‘Nothing more than a sharp jab’
NOIDA: Dr Rakesh Gupta, the director of the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), is a happy man. He has been managing the dedicated Covid-19 facility since April and on Saturday was vaccinated against the coronavirus disease.
When asked about his experience after the vaccination, Gupta said that it was a regular vaccination lasting nothing more than a few seconds.
“But indeed, it was a moment of pride to be among the first lot to be inoculated against the deadly virus that halted the growth across the globe for over nine months. None of our staff suffered nausea or dizziness after getting their shot,” he said.
Chief medical superintendent (CMS) of Super Specialty Paediatric Hospital and Post Graduate Teaching Institute (SSPHPGTI) Dr DK Singh said that everybody should get the vaccine as responsible citizens. “Since the vaccine has been developed by seasoned scientists after sufficient trials and it is safe for use, I had no side effects. I am continuing work today as per my routine,” he said.
Dr Pallavi Sharma, assistant professor in school of dental sciences in Sharda university, said that none of the health workers in her campus complained about vomiting tendency or fever, after getting the first dose of vaccine on Saturday. “To me, it was like other vaccines – some pain for a few seconds and nothing else. In fact, while being under observation for 30 minutes, we all were cracking jokes and planning menu for Sunday’s lunch,” she said.
GB Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY said there were no cases of adverse events in the city.
“The details of health workers were noted and it has been uploaded on CO-WIN app. Altogether 24,453 health workers will be vaccinated in the first phase of vaccination,” he said.
The district chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Deepak Ohri said that those who missed Saturday’s inoculation will get another chance in the next phase. “We have got adequate Covidshield vials to be used in the first phase. In the second round of vaccination for the first phase, we hope to vaccinate over 7,500 people on Friday at 75 vaccination booths. However,
we are waiting for the government’s detailed guidelines in this connection,” he said.
Ohri also said that the district administration has approved the list of 12 government and 20 private hospitals.
“The district health department has also prepared a list of 75 booths, where the vaccination will take place in these hospitals. We have already prepared a list of 24,453 doctors and other medical staff, who will be inoculated in the first phase of vaccination,” he said.