Booster shots: Bengal gives over 35K doses on first day
Kolkata: Despite the challenges posed due to a large scale Covid infections among health professionals from health establishments in various level, the state health department has managed to administer a total 35,081 booster doses on the healthcare, frontline workers and the senior citizens with comorbidities on Monday, the first the day of the Phase III vaccination among the adult population.
Both the government and private hospitals administered the booster doses on the eligible candidates on Monday. Health department has set a target of administering booster doses among 5 lakh health workers, 7 lakh front line workers and around 1.1 crore senior citizens. According to sources, around 1.4 crore Covid vaccine doses are still available with the health department.
The department, however, plans to gradually increase the number of vaccination centers as the immunization drive is divided into various segments.
The way paramedical staffers, a huge number of doctors, nurses and health workers both in government and private hospitals have been infected, it has become a concern for the health officials. Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) also started booster doses on Monday as well. Atin Ghosh, MMIC Health under KMC said that around 3,971 people have received booster dose in various KMC centers till 4 pm. Apart from this, around 41,244 youths in the age bracket 15-18 have also been vaccinated on Monday.
He also said that around 193 KMC staffers have been infected out of which 54 are lab technicians, 48 medical officers, 5 executive health officers and 4 assistant chief medical officers, 50 nurses, 12 data entry operators and 7 ANM department employees. Around 10 Gangasagar pilgrims have been infected at Bangabasi ground camp in Babughat and 20 from Sealdah camp, Ghosh said.
It may be mentioned that booster or precautionary doses that will be given to the people will be the same that had been given to them earlier. For example, Covaxin will be given to those who had received Covaxin previously and Covishield to those who had got Covishield. There will be no mix-up.
