T’PURAM / CHENNAI / HYDERABAD / BHUBANESWAR: PM Modi launched the nationwide vaccination drive from New Delhi on Saturday, marking the commencement of country’s battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Is it the beginning of the end of the pandemic?
Tamil Nadu
That was, indeed, the popular opinion in Tamil Nadu, as the vaccination drive began in the auspicious Tamil month of Thai. A substantial 2,684 healthcare workers got vaccinated on Day-1, said the health department. Officials expressed confidence that the numbers would go up after Pongal holidays are over.
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To instill confidence in larger masses, top doctors of the State got vaccinated on the very first day. The list includes Manoj Murhekar, director of the National Institute of Epidemiology, Sudha Seshayyan, V-C of the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, Prathap C Reddy, chairman of Apollo Hospitals, and Prashanth Rajagopalan, director of MGM Healthcare Hospital.
Kerala
The Covid vaccination launched in Kerala with 8,062 health workers taking the first dose on the day. The plan was to administer 13,300 vaccinations on the first day in 133 centres. A statement from Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said that the target was scaled down to 11,138 person.
“The vaccination will resume on Monday from 9 am.No untoward incidents of allergic reactions were reported in the state. The glitch on COWIN portal created problems across the country, including in Kerala. The health department switched to offline methods to sort the issue.
Odisha
On Saturday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik interacted with two health workers and a doctor after they were inoculated to take a feedback on vaccination and their effect on them. Stating that 2021 has brought good news for which the world was waiting, the Chief Minister in his message said that the Covid-19 warriors had served the people during the last ten months without caring for their lives.
“We cannot forget their service and sacrifice. We are proud of them,” he said.
Telangana
Meanwhile, accomplishing 92.2 per cent of the target set for Covid-19 vaccinations, Day 1 of pan-India vaccination campaign proved a success in Telangana, as it passed off without any reports of adverse post-vaccination reactions.
A total of 3,962 healthcare workers were immunised as against the target of 4,296. According to the Directorate of Public Health, reactions after the vaccination were reported only by 11 persons.