Day 2 sees fewer healthcare workers getting their shot
New Delhi/gurugram: Delhi government's goal of vaccinating over 8,000 healthcare workers every day seems to be moving further away for authorities as the Capital on Monday managed to inoculate only 3,598 people. On the first day of the vaccination drive on Saturday, more than 4,300 healthcare workers took the COVID-19 shot.
Officials said that the vaccination drive started at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital at 10 am.
The exercise was carried out at 81 sites, with nearly an even split of government and private hospitals, including six central government facilities - AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, Kalawati Saran Children Hospital and two ESI hospitals, where Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is being administered.
The rest 75 centres, spanning all 11 districts of Delhi, include Delhi government-run facilities, such as LNJP Hospital, GTB Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, DDU Hospital, BSA Hospital, Delhi State Cancer Institute, ILBS Hospital; and private facilities, such as Max Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where Oxford's Covishield vaccine is being administered.
On Monday, the Delhi government's target was to get 8,136 healthcare workers inoculated from the novel Coronavirus. Only 44.22 per cent of these showed up for their shots. However, despite Covishield beneficiaries reporting 26 adverse reactions after the shot, this vaccine had a turnout of 44.54 per cent whereas, for Covaxin, the turnout was 40.17 per cent, despite it not reporting any adverse reactions on Monday.
Some people did not turn up for coronavirus vaccination at the last moment, Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said on Sunday referring to the numbers for the first day of vaccination, adding that the government cannot ask anyone to compulsorily take the jab.
He also said that the number of vaccination centres in Delhi will be increased from 81 to 175 soon.
A total of 26 adverse reactions from the vaccine was reported on Monday — all from Covishield. Of these, two were severe cases of AEFI, one of whom was discharged from hospital and the other remains hospitalised.
Meanwhile, Gurugram managed to inoculate just 2,881 people getting their shots on Monday.
Taking account of apprehensions regarding Covaxin, there were only 486 volunteers who were given this jab on Monday. According to reports, there were 21 cases of volunteers having adverse reactions but there were no severe cases that were reported.
Delhi recorded 161 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in over eight months, and eight deaths on Monday, as the positivity rate dipped to 0.32 per cent, authorities said.
The infection tally in the city rose to 6,32,590 and the death toll mounted to 10,754, they said.
This is the 15th time that the daily count stood below the 500-mark in January, and the fourth consecutive day since January 15 when the figures have stood below the 300-mark.
