The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 1.54 crore on Tuesday (till 7 p.m.). This includes 67,32,944 health care workers (HCW) who have taken the first dose and 26,85,665 HCWs who have taken the second dose.
Also 4,34,981 beneficiaries more than 60 years old have taken the vaccine so far along with 60,020 beneficiaries aged 45 and above with co-morbidities, said data released by the Health Ministry.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said since Monday, the first day of second phase of vaccination, 50 lakh registrations have been made on CoWIN for COVID19 vaccination.
At the press conference, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) Director Genral Balram Bhargava explained that both the vaccines available in India are safe for use for beneficiaries on blood thinners.
“People on blood thinners can take either of the vaccines without any problem. There are some precautions to be followed which are routine and simple,” he said while member (health) NITI Aayog V.K. Paul added that taking the second dose of vaccination is vital.
“Only after you take the second dose the COVID vaccination is complete,” Dr. Paul stressed.
With States including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana registering an upsurge in COVID cases, Mr. Bhushan said the Health Ministry has deputed teams to understand the reason behind the surge. He noted that India is currently seeing a marginal increase in COVID cases since the past two weeks because of this surge.
“Public compliance for COVID appropriate behaviour cannot be diluted. Please avoid large gatherings, parties, weddings etc. These could be super spreading events,” noted Dr. Paul.
Replying to a question on some political leaders asking medical staff to vaccinate them at home instead of designated medical centres, Mr. Bhushan said, “We are aware of this incident in Karnataka and this is not allowed as per protocol. A report has been sought from the State government on the incident.’’
R.S. Sharma, chairman, Empowered Group on COVID vaccination speaking about the flexibility that the upgraded CoWIN system is providing said, “The upgraded system is ready to take on the large volume of beneficiaries that we are expecting in the second phase. It is also geared to ensure the data security and offer best safety measures against any cyber attacks.”
Stating that the upgraded system offers an array of benefits to the user including multiple registration (upto four persons) from a single phone number, flexibility to take the vaccine anywhere across India etc Mr. Bhushan added that the system also allows vaccination beyond the stipulated 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. slot.
“The system takes away the need to be vaccinated in this time line and can accommodate as per the need and capacity of the particular state,” he said
