On January 16, India rolled out the massive coronavirus vaccination drive where 2 vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin are being administered to frontline health workers across the country.

 

11,660 sessions were conducted where a total of 6.31 lakh healthcare workers received Covid-19 vaccine jabs till Tuesday, according to a provisional report of the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday.

The inoculation drive has been successful to a great extent but mild side effects after jab were reported for a few beneficiaries. Only nine cases of adverse event following immunization (AEFI) have required hospitalization and in Delhi, three AEFI cases have been discharged and one is under observation at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital. In Uttarakhand, one AEFI case has been discharged.

In Karnataka, one person was discharged and another who is stable is kept under observation at Chitradurga district hospital. In Chhattisgarh too one person was discharged. In Rajasthan, one case of suspected anaphylaxis was stated to be fine and under observation at Bangar district hospital.

Asserting that the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination programme was conducted successfully on the fourth day as well, the ministry said the the total number of beneficiaries who have been vaccinated till 6 pm include 42,085 in Bihar, 7,418 in Assam, 80,686 in Karnataka and 23,855 in Kerala.

In Madhya Pradesh 18,174 people have received the vaccine, Tamil Nadu 25,251, Gujarat 17,581, Telangana 69,405, Uttar Pradesh 22,644, West Bengal 42,093 and Delhi 12,441, according to the provisional report.

Several UN agencies are working closely with authorities for the massive vaccination programme, as India launched the world's largest Covid-19 vaccination drive, a spokesperson for the UN chief said.

In India, the UN team led by Resident Coordinator Renata Dessallien is supporting the government and UN partners in the massive Covid-19 vaccination programme, said Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday.

"UN agencies are working closely with authorities to prepare and launch what is currently the world's largest vaccination drive," he told reporters at the daily press briefing, adding that as of Tuesday, the Indian government has vaccinated nearly half a million people.