COVID-19 Vaccination Highlights: 1.91 Lakh Candidates Get Shots On First Day Of Vaccination

COVID-19: 621 get vaccine shot in Nagaland on Day 1 of inoculation drive

COVID-19: Bengal logs 15 more deaths, 609 fresh cases

COVID-19: Tripura begins vaccination drive, 1,399 frontline workers get shots

Maharashtra Stops Vaccinations Till Monday Over Issues With Centre's App
Maharashtra has suspended COVID-19 vaccinations till Monday because of technical issues with the centre's software platform for managing the programme, news agency ANI reported on Saturday.

The CoWIN application, being used to tally beneficiaries, had thrown up glitches through the day, slowing the inoculation process in places, officials said at the end of the first day of India's colossal vaccination drive on Saturday.

On the first day of the immunisation campaign, the government said it aimed to vaccinate over 3 lakh people at over 3,000 vaccination centres established around the country. By the end of the day 1.91 lakh had been inoculated, it said.

Keep a check on rumours, disinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines: Harsh Vardhan to states
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asked his counterparts in states and union territories to keep a check on rumours and disinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines as he held a review meeting on day one of the inoculation drive on Saturday.

According to a statement, Mr Vardhan congratulated authorities in states and UTs on the successful launch of the world's largest vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus, and asked state health ministers to make efforts to disseminate the right information regarding vaccines.

He said today is a very important day for the country.

The vaccination drive, for which preparations were being done from the last five months under the unwavering and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has finally started, he said.

60 Healthworkers Get Vaccine Jab At Pune Hospital
As many as 60 healthcare workers were administered COVID-19 vaccine at Aundh rural district hospital, one of the 31 vaccination centres in Maharashtra's Pune district on Saturday, an official said.

According to the district administration, none of the beneficiaries, including doctors, nurses and other staff, experienced any side effects to Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech.

While at least 100 healthcare workers were expected to receive the jab, 40 did not turn up for vaccination due to various reasons, Pune district civil surgeon Dr Ashok Nandapurkar said.

"Till the end of the day, 60 healthcare workers were given Covaxin and all of them are keeping well and no side effects have been reported," he said, adding that absentees will be covered in subsequent sessions.

Army's northern command joins nationwide COVID vaccination drive
The Udhampur-based Northern Command of the Army on Saturday joined the online launch of vaccination drive by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The drive will primarily commence with vaccination of healthcare workers deployed in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions, a defence spokesperson said in a statement.

He said a total of over 12,000 health workers are required to be vaccinated in a progressive manner.

"Vaccines are being accordingly collected from the designated centers. Nodal officers have been nominated in respect of the command hospital, military hospitals, base hospitals, garrison, field hospitals and advanced dressing stations," the spokesperson said, adding that all protocols would be followed.

A look at what Covaxin consent form
As India's vaccination drive began today with Covid shots to health workers, those receiving Bharat Biotech's Covaxin were asked to sign consent forms that assured compensation if any adverse effect was found linked to the vaccine.

Only recipients of Covaxin have to sign a consent form before being vaccinated because its use has been allowed by the government in "clinical trial mode". Among those who received the shot after signing the form were AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria, vaccine committee chief and NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul and his wife Dr Shashi Paul, a scientist. Read

If Centre fails to provide vaccine, Delhi govt will give it free: Satyendra Jain
The Delhi Government hopes that the central government would vaccinate people against COVID-19 for free, if not, the Delhi government would give the vaccine to people in the metropolis for free, informed Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Saturday.

Speaking to ANI while his visit to Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, the Delhi Minister said, "The vaccination drive has started at 81 centres in the national capital and 100 people would get their first of the two doses at each centre. There is a target to get 8100 people vaccinated towards the end of the day."

"The number of vaccination centres in Delhi will be increased to 215 and we will eventually increase it to 1000 centres. This will depend on the speed the vaccine will be supplied to the metropolis," Mr Jain said.

Indian vaccine will work as ''sanjeevani'' in fight against COVID-19: Harsh Vardhan
The Indian vaccine will work as ''sanjeevani'' in the fight against COVID-19, said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Saturday. The Minister joined the doctors and potential vaccine beneficiaries at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to witness the launch of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination, where a sanitation worker becomes the first person to receive the vaccine.

