Covid vaccine: Bengal registers 68.30% inoculations on 2nd day

Kolkata: Bengal emerges as one of top states in the vaccination drive as it registers around 68.30 per cent of inoculations out of total targeted groups on the second day of the programme despite the CoWIN app showing glitches for the second consecutive

days.

On the first day of vaccination Bengal registered nearly 76 percent vaccination among the targeted people whereas the national average remained at only 64.

The State government had achieved the milestone despite the non-functioning of CoWIN app developed by the Centre to track the inoculation programme. Bengal on the first day administered vaccine on 15,700 health workers attaining around 75.9 of its targeted beneficiaries. The national average stood at 64 per cent after two days. Delhi, Punjab and Tamil Nadu were among the states which witnessed low turnout of 54,23 and 22 per cent respectively. Apart from Bengal, Telangana and Odisha registered higher percentage of vaccination among the targeted groups.

Bengal has carried out vaccination at 207 centers across the state on Monday which was the second day of the programme. Around 14,140 health workers were vaccinated on Monday, while on Saturday's figure stood at 15707. The app didn't work smoothly and many of the selected recipients did not get the SMS.

All of them were contacted individually and the health workers faced problems in uploading data in the app. Around 14 Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) were reported, two of them have been admitted to hospitals — one at Diamond Harbour MCH with shivering and vomiting and the other at Falakata Multi Speciality Hospital with respiratory symptoms and nausea.

Both were reportedly stable. Today also the AEFI rate is just around 1/1000, which is normally expected for any vaccination. The patient admitted at NRS MCH was better today and responding to treatment well, said a senior health official. Meanwhile, the State Health department issued a circular to all the vaccination centers saying that the left out quantity in each Covishield vial must be utilised.

The decision was taken after the Health department found that there had been wastage in some quantity of vaccine that had left out in each vial on the first day.

Sources in the health department said that on an average ten health workers had obtained doses from one vial. Around 5 ml of doses were administered on each health worker on the day of launch. There were some quantities of vaccine wasted from each vial. All the vaccination centers have been therefore directed to utilize the left out quantity of doses.

If what was left out in each vial after administering ten people was less than 5 ml quantity, the remaining portion of the dose would be collected from another vial. It would stop the wastage of doses, said a senior health department official.

All the chief medical officers of health in the districts have already been asked to ensure that there is no wastage in the doses

of vaccines.

The Bengal government is eying its biggest ever vaccination drive in the current week with more vials expected to arrive in the state soon. A senior health department official said that they set a target to inoculate around 1 lakh health workers this week.