneficiaries were vaccinated through 1,69,215 sessions. These include over 59.35 lakh healthcare workers and 21.17 lakh frontline workers.
Twelve states/UTs including Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Rajasthan have vaccinated more than 70% of their registered health workforce.
However, there are also seven States/UTs with less than 40% coverage of health workers. These are Meghalaya, Punjab, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Nagaland and Puducherry.
During a review meeting with states on Saturday, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan underlined the importance of efficient stock management practices.