Jammu, Srinagar launch vaccine drive for 18+ group
SRINAGAR/JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday rolled out the Covid-19 vaccination drive to cover people in the 18-45 age group in a phased manner starting with the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu.
As many as 204 persons received their first jabs on Day 1 of the drive, hours after vaccines arrived from Hyderabad.
This comes a day after the administration said the third phase of the inoculation drive will not begin in the union territory from May 1 as it was awaiting vaccine supply.
A senior official said that vaccination drive for 18-45 age group was started today (May 1) in a phased manner at Jammu and Srinagar. “Covaxin will be administered to this age group free of cost. It will be by prior registration and prior appointment only,” he added.
The UT received 1.5 lakh doses of Covaxin and 1 lakh doses of Covishield to be distributed equally between Jammu and Kashmir divisions.
“Vaccination for the 18-plus age group was started after we received Covaxin during the day. We got some 1.5 lakh doses — 75,000 doses each for Kashmir and Jammu divisions,” said Dr Shahid Hussain, immunisation officer at the directorate of family welfare. Besides one lakh Covishield doses — 50,000 each for Jammu and Kashmir divisions — were also received, he said.
He said that 204 persons in the 18-45 age group were given their first Covaxin shots. “As many as 140 persons were vaccinated in Jammu city and 64 in Srinagar,” he said.
The phased vaccination drive comes as the UT was facing shortage of Covishield doses meant for people above 45 years of age. “My second dose was due this week but at the vaccination centre I was told that there are no vaccines and I should check the availability next week,” said M Sultan, a Srinagar resident.
Many vaccination centres in Srinagar were dotted with placards informing that there was no vaccine availability. HT even called a private hospital to see whether the vaccines are available. “All the doses have finished. Please call after Monday,” said the desk operator of a private hospital where people have to pay for the vaccine.
Hussain, however, said that more doses were coming. “The vaccines are coming in bulk. In fact, we have asked for more Covishield doses. We even talked to the Serum Institute of India yesterday regarding the same,” he added.