Covid vaccination gets moderate response on first day

Chandrapur: The Covid vaccination drive that kicked off on Saturday received a moderate response (54%) on the first day. Medical superintendent of Chandrapur GMCH, Dr Bhaskar Sonarkar, became the first beneficiary to be vaccinated by Covid-shield dose.
The vaccination launching programme was held in the presence of ZP president Sandya Gurnule and MLA Kishor Jorgewar at the immunization centre at GMCH.The vaccination drive started simultaneously at six immunization centres. However, the response at the rural vaccination centre was poor, while the urban centres in Chandrapur city fared comparatively well.
Official sources in the health department informed that immunization to 100 persons as per the immunization centre was planned on the first day. However, as most of the doctors and medics registered for vaccination were on duty for the drive, they failed get their doses. Some comorbid beneficiaries were spared from the vaccination on the first day as a precautionary measure, while others preferred to wait and did not turn up at the vaccination centre out of fear of adverse effect.
The drive started at 10am and concluded at 5pm. Centerwise figure of vaccination is GMCH- 40%, Bramhapuri rural hospital- 40%, Warora sub-district hospital- 57%, Rajura sub-district hospital-40%, UPHC Balaji ward- 79%, UPHC Ramngar-76%. Officials said that the relay of messages and phone calls to the beneficiaries for vaccination were glitch-free. There was no case of adverse effect following immunization (AEFI) was registered during the day. Health department has decided to hold the vaccination henceforth on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
In all, 16,259 front line health workers are going to be inoculated during the first phase of the drive, which is likely to take nearly two months.