Covid shots for 100 people in TN rollout

The Covid-19 vaccine will be given to 100 healthcare providers across 166 sites in Tamil Nadu, as part of the nationwide vaccine rollout to be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, said Dr Vinay Kumar, Joint Director, Directorate of Public Health Care and Preventive Medicine, Chennai.

Tamil Nadu is fully equipped for the vaccine rollout and has made all arrangements and facilities like the cold chains that involved transportation and storage of the vaccines at 2-8 degree Celsius. Healthcare providers at various levels have been trained on the vaccination, he said, while speaking at a Media Sensitisation Workshop on Covid-19 vaccine organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

Across India, over 4.8 lakh healthcare providers, including doctors, have registered through the Co-WIN software to be vaccinated, he said in a release from PIB. The Government is taking steps to create awareness and allay fear and hesitancy among the people. Ten eminent persons will get vaccinated on Saturday after the Prime Minister launches the vaccination drive. The list of the personalities, however, is yet to be finalised, he added.

The choice of vaccine (Covishield and Covaxin) is purely voluntary. It is important that the recipient is given the same vaccine during the second dose after 28 days, he added.

Self-registration

When asked if media personnel will be included in the category of frontliners, Kumar said the State officials have already written to the Centre in this regard and are awaiting a reply. To another query on when the registration for public will open on the Co-WIN platform, he answered that there is already a provision for self-registration, which can be used after the instruction given by the Government, following the rollout for frontline workers and other prioritised groups.

Melvin George, Co-Investigator in Covaxin trials at SRM Hospital and Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, SRM Medical College Hospital, Kattankulathur, said that early clinical trials showed the vaccine to have immunogenicity as high as 88 per cent, which was very promising.

The cost-effectiveness of Covaxin and Covishield along with storage requirements make it a more compelling option for the Indian population. On claims of mutation of virus, he said that viruses usually take more time for multiple mutations to make the vaccine ineffective. The fear of the vaccine not being ineffective due to these minor mutations could be laid aside for the time being at least, he said.

Regarding possible side effects, George said that there could be minor fever, tiredness or nausea for one or two days.