COVID-19 vaccination drive: Over 1.91 lakh people inoculated on Day 1, no hospitalisation post-jab

On the first day of nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive, flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 1,91,182 people received the vaccine, according to the Union Health Ministry. A total of 16,755 vaccinators participated in the vaccination process across India, the ministry added. Not a single case of hospitalisation post-vaccine administration has been reported yet.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive was successfully conducted on the first day, Additional Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Manohar Agnani stated during a press briefing.

"A total of 3,351 sessions were held wherein 1,65,714 beneficiaries were vaccinated, as per provisional reports," Agnani said. "A total of 16,755 personnel were involved in organising the vaccination sessions," he added.

Covishield and Covaxin were administered to people in 11 states and union territories. These were Assam (65 centres), Bihar (301), Delhi (81), Haryana (77), Karnataka (242), Maharashtra (285), Odisha (161), Rajasthan (167) Tamil Nadu (160), Telangana (14) and Uttar Pradesh (317).

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin vaccine is the first indigenously developed vaccine. Covishield vaccine has been developed by Oxford University in collaboration with pharma giant AstraZeneca. The Covishield vaccine is being produced by Serum Institute of India (SII).  In the first phase of the vaccination drive over 3 crore, frontline and healthcare workers are expected to receive the vaccine first in the opening phase of the vaccination drive.

The 1,65,714 recipients included 78 from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 76 from Ladakh, 43 from Daman and Diu, 64 from Dadra And Nagar Haveli, 21 from Lakshadweep, 195 from Chandigarh and 373 from Goa, 16,963 were vaccinated in Andhra Pradesh, 16,401 in Bihar, 15,727 in Maharashtra, 4,985 in Chhattisgarh, 8,557 in Gujarat, 743 in Arunachal Pradesh, 2,721 in Assam, 3,403 in Delhi, 4,656 in Haryana, 1,408 in Himachal Pradesh and 1,954 in Jammu and Kashmir.

After the launch of the vaccination drive, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria, a sanitation worker, a healthcare worker were the first people who received the vaccine as part of the programme.

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