No daily target has been set for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. The only target is to ensure that there is no adverse reaction among those who have been vaccinated, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said on Sunday.
He was administered a dose of Covaxin at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital here. Speaking to reporters, he said he had taken the vaccine as a health administrator and would encourage all to get vaccinated when their turn came so as to break the chain. “Despite having taken a dose, people must be cautious at crowded and closed places and in the presence of the contacts of those who had tested positive for COVID-19.”
On the first day of vaccination, nearly 3,000 people were vaccinated and none had reported any side effect. “It is one’s personal choice to take the vaccine but one must not doubt the safety of both approved vaccines,” he said. “The Drugs Controller-General of India has approved both vaccines after careful deliberations and would not have done so without the safety of the people in mind,” he said. “It is our duty to ease the concerns of those with inhibitions.”
Among others vaccinated were doctors affiliated to the Tiruchi branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), including M.S. Ashraf, former national vice-president, IMA; Kannamai Manoharan, president of the IMA Tiruchi branch; former IMA Tiruchi president R. Gunasekaran; cardiologist Senthilkumar Nallusamy; and staff nurses and security staff members of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital.
By afternoon, 40 doses of Covaxin and 30 doses of Covishield were administered.
Vaccination sites
Later in the day, the Health Secretary visited the vaccination sites at the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital. Speaking to reporters there, he admitted that there was a snag in the CoWin application across the country, adding that it would be rectified soon.
“Many vaccination sites took to manual re-entry of data owing to the slow-functioning of the application’s server. This is the first time we are using such software, but soon our efficiency and speed will increase,” he said. He noted that the second booster dose must be the same as the first. “I took Covaxin in Tiruchi today, and 28 days later, I must take the same one,” he said. Leaving out pregnant women, all others, except those being treated for COVID-19, could take the vaccine, he added.
