Shimla, Jan 16
A total of 1536 health care workers were vaccinated today for COVID in the State, informed Dr Nipun Jindal, Addl Secratery Health. The target was 2499 and the percentage coverage is 61.46%, he added.
He said that three minor Adverse Event following Immunization were reported in the State at three different locations in District Kangra (Dr RPGMC Tanda), Sirmour (Civil Hospital Paonta Sahib) and Solan( MMU Solan). The symptoms were dizziness, anxiety and nausea/shivering and the beneficiaries recovered after management as per protocol.
Around 74,500 health workers are expected to be vaccinated in the first phase of vaccination in the state.
“I was nervous and not ready for the vaccination initially. But I am totally fine now. We are going to be doctors in future, and we’re getting vaccinated first.
So we can now influence and inspire others to do the same, telling them that it’s better to get vaccinated than infected,” said Ayna Thakur, a medical student in Chamba who was the first to get the vaccine shot at her centre.
At the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla, the first three beneficiaries of the vaccine were inoculated in the presence of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur in a newly-built makeshift facility.
Among them was Hardeep Singh, 37, a safai karamchari in the medical college, who had joined the hospital in March last year when Covid was declared a pandemic. Singh said that his responsibility includes disinfecting the college premises.
During this past year, he saw numerous Covid-related deaths at the hospital, and managed to escape the infection himself, he said.
“Health authorities called me up on Friday, asking me to be the first beneficiary of the vaccine, and I was obliged,” he said.
Dr Janak Raj, the senior medical superintendent of the hospital, who suffered and recovered from Covid in November, was the first beneficiary to get the vaccine shot at the centre.
In Kullu, the vaccination phase started at the regional hospital at the district headquarters. Vikram Thakur, a radiographer in the hospital, was the first to receive the shot.
“I am confident about the efficacy of this vaccine. People were apprehensive about bruise marks and other complications, but I felt no pain during the injection, not
even the sensation which is caused by the prick of a thorn.
And I have felt no side effects so far either,” he said after the completion of his monitoring period.
In Solan, a health worker scheduled to receive the vaccination on Saturday reportedly refused to turn up at the centre.
The state received 93 thousand doses from the Serum Institute of India on Thursday. ..
A state-level vaccination store has been set up in
Shimla, two regional stores in Mandi and Dharamshala and 12
district-level stores in each of the districts. Besides, 386 cold
chain points have been set up in the state, according to health
officials.
Empower Independent Journalism – Join Us Today!
Dear Reader,
We’re committed to unbiased, in-depth journalism that uncovers truth and gives voice to the unheard. To sustain our mission, we need your help. Your contribution, no matter the size, fuels our research, reporting, and impact.
Stand with us in preserving independent journalism’s integrity and transparency. Support free press, diverse perspectives, and informed democracy.
Click [here] to join and be part of this vital endeavor.
Thank you for valuing independent journalism.
Warmly,
Vishal Sarin, Editor
