Covid immunisation: 14,965 beneficiaries receive vaccine shots in Delhi

Nearly 15,000 beneficiaries in Delhi received COVID-19 vaccine shots on Monday and of them 2,191 got their second dose, officials said.

The immunisation drive, which started on January 16, picked up pace in the last one week. On Saturday 1,856 healthcare workers got their second dose after receiving the first shot on the inaugural day of the vaccination drive.

The turnout for the second dose on Saturday was about 43 per cent.

On Monday,14,965 beneficiaries were vaccinated.

Among the healthcare workers,4,571 got their first dose and2,191 the second shot. Also,8,203 frontline workers got their first jabs on Monday, a senior official in the health department said.

"Seven cases of AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) was reported," he said.

Under the nationwide mega vaccination drive, a total of 4,319 (53 per cent) healthcare workers, against a target of 8,117, were administered the shots at 81 centres across the city on day one.

According to doctors, the second dose is to be given to a beneficiary after a gap of 28 days.

On Saturday, a total of 13,768 beneficiaries received vaccine shots and the second dose began to given to healthcare workers who had received the first jab 28 days ago.

On the second scheduled day after the roll-out of the exercise on January 16, the figures had stood at 3,598 (44 per cent of the target). The sharp fall had come after one severe and 50 minor adverse effect cases were reported, on the opening day of the vaccination drive.

The count on the third scheduled day was much higher, at 4,936 (48 per cent).

"On February 12, as many as 14,843 people were administered the anti-coronavirus vaccine and AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) was reported in seven persons," a senior official of the Delhi Health Department had said.

Delhi recorded 141 fresh COVID-19 cases and two deaths on Monday, even as the positivity rate stood at 0.36 per cent.