Healthcare workers who on Saturday received the first shot of the COVID vaccine are being monitored for 48 hours, on Sunday.

Each vaccination centre has set up a 24×7 helpline for beneficiaries to report any adverse, post-vaccination symptoms. As many as 1,802 of the 3,100 randomly selected beneficiaries in Pune Metropolitan Region took the vaccine on the first day of the drive.

A doctor administers the vaccine to a beneficiary inside a makeshift facility set up at Yamunanagar Municipal Hospital in Talawade on Saturday.

“The objective (of the surveillance) is to boost vaccine confidence. None of the beneficiaries developed any symptoms post-vaccination in the city so far,” Pune city’s health chief Ashish Bharati said.

Varsha Doiphode, additional civil surgeon, Pune district, told TOI that they were keeping a close eye on the 60 beneficiaries who received Covaxin on Saturday. By Sunday evening, none of them had any adverse complaints. “We have asked them to immediately contact us if they experience any kind of discomfort in the next 48 hours. They have also been instructed on the precautions to be taken. Getting vaccinated does not warrant unsafe behaviour; folowing safety protocol is a must,” she said.

PCMC additional civic health chief Pavan Salve said they too received no complaints, barring the eight minor complaints on Saturday. As many as 456 received the shot at eight designated centres in Pimpri Chinchwad.

Pune district civil surgeon Ashok Nandapurkar said Saturday’s incident, in which a healthcare worker who received the vaccine on an empty stomach fainted at the Wagholi primary health centre, was the only issue so far. “A beneficiary at Daund complained of minor symptoms, but they were coincidental and not related to the vaccine. We have asked the beneficiaries to contact their respective centre’s helpline number if they develop any symptoms,” Nandapurkar said.
A few doctors involved in Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) developed minor symptoms, like headache, body ache, etc. Minor post-vaccination symptoms are common and reflect the body’s immunological response,” Sanjay Patil, former vice-president of the state chapter of IMA, said.

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