Healthcare workers to be given second dose of COVID-19 vax from Feb 13

The government on Thursday said the second dose of Covid-19 vaccines will be administered to healthcare workers starting February 13.

NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul made the announcement in a public briefing. The first phase of the nationwide vaccination drive against Covid-19 had begun on January 16. Healthcare workers have only been given the first dose, so far, Paul said.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said at the briefing that the third nationwide sero survey showed that the large proportion of population still remains vulnerable to Covid-19. “About 21.5 per cent of population surveyed from December 17 to January 8 showed evidence of past exposure to coronavirus,” the ICMR said.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry informed on Thursday that nearly 4.5 million beneficiaries have received Covid-19 vaccine shots in 19 days. “Many other countries have had a head start of almost 65 days. India launched the countrywide Covid-19vaccination drive on January 16. The number of beneficiaries being vaccinated every day has also shown a progressive increase,” the ministry said.

In a span of 24 hours, 3,10,604 people were vaccinated across 8,041 sessions, it said, adding that 84,617 sessions have been conducted so far. – News18 India