Covid vaccine reaches all 24 districts of Jharkhand

Around 1.62 lakh COVID-19 vaccine has reached all the 24 districts of Jharkhand for the scheduled first phase of the vaccination drive on January 16, a top Health department official said on Thursday.

In the first phase of the vaccination drive, the vaccines will be administered to state healthcare workers in 129 vaccination centres, the official said.

Principal Secretary, Health, Dr Nitin Madan Kulkarni told PTI that 1.62 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine sent from the state Health department warehouse at Namkum have reached all the 24 districts this morning.

He said the Union Health Ministry has allowed 129 vaccination centers for Jharkhand in the first phase of the vaccination drive.

Kulkarni said the vaccination drive in Jharkhand will start on January 16 and healthcare workers and military personnel will be administered vaccine in the first phase of the vaccination campaign.

He said that the vaccines will be given to those whose names and details will be obtained sequentially from the app created by the Union Ministry of Health to decide who is eligible for vaccination.

The principal secretary said that 1.23 lakh healthcare workers and military personnel in the state will be vaccinated in the first phase of the vaccination campaign.

In the second phase of the vaccination drive about 2.5 lakh frontline workers will be given the vaccine, he said.

Kulkarni said in the third phase a plan has been prepared to give the vaccine to about 70 lakh people above the age of 50 in the state.