Slow start to vaccination programme in South Coastal A.P.

Only 700 of the 2,200 intended beneficiaries turn up for getting the shot

January 17, 2021 02:07 am | Updated 02:07 am IST - ONGOLE

Government General Hospital Superintendent D. Sriramulu was the first to receive vaccine in Ongole on Saturday.

Government General Hospital Superintendent D. Sriramulu was the first to receive vaccine in Ongole on Saturday.

The much-awaited COVID-19 vaccination programme began on a slow pace across the 48 session sites in South Coastal Andhra Pradesh on Saturday as Sankaranti holidays came in the way of inoculation to all the registered health professionals.

“There has been no adverse event after inoculation of vaccine in SPSR Nellore and Prakasam districts as of now,” according to health officials.

Ongole Government General Hospital Superintendent D. Sriramulu was among the first to get the shot at the Medical College Hospital here after Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the world’s largest vaccination programme.

Allaying concerns of people over vaccines, Dr. Sriramulu said he was fine and that he did not have any side effects. He had taken the shot along with 17 other doctors at the GGH in the presence of District Collector Pola Bhaskar as a confidence building measure among other workers.

A sanitary supervisor was the first person to get vaccinated in Nellore, which reported the first COVID-19 positive case in the State.

Minister allays fears

State Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy, after inaugurating the programme along with Nellore(Rural) MLA Kottakreddy Sridhar Reddy and District Collector K.V.N. Chakardhar Babu, said that the vaccine is totally safe.

Only over 700 of the 2,200 health professionals turned up for getting a shot in the 22 selected session sites in Prakasam district by evening. “We will ensure that all the registered 24,100 health professionals, including ASHAs and ANMs are fully covered in the coming days”, said Prakasam District Medical and Health Officer P.Ratnavalli.

In SPSR Nellore district, 2,300 of the 2,600 intended beneficiaries were mapped and 1,070 took the vaccine in the 26 session sites, including 10 public health centres, 10 community health centres and 3 urban health centres by evening. The programme will be hastened in the coming days, said SPSR Nellore DMHO S. Rajyalakshmi.

Dr. Rajyalakshmi said that the immunity against the virus would kick in only after 14 days after completing the second dose. Even after receiving the vaccine, people should continue to wear face mask and wash their hands, she said.

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