Covid-19 vaccination drive to begin tomorrow, here’s how states are geared up for rollout

Covid-19 Vaccination In India: A massive nationwide vaccination drive against COVID-19 is set to begin on Saturday. In the first phase, priority groups will receive shots at 3,006 session sites across all states and Union Territories (UTs). The inoculation drive will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 10.30 am via video-conferencing.

Ahead of vaccination drive, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said that the step is ‘probably the beginning of the end’ of COVID-19. However, he emphasized that even if the countrywide vaccination drive has begun, people must follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and there should not be lowering of guard.

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“With the vaccination drive, which is set to begin tomorrow, the beginning of the end of COVID-19 will start,” Vardhan said. The Union minister will visit the new OPD Wing of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi to witness the launch of the inoculation drive. He will join doctors and around 100 potential vaccine beneficiaries at the centre.

Delhi: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will visit the new OPD Wing of AIIMS tomorrow to join the AIIMS doctors and potential vaccine beneficiaries to participate in and witness the launch of #COVID19 vaccination by Prime Minister at 10.30 am.

(File photo) pic.twitter.com/8IkW29ZjwM

— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2021

The national capital has 81 centres where people of the priority groups will be given the shots. The priority groups include people who have been at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19. Health workers, paramedic staff, sanitation workers, and disaster management volunteers have been included in the group.

The 81 sites in the national capital include six Central government facilities – Safdarjung Hospital, AIIMS, Kalawati Saran Children Hospital, RML Hospital, and two ESI hospitals. Delhi has received around 2.74 lakh doses of the vaccine which is sufficient for around 1.2 lakh healthcare workers. Every person will receive two doses.

According to a senior official, Serum Institute of India’s Covishield will be administered at 75 centres and Bharat Biotech-made Covaxin will be given at the remaining six facilities. Both the indigenously developed vaccines have got emergency use authorisation by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

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Similarly in Karnataka, Covishield vaccine will be distributed in 237 centres and Covaxin in the remaining six centres. A total of 243 centres have been prepared in the state for the launch of the drive. According to the Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, 7,17,439 health warriors will receive shots in the first phase.

Punjab and Haryana have identified 59 and 77 sites respectively for the launch of the derive on Saturday. While Punjab received 2.04 lakh doses of vaccines, Haryana has got 2.41 lakh doses. These doses of COVID-19 vaccines have already been sent to respective districts in both states for vaccination drive.

The vaccination drive will be carried out at 161 centres in Gujarat. According to officials, PM Modi is expected to interact virtually with some of the beneficiaries at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, one of the sites in the state.