Addressing the media he said that misinformation is being spread about the vaccines and urged the media to help in dispelling the rumours.

Total 3,351 sessions in the country today: Health Ministry
 
Total personnel involved in the drive - 16755;  Total vaccines: 165714.

"Vaccine More Effective If Longer Gap Between Doses": Serum To NDTV
The efficacy of the Covishield vaccine goes up if the gap between two doses is more than 28 days, a top scientist at Adar Poonawalla's Serum Institute of India (SII) said Friday, a day before the launch of India's Covid vaccination drive.

Both the vaccines being used in India - Serum's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin - are two dose shots with a prescribed gap of 28 days between the jabs.

Suresh Jadhav, executive director, SII, said results were much better when this gap was increased by a few weeks.

Healthcare workers vouch for safety of COVID-19 vaccine in Madhya Pradesh
 Many healthcare and sanitation workers in Madhya Pradesh who became first recipients of COVID-19 jabs on Saturday expressed confidence that the vaccine will defeat the pandemic and help save many lives while a sanitary worker from Gwalior asked people to repose their faith in Indian scientists.

Asha Pawar (55), a health worker who became the first person to receive the vaccine in Indore's Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) Hospital, said she had no apprehensions about the safety of the vaccine and hoped that it will prove helpful in saving lives of people.

Sanitation worker takes first jab as COVID-19 vaccination drive begins in Ladakh
A sanitation worker at a hospital was the first person to be administered COVID-19 vaccine in the Union Territory of Ladakh where Lt Governor R K Mathur inaugurated the first phase of the inoculation drive on Saturday.

Ladakh has recorded 128 COVID-19 related deaths and a total virus caseload of 9,646 since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year. As many as 9,404 patients have recovered from the infection, while the rest 114 are undergoing treatment.

"I am feeling lucky": Man after getting first COVID jab in Goa
Ranganath Bhojje, a 43-year-old multitasking (MTS) worker at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) who became the first person in Goa to get the COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, said he was happy to get the jab and was hoping for the best.

Mr Bhojje has been working at the special facility created to treat COVID-19 patients here as an MTS staff.

After he walked out of the observation room at the GMCH, Mr Bhojje was greeted with flowers by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

Wait for your turn to get vaccinated, beware of rumours: Yogi Adityanath to people
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday asked the people to remain alert for rumours regarding COVID-19 vaccines and wait for their turn to get themselves vaccinated.

Healthcare workers at the frontline of India's COVID-19 battle got their first jabs on Saturday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the world's largest vaccination drive against the pandemic.

Chief Minister Adityanath took a round of the Balrampur Hospital here and met the health workers who were administered vaccines to enquire about their well-being.

"Today is a day of immense happiness and excitement. India is the first country which has launched two vaccines," the chief minister said.

Telangana Minister Decides Against Taking First Covid Shot After PM Warning
Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender, who had declared he would take the first vaccine shot in his state, did not do so today citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "strict instruction" that health workers should be first in line.
Yesterday, the minister had said he would take the first shot to instill confidence among people who still had apprehensions on safety of the vaccines.

But a sanitation worker, Krishnamma, became the first in Telangana to get the Covid vaccine. "I appeal to all to go ahead and take the vaccine. I was also a little apprehensive but doctors reassured me and the health minister too told me not to worry. I so far have no symptoms," she said, holding flowers given by Gandhi Hospital, where she received the jab. Read

"Will Prefer Covishield Over Covaxin": Delhi Hospital Doctors Concerned
Resident doctors at one of Delhi's biggest healthcare hubs, the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, today demanded they be administered Covishield vaccine and not Covaxin since the former has completed all three stages of trials as required under protocol. The second one, produced by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, is still only undergoing stage-III trials. The central government has, however, sought to underplay such apprehensions saying "a lot of work" had gone into the development of both products.  

The resident doctors of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital have even said they might not participate in huge numbers if Covaxin is used. Read

AIIMS Director reassures people COVAXIN vaccine is safe

World's Largest Vaccination Drive In Numbers
Nearly a year after India reported its first case of coronavirus from Kerala, the "start of the end of the pandemic", as Health Minister Harsh Vardhan described it on Friday, began this morning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the nationwide rollout. The government aims to vaccinate 1 crore healthcare workers and 2 crore frontline workers in the first phase. Read more