ONLY 15 GOVT HOSPITALS IN PUNJAB START DRIVE ON DAY 1

CHANDIGARH : Fifteen government hospitals in Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar and Bathinda districts on Sunday started administering booster dose of vaccine for Covid-19 to population of over 18 years.

State’s nodal officer for Covid-19 Dr Rajesh Bhaskar said more hospitals will be covered in the drive as many private ones have sought permission from the state health department for administering the booster dose. The state health department has a stock of 45 lakh vaccine doses, said Dr Bhaskar.

There around one crore people in the state who have taken the second dose and those who have completed nine months gap between second and third dose will be given the booster dose, said a health department officer, adding that 96% of state’s population has taken first dose and 73% of them have been administered the second dose.

“Those who have taken Covishield or Covaxin in first and second dose will get the same as a booster,” said Dr Bhaskar. He said they are yet to receive the date of booster doses administered on opening day.

No precautionary dose at pvt hospitals

BATHINDA: No private facility in the south Malwa district opted to start administering the precautionary or booster dose to the 18+ population starting on the first day on Sunday.

Fazilka civil surgeon Tejwant Singh Dhillon said shots will be administered to eligible beneficiaries at private centres against a fixed payment. But we have yet to receive a requisition from any of the private hospital in this regard,” he said.

District immunisation officer, Bathinda, Meenakshi Singla said private players have not shown interest in administering the booster dose on the first day.htc