No jab side-effects in Punjab so far: Officials
This is a positive sign and will encourage others, says state’s Covid-19 nodal officer
AMRITSAR: With all 1,327 health workers immunised on Saturday, the first day of the nationwide vaccination drive against covid-19, showing no adverse effects, the state health department expects more people to show up. For Saturday, 5,900 health workers were scheduled to get Covid-19 vaccine shots.
The department will now organise special counselling sessions to motivate the health workers, and also relocate vaccine sites in Punjab, as per demand. Nearly 1.6 lakh Punjab health workers registered with the central government’s Co-win app will get vaccinated.
State covid-19 nodal officer Dr Rajesh Bhaskar said, “All those beneficiaries, who were given vaccine on Saturday, were kept observation for half-an-hour. No case of adverse effect has been reported till now, even after when more than 24 hours after their vaccination. This is a positive sign and will encourage others.” He added, “District health teams can decide on setting up vaccine sties at different hospitals on particular days, but total vaccine sites in the state will remain 59. Senior health officials are also taking the vaccine.”
“We have organised special counselling sessions for health workers to motivate them. We have not reported any case of Adverse Effect of Immunisation (AEFI). We expect more beneficiaries will report for vaccination on Monday. It is because of rumours and negativity that we got lukewarm response on first day,” said Tarn Taran civil surgeon Dr Rohit Mehta.
Patiala civil surgeon Dr Satinder Singh said, “Senior medical officers and I have also received vaccine shots on Saturday and we are setting an example. I am appealing to doctors, nurses and Class-4 staff to take the vaccine shot as it is safe. Health workers must not fall prey of rumours.”
State nodal officer to get inoculated today
Dr Bhaskar said he would get the covi-shield vaccine on Monday to motivate health workers, who are unwilling to take vaccine fearing its side-effects. “I wanted to get the vaccine injected on Saturday, but due to technical glitch in the Centre’s Co-win app, my name could not be listed. Vaccine is safe and many senior health workers, across the country, have already taken the shot,” he added.
Bathinda AIIMS,
Cantt to hold separate vaccination programmes AIIMS and the Cantonment, will undertake independent covid-19 vaccination programmes.
Civil surgeon Dr TS Dhillon on Sunday said both institutes had been supplied nearly 1,800 vaccines to cater to their respective demands for health care professionals.
5 more deaths,
240 new cases
Five more Covid-19 fatalities were recorded in Punjab on Sunday which pushed the death toll to 5,504, while 240 new cases took the infection count to 1,70,605, a medical bulletin issued here said.