NEW DELHI, Feb 6, 2021 (BSS) – India has vaccinated some nearly 53
lakhs healthcare workers during the last 21 days from the beginning of
the countrywide vaccination drive against Covid-19.
“The cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated against
Covid-19 is nearly 53 lakhs. 52,90,474 beneficiaries were vaccinated
through 1,04,781 sessions till 6 pm on Saturday,” according to a union
health ministry report released here late last evening.
Of the total, some 3,31,029 beneficiaries were vaccinated on the
21st day (February 5)of the vaccination drive. Besides, 27 persons
have been hospitalized so far. No new hospitalization is recorded in
the last 24 hours.
A total of 22 deaths have been registered till 6 pm yesterday with
one fresh death reported in the past 24 hours. The deceased is a
77-year old Male in Agra. The man with pre-existing diabetes was died
7 days after vaccination, the health ministry report added.
India launched the world’s largest immunisation exercise against
Covid-19 on January 16 with priority to about 30 million health care
and frontline workers to be inoculated in the first phase.
However, the Indian government announced that the second Covid-19
vaccine shot for those who took the first shot on Day-1 of inoculation
drive on January 16, will be administered on February 13.
The Centre also said while the country has made remarkable progress
in terms of the number of people vaccinated — reaching the 5 million
mark in Covid-19 vaccination in record 21 days — there is
“substantial scope of improvement” in the number of average
vaccinations per session.
Twelve states and Union Territories have achieved 60 per cent or
more vaccination coverage of healthcare workers, the government said.
But all state were advised to “improve the percentage coverage of
vaccinated beneficiaries,” a statement from the government read.
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had earlier last month
approved Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum
Institute, and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for
restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for a massive
inoculation drive.
The cost of vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers will be
borne by the Indian government.