Highlights:
- In the first two days of the inoculation drive, around 2.24 lakh healthcare and frontline staff were inoculated
- On January 16 and 17, 447 cases of AEFI (Adverse Event Following Immunization) were registered, with only three hospitalizations required
- On the first day of its COVID-19 vaccination drive, India vaccinated the highest number of people which is largest in the world
According to the Ministry of Health on Sunday, more than 400 cases of adverse events following immunisation were registered two days after India began the “world’s largest vaccination drive” on 16 January. In the first two days of the inoculation campaign, about 2.24 lakh healthcare and frontline staff were inoculated.
The Ministry of Health said on Saturday, “447 cases of AEFI (Adverse event following immunization) reported on 16th and 17th January, only three required hospitalisations.” According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), any untimely medical incident that accompanies immunization and does not actually have a causal association with the use of the vaccine is known as AEFI.
Manohar Agnani, additional secretary, health and family welfare ministry said, “Of these, one was discharged within 24 hours from Northern Railway Hospital Delhi; one was discharged from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi; and one is under observation and is being monitored in AIIMS Rishikesh.”
Agnani further added, “Protocols for reporting, immediate case management at the site of the vaccination session, transport and hospitalization and further treatment for such cases are in place. Protocols for systematic investigation and causality evaluation of extreme AEFIs are also in effect.”
A worker at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) was admitted to a hospital after being shot with Covaxin on Saturday, as he developed an allergic reaction.
An official of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said, “A security guard of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has developed an allergic reaction after receiving COVID-19 vaccination here on Saturday. He is kept under doctors’ supervision at the hospital.”
Later, he was discharged.
On the second day of the national inoculation campaign, at least 17,072 recipients received the COVID-19 vaccine. In six states there were a total of 553 sessions, Andhra Pradesh (308), Karnataka (64), Tamil Nadu (165), Kerala (1), Manipur (1) and Arunachal Pradesh (14).
India vaccinated the highest number of people on the first day of its COVID-19 vaccination program, such exercise is the largest in the world. This is much larger than many other nations, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and France. As per the provisional report, a total of 2,24,301 beneficiaries have been vaccinated to date, said Agnani.
States/Union Territories (UTs) were advised to schedule coronavirus vaccination sessions four days a week to ease the disruption of routine health care. Some states have already made their weekly vaccination days public,’ Agnani said.
A meeting with all states on Sunday was also held by the Union Health Ministry to review the progress of the vaccination campaign.
