Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar January 15 Ten months after the first Covid case was reported in the district last year the first batch of health workers from the district are finally going to get the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine tomorrow (January 16). After a year of lockdown gloom uncertainty and health concerns 300 health workers would be the first in the district to be vaccinated against the virus. About CoviShield India has approved the AstraZeneca and Oxford University-developed vaccine which in India is manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (the worlds largest manufacturer of the vaccine by volume). Covishield is the Indian name of the Oxford vaccine. While Bharat Biotech-developed Covaxin is also approved for use in India in Punjab the Covishield vaccine will be administered during the inoculation drives. The drive would begin after the PMs interaction with state CMs via videoconference on Saturday morning. After the arrival of 16490 doses of the Covishield vaccine in the district on Friday the vaccine was dispatched to the three centres where it would be administered. The Oxford-developed Covishield vaccine would be administered to health workers listed in Jalandhar. Notably the first Covid case was reported at Virk village (where three persons contracted the virus) in the district on March 24 last year. They were all relatives of Nawanshahr-based Baldev Singh who was then referred to as the super spreader. Special ward set up for those who will be inoculated. Sarabjit Singh The vaccine would be administered to 300 health workers at three health facilities — the Civil Hospital Jalandhar; the Sub-Divisional Hospital Nakodar and the CHC Basti Gujan. A team of health workers has been deployed at these centres which will administer the dose to 100 beneficiaries. Around 500 to 600 vaccines have been dispatched to each centre for the vaccination drive. About 400 health workers — doctors nurses and paramedical staff — have been deputed at the Civil Hospital. Of them 100 would be vaccinated. Twentyeight days after the first dose the second dose of the vaccine would be administered to the same set of health professionals. A total of 31 health teams would be administering the vaccines across all 29 session sites and each team has a target to vaccinate 100 beneficiaries per day which would mean 2900 persons to be vaccinated daily. District Immunisation Officer Dr Rakesh Chopra said “All arrangements have been ready and the vaccines have been sent to the three centres. The vaccine will be administered to 300 health workers on Saturday and on subsequent dates starting Monday the number of centres where health workers are to be vaccinated would be increased.”

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