Accelerate vaccination: State set to conduct awareness drive

Kolkata: State Health department has decided to conduct awareness campaigns in each district to further accelerate the vaccination drive across Bengal. The number of vaccination centers will soon be increased, sources in the health department said.

Nearly 1.23 lakh health workers have been vaccinated in the state so far. Sources said that senior health officials are trying to conduct more number of vaccinations per day. Till now over 17,000 health workers have been vaccinated each day on an average basis. The State Health Department has so far carried out a vaccination drive on seven days altogether on a large scale. Vaccinations were however performed in some centers sporadically in some more days as well. The inoculation drive was initiated nationwide on January 16 as well as in Bengal.

The Health department has found that a fear relating to the vaccination has been prevailing among a section of health workers. As a result some people are trying to skip their turn. Most of the health workers are however coming forward to receive vaccines. The Health department officials are now trying to reach out to the people who are showing reluctance. The main objective of the awareness drive in the districts is to clear the doubts in their minds regarding the vaccination. The Covishield vaccine that is being administered on the health workers is completely safe, said the experts. Some of the top doctors in the city have received the shots.

The Health department will soon issue instructions to the district health officials to organize camps so that the health workers who are trying to avoid the vaccination can take part in the confidence boosting exercise. They would be informed that Covishield is completely safe and top doctors from the city and many health professionals have received the shots without showing any sign of adverse effects.

In some cases, the recipients have developed some side effects which are very common in case of any

vaccination.

"All the health centers in the districts have already been equipped with enough stock of medicines to handle the people who might develop side effects after receiving the

vaccine.

The health workers who are comparatively elderly are absolutely fine after receiving shots.

An unnecessary fear has been triggered among some. The Health department is keeping in touch with all the health workers who have received vaccines already. The Risk in case of receiving a vaccine is less but if a health worker does not receive the shots he/she can be affected with the deadly virus," a senior health official said.

In a very few cases the recipients developed some side effects and all of them were released from the health establishments after primary treatment.