COVID-19 vaccination | 71% covered in Telangana on day 3

51 develop adverse reactions, three hospitalised but condition stable

January 19, 2021 11:16 pm | Updated January 20, 2021 10:44 am IST - Hyderabad

A doctor looks away and covers her face as a health worker inoculates her with a COVID-19 vaccine at the Osmania Medical College in the city on Tuesday.

A doctor looks away and covers her face as a health worker inoculates her with a COVID-19 vaccine at the Osmania Medical College in the city on Tuesday.

On the third day of COVID-19 vaccination drive, a total of 51,997 healthcare workers in Telangana were given the jab on Tuesday. Of them, 51 developed Adverse Effect Following Immunisation (AEFI), including three who required hospitalisation. Their condition was said to be stable.

Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao said no serious or severe case of AEFI was reported.

This is the highest number of beneficiaries to be immunised and the maximum number of AEFI cases reported in a day. The number of vaccine recipients per session site is being increased gradually.

If the percentage of targeted beneficiaries is considered, it is the lowest since Saturday or the first day of the vaccine drive.

That day, 92.2% of the targeted beneficiaries — 3,962 of 4,296 healthcare workers — were vaccinated. The number fell to 82% on Monday, and 71% on Tuesday.

Altogether, on the three days, 69,625 out of the 94,719 targeted healthcare workers were administered the vaccine, which overall works out to 74%. It clearly indicates that there is still some hesitation among the beneficiaries to get inoculated.

As the session sites increased, the number of beneficiaries too has increased. One of the sites where vaccination began on Tuesday was Osmania Medical College. Vice-principal of the college R.L. Lakshman said, currently, there are 449 beneficiaries, which include faculty and post graduate students. Of those, 100 were vaccinated on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive is conducted only on four days of the week — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

3.48L more doses

The State Health department received 3,48,500 more doses of Covishield on Tuesday.

This is in addition to the 3.64 lakh doses of Covishield and 20,000 doses of Covaxin already received.

Dr Srinivasa Rao said all the doses would be enough to vaccinate healthcare workers in government and private health centres. Each beneficiary needs two doses of a vaccine with a gap of 28 days in between. The healthcare workers and frontline workers from other departments, such as municipality and police, are the priority groups.

Thereafter, people above 50 years, and those under the age of 50 with co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension would be covered.

The senior health official informed that people above 50 years might have their turn towards the end of February or in March.

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