Nagaland to get first supply of Covid vaccines on Thursday

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Jan. 13 (EMN): As India begins dispatching Covid-19 vaccines to various states across the country ahead of the massive inoculation drive to be rolled out on January 16, sources from Health and Family Welfare informed Eastern Mirror that Nagaland will receive first consignment of vaccine doses by Thursday.

It was informed that Health department will organise sensitisation workshop for leaders of faith-based organisations and civil societies in Kohima on Thursday for Covid-19 vaccination drive which will be begin in the state on Saturday along with the rest of the country.

The department has invited representatives of at least a dozen organisations, including Nagaland Baptist Churches Council, Catholic Association of Nagaland, NTC, NSF, ENPO, ENSF, and ANCSU among others to the programme. However, it said only ‘only one representative from each organisation or church should attend the workshop to avoid crowding while observing all Covid-19 appropriate behaviours’.

“As we go through one of the most challenging phases of our lifetime, researchers and scientists have come together across the globe to find a solution in ending this pandemic. Vaccines are one of the oldest and most effective public health measures till date.

“Now with vaccines around the corner there are a lot of misconceptions and apprehensions among the general public which needs to be addressed timely and appropriately. The Church and the civil societies have been very instrumental in all the control efforts around the Covid-19 pandemic and we hope to continue this partnership even during the Covid-19 vaccination,” it stated.

According to sources, 95 per cent of the 1.1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine purchased by the government of India have been delivered and shipped to nearly 60 consignee points across India in two days, according to a report by PTI.

“Of the 55 lakh doses of indigenously developed Covaxin of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech ordered by the Centre, the first tranche of 2.4 lakh doses have been dispatched to 12 states,” it added.

The government of India announced the rollout of Covid-19 vaccination drive days after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Pune-based Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for restricted emergency use in the country.