Haryana receives its first consignment of Covishield

Haryana received its first batch of Covishield vaccine on Wednesday as 2.41 lakh doses arrived here three days before the launch of the inoculation drive against coronavirus.The vaccine consignment reached the Chandigarh International Airport from Pune and was received by Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja and other senior officials.The health department will start the process of administering the jabs from January 16.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajeev Arora said the vaccine was soon taken to the state vaccine store in Kurukshetra where it was handed over to Civil Surgeon Kurukshetra, Sukhbir Singh and District Immunisation Officer Anupama Singh.

Arora said around 113 immunisation session sites have been identified across the state and healthcare workers will be administered the vaccine first.

Each session site will administer vaccines to 100 people. The information in this regard has already been uploaded on the CoWIN portal. Soon messages will be sent to the beneficiaries regarding the administration of vaccine, Arora said in a statement here.

He said that during the dry run, they learnt that one vaccinator can administer the vaccine to 100 beneficiaries.

Thus, at each session site a five-member team of vaccinator officers will be deputed who will ensure that social distancing norms are adhered to.

“The messages of each beneficiary will be checked before giving the vaccine. The beneficiary will wait after the administration of the vaccine and will be guided on the precautions to be taken,” he added.

On the care to be taken after the vaccine is administered, Arora said the beneficiaries will ensure adherence of social distancing norms, respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene after the vaccine is administered. 

(IMAGE CREDITS:Twitter/@adarpoonawalla)