Over 100k in Delhi given vaccine jabs

NEW DELHI: Over 100,000 beneficiaries have received their first doses of a Covid-19 vaccine as on Saturday, three weeks since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off, according to state government data.

However, the daily turnout remained low on Saturday, as marginally more than 50% of the scheduled beneficiaries turned up for their shots. Of the 17,900 slated to receive the vaccine on Saturday, only 9,510 arrived at Delhi’s 179 vaccination centres on the day.

Senior health officials said health care workers who got the first jab on January 16, the day the drive was launched, will start getting their second and final dose of the same vaccine from February 13.

The programme was also formally opened up for a second batch of recipients on Saturday, with frontline workers now in the fray to receive a jab of either Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin or Serum Institute of India’s Covishield — the two Covid-19 vaccines currently approved for use in the country.

Frontline workers, a category which comprises police personnel, municipal staff, revenue officials, teachers and so on, can get vaccinated at all centres across Delhi. On Thursday, only a few centres were opened to frontline workers, as part of a trial.

Several district magistrates (DMS) and other bureaucrats took the jabs on Saturday, to instil confidence among the public about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.

Senior IAS officers, including district magistrates of southwest Delhi, Naveen Aggarwal, and west Delhi, Neha Bansal, took the first dose of the vaccine on Saturday. G Sudhakar deputy commissioner of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) also took a jab on the same day.

“Vaccination is the only way we can reach herd immunity. Right now, the fear of catching Covid-19 is lower than it was, but no one knows what lies ahead. So, I urge all front-line workers to come forward and take the vaccine at the earliest,” said Aggarwal after taking the jab.

West district vaccinated 1,242 people on Saturday - the highest of all 11 districts in Delhi. Five districts inoculated more than 1,000 beneficiaries on Saturday, while the fewest vaccinations — 373 doses — were administered in north district.