The second phase of COVID-19 vaccination began in Madhya Pradesh on Monday with an 89- year-old retired doctor getting the first shot in Bhopal. India on Monday opened up the inoculation drive for people above 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with co-morbidities.
In Bhopal, the drive began at the Government Gandhi Medical College (GMC) where state Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang was present. Sarang took Dr N P Mishra (89), a retired government doctor, on a wheel-chair for the latter to receive his first vaccine shot, a public relations department official said.
Talking to PTI after the inoculation, Mishra said, “I got mild fever after the shot, but it is quite normal. I am feeling perfectly fine and I would recommend others also to take the vaccine.” Sarang interacted with some of the senior citizens who were vaccinated at the GMC.
Those who were given the vaccine shots were kept under observation for 30 minutes after the inoculation. In Bhopal, the vaccine doses are being given in 17 hospitals, including nine government facilities. In Indore, which is the worst affected by COVID-19 in the state, the first vaccine shot on Monday was administered at the Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) to Dr Ravi Kumar Jain (65), who is a dentist.
Talking to reporters after taking the jab, Jain said, “I am feeling perfectly alright after taking the first dose and will bring my wife on Tuesday to get her vaccinated.” Dismissing rumours about the vaccine, he said “as informed citizens, we must get ourselves vaccinated by following the government guidelines”.
The COVID-19 vaccine shots are being given free of cost at three government hospitals in Indore, including MYH, while people will have to pay Rs 250 to get the jabs at seven private hospitals in the city, officials said. According to eyewitnesses, senior citizens in some hospitals complained of facing problems while trying to register online for the immunisation drive. Hospital staff were seen helping them in completing the registration process.
Madhya Pradesh on Sunday reported 363 fresh cases of coronavirus, taking the infection count in the state to 2,61,766. The state has so far reported 3,864 deaths due to the viral infection, as per official figures.
A 97-year old man became the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine here as the drive for inoculating the general public got underway in Karnataka on Monday. After the vaccination drive since January 16 covered health workers and frontline workers, the next phase started from Monday for all people above 60 years of age and those over 45 with comorbidities.
Senior citizens sporting face masks queued up at private Manipal Hospitals here for getting the vaccine shot. Some of the beneficiaries were wheelchair bound.
“Ramaswami Parthasarathy, 97-year-old, was the first to get vaccinated,” Manipal Hospitals said in a statement. The hospital appealed to the senior citizens and people above 45 years with comorbidities to register themselves for inoculation.
“We at Manipal Hospitals have started the vaccination drive today. The registrations for the vaccination can be competed online through the CoWIN app, and people in the age group of 60 plus can directly walk-in for the vaccination,” it said in the statement. The hospital was cooperating with the government and abiding by the standard procedures and protocols for the vaccination drive, it added.
Meanwhile, the government hospitals too started the preparations for vaccination. “Today only we got direction from the government. We are starting the registration process from today and will begin the vaccination drive once the preparations are over,” Director and Dean of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Dr C R Jayanthi told PTI.
The state government has said vaccination will take place at all its taluk and district level hospitals and two identified private hospitals in each district. According to the state health department, vaccination days will be Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in government facilities and all working days in private hospitals.
The number of vaccinations would be limited to 200 per day per session site and would be on a first come first serve basis. However, online registered beneficiaries would be allotted a specific time in a day.
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