India’s “precautionary dose” of Covid-19 vaccines for those who are above the age of 60 with comorbidities, healthcare workers, and frontline workers began today as the country recorded a steep rise in fresh infections over the last week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on December 24 announced precautionary shots for vulnerable populations and those at higher risk of contracting Covid-19. Here are some states that have
Delhi
Amid a surging third wave of coronavirus infections, Delhi on Monday started administering a third or “precautionary dose” to people aged 60 or more, healthcare workers and frontline workers who took their second dose of vaccine nine months ago. Around three lakh such people have become eligible for the third dose from Monday. The beneficiaries will receive a precautionary dose of the same vaccine they took 39 weeks ago. They will have to book a slot using their existing Cowin account.
Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh health department started administering the precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare and frontline workers and co-morbid people aged 60 and above on Monday, with Bhopal collector and other senior officials taking their jabs. A special camp for healthcare and frontline workers was organised at the collector’s office in the state capital Bhopal. Collector Avinash Lavania and Inspector General (Bhopal rural) Irshad Wali were among those who took the precaution dose at the camp.
The drive to administer the precaution doses to eligible people was also going on at the Pandit Khushilal Sharma Government Ayurveda College in Bhopal, as well as other places across the state. Those who had received their second jabs before April 12, 2021 are eligible for the precaution dose on Monday through pre-registration on CoWIN portal, said Dr Santosh Shukla, director, vaccination, National Health Mission.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday launched the precaution dose against COVID-19 for healthcare workers, frontline workers and those above 60 years of age with co-morbidities in the state. Those who have completed nine months (39 weeks) from the date of the second dose administered to them are eligible to receive the precaution dose from today.
The same vaccine that has been administered for the previous two doses will be given as the precaution dose, according to the State health department.
Gujarat
The Gujarat health department on Monday started administering the precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccine to frontline and healthcare workers as well as co-morbid people aged 60 and above, with an aim to cover nine lakh eligible people. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was present at an urban health centre in the state capital Gandhinagar during the commencement of the drive, as per a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
Approximately nine lakh eligible people will be administered the precaution doses at around 3,500 vaccination centres where more than 17,000 health workers would be engaged for the purpose, the release said.
Odisha
The Odisha government on Monday rolled out booster doses for its frontline workers and senior citizens with comorbidities, much like other parts of the country. Speaker S N Patro, who is in his 60s, was among those who took the booster shot during the day.
The state government has set up 2,276 session sites across districts for administering the “precautionary dose”, a senior health department official said. Apart for that, 1,340 session sites in the state are already providing anti-COVID shots to teenagers in the age group of 15-18 years.
Odisha, as of now, has a target of jabbing 17,52,838 booster shot beneficiaries divided into three categories — health care workers, other frontline warriors and senior citizens with comorbidities, said Bijay Panigrahi, director of family welfare and state nodal immunisation officer. “The government has sent out messages to all beneficiaries of booster doses. They would be given the same vaccine that they had taken as the first and the second dose,” Panigrahi stated.
Assam
The Assam government on Monday started administering the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or the booster dose, to vulnerable groups such as healthcare and frontline workers and elderly people, a senior official said. State Health Minister Keshab Mahanta ceremonially rolled out the drive at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital in presence of local BJP MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami.
Lakshmanan also said that an estimated 23 lakh people above 60 years of age will also get the third dose if nine months have passed since their second dose. When asked about the vaccine stock, he said, “There is absolutely no shortage of vaccines. On an average, we are vaccinating more than two lakh people every day and we have a stock of 75 lakh jabs at the moment.”
Rajasthan
Rajasthan Governor Kajraj Mishra was administered a “precautionary” dose of coronavirus vaccine on Monday. The state began administering a third or “precautionary dose” to people aged 60 or more, healthcare workers and frontline workers who took their second dose of vaccine nine months ago.
“The governor started the vaccination programme by getting the precautionary dose at Raj Bhavan,” according to a spokesperson of the Raj Bhavan.
West Bengal
The drive to vaccinate health and frontline workers and elderly people with comorbidities with a COVID-19 booster dose began in West Bengal on Monday, a health official said. A total of 22 lakh senior citizens, 10.5 lakh health workers, 7.5 lakh frontline personnel and 5 lakh doctors in the state are scheduled to receive the precautionary dose, he said.
Fully vaccinated senior citizens with comorbidities are eligible for the third dose, the official said. “Today, we plan to administer the booster dose to at least two lakh frontline and healthcare workers. The drive will be carried out in all vaccination centres. At present, we have 1.4 crore doses. Hopefully, this will help us give the booster dose also to vulnerable senior citizens in the state,” he said.
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