Vaccination drive in India: Here is what we know so far

A major achievement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the vaccination drive, hailing it as a major achievement. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also held a video conference with the health ministers of all states and UTs, complementing them on the successful rollout of the vaccines.

Total number of citizens vaccinated against Covid

As per the data provided by Union Health Ministry, 1,91,181 healthcare and frontline workers received the jab on the very first day of vaccination drive. The massive inoculation was carried out by 16,755 personnel during 3,352 sessions held across the country. Over 17,000 get Covid vaccines on Day 2 of vaccination drive.  The officials revealed that a total of 2,24,301 people have received the COVID vaccines to date.

State wise vaccination

According to the Health ministry data, the highest number of vaccines were administered in UP at 21291 followed by Andhra Pradesh at 18412, Maharashtra at 18328, Bihar at 18169, Odisha at 13746, Karnataka at 13594, Gujarat at 10787, Rajasthan at 9279, West Bengal at 9730, Madhya Pradesh at 9219, Kerala at 8062.
Besides, 5592 people in Chhattisgarh, 5,589 in Haryana, 4,319 in Delhi, 3653 in Telangana, 3528 in Assam, 3096 in Jharkhand, 2276 in Uttarakhand, 2,044 in Jammu and Kashmir, 1,517 in Himachal Pradesh and 1319 in Punjab were administered the vaccine on the first day.

Total number of adverse events reported

A total number of 580 adverse events have been reported so far. Most of the AEFI (Adverse Events Following Immunisation)  reported were minor like fever, headache, nausea.

Covishield, not Covaxin

The Resident Doctors' Association of Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital wrote to the medical superintendent requesting that they be vaccinated against Covid-19 using Oxford University's Covishield and not Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.

Compensation for adverse after-effects

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech said it would pay compensation to any recipient of its Covid-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' facing serious adverse after-effects post-vaccination.

Demand for free vaccines

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh wrote to PM Narendra Modi urging him to consider supplying the state's poor with COVID vaccines free of cost. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, too, issued a statement requesting the Centre to give the people of the state free Covid-19 vaccines as early as possible. The state government is willing to bear the financial burden, she added.

Deaths reported over vaccine suspicion

A 46-year-old healthcare worker named Mahipal Singh died on Sunday evening 24 hours after being administered the Covishield coronavirus vaccine shot. Moradabad Chief Medical Officer (CMO) stated that the death was unrelated to COVID-19 immunisation. Another man from Karnataka aged 43 years also died a day after being administered the vaccine although the Centre maintains it the death was not related to the vaccine.