The COVID-19 vaccination drive started in Delhi on Saturday, as part of the national roll-out, with 4,319 healthcare workers being vaccinated at 81 sites across the city. Both Covaxin and Covishield vaccines were used during the drive.
Total 81 centres
Each of the 81 centres had aimed to cover 100 workers on the first day, but many fell short of the target of 8,100 despite a hand-picked list of people. While a lot of healthcare workers adopted a wait-and-watch approach, many volunteered for the drive.
Directions were issued to inoculate only those healthcare workers who were below 50 years of age to avoid any possible complications. Hence the people to be inoculated on the first day were not randomly selected, according to officials.
There were 51 “minor” and one “severe” Adverse Effect Following Immunisation (AEFI) among the healthcare workers who took the vaccine till 5 p.m., said an official list (compilation of data sent from 11 districts in Delhi). AEFI has been divided into “minor”, “severe”, and “serious” categories by the government. A Delhi government spokesperson, however, maintained there was no AEFI on Day 1.
Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the vaccination drive was “successfully” conducted on the first day.
