Elderly dispel fears, say vaccines are safe
Eighty-year-old retired school teacher Ramkishore Sahu drove his motorcycle for around 68 kilometres to reach Ranchi’s Sadar Hospital on Monday to receive the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. “I felt no discomfort after getting the shot,” he said.
The only regret, he said after getting the vaccine, was that his wife could not accompany him as the couple only own one helmet. “I would now purchase one [helmet] for her today itself and bring her tomorrow,” Sahu said.
India on Monday expanded its vaccination drive against Covid-19 to include people above 60 of age and those over 45 with significant comorbidities.
The vaccine is being administered free of cost at designated government hospitals and for ₹250 at private hospitals across the country. Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, however, will administer the vaccine for free after the state governments in the respective states made promises to this effect.
In Karnataka’s Bengaluru, 97-year-old Ramaswami Parthasarathy was the first to get the vaccine jab at Manipal hospital.
“Mr Parthasarathy has been vaccinated and he is doing fine,” the hospital said in a statement.
Several senior political leaders were also vaccinated on Monday.
In Rajasthan, governor Kalraj Mishra, 80, received the first dose at the Raj Bhawan in the state and called upon all those eligible to take both doses of the vaccine.
The first beneficiaries in the state were a family of senior citizens, including 72-year-old Mangala Dixit, a retired health director, who were vaccinated at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital. After the inoculation, Dixit said, “This vaccine is very safe. Everybody should get vaccinated.”
Vice- president Venkaiah Naidu was vaccinated, along with Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit, at the Governor Omandurar Medical College Hospital in Chennai.
In Bihar, chief minister Nitish Kumar was administered the first dose of Serum Institute of India’s Covishield vaccine, along with deputy chief ministers Renu Devi and Tarkishore Prasad, and judges of the Patna high court, including chief justice Sanjay Karol.
After receiving the first dose, Kumar said, “We had decided last year itself to provide the vaccine free of cost in the state. The state government will reimburse the cost of the vaccine at the 50-odd private health facilities, identified for vaccination.”
Some states, however, also reported glitches with registration and walk-in vaccinations on the first day.
In Madhya Pradesh, 70-yearold Jagdish Pal, who was among the first to get vaccinated, complained of technical errors in the software. “I reached the hospital at 8 AM for vaccination but due to some technical error in the software I had to wait for two hours. I am feeling good after vaccination,” Pal, who recovered from the Covid infection three months ago, said.
MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is scheduled to get the first dose of the vaccine on Tuesday, officials familiar with the matter said.
In Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, his wife, Pratibha Pawar, and daughter Supriya Sule, were given the first dose of the vaccine. Sule (51) represents Baramati Lok Sabha seat in Pune.
Amid reports of glitches and some people saying they were finding it difficult to navigate the Co-WIN 2.0 app to register and book an appointment, the Union Health ministry clarified to say the app on Play Store is meant for use only by administrators. Registration and booking for appointments has to be done through the portal, it said.
THE HEALTH MINISTRY SAID THE CO-WIN APP IS MEANT FOR USE BY ADMINISTRATORS WHILE BOOKING APPOINTMENTS HAS TO BE DONE THROUGH THE WEB PORTAL