Nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive to start today

India is launching one of the world’s largest coronavirus vaccination drives on Saturday, setting in motion a complex deployment plan aimed at stemming the wide spread of infections across a nation of more than 1.3 billion people. At hospitals and vaccination centers across major Indian cities -- from Mumbai to New Delhi -- tens of thousands of key front-line workers are expected to line up to receive and administer the first vaccines. The inoculation campaign across the world’s second-most populous country will be a crash course over whether Covid-19 can be swiftly tamed in nations with disjointed health and transportation networks. Officially more than 10.5 million people in India have been infected with the disease that has also killed at least 150,000 in its borders. ...

Uttarakhand all set to join Covid-19 vaccination drive

16Jan

By News RoomNo Comments

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand all set to join Covid-19 vaccination drive

Uttarakhand is all geared up to join the first phase of the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination programme that begins on Saturday. Vaccination sessions will be held at 34 health centres spread over 13 districts of the state with 100 healthcare workers to be administered the first dose of Covishield at each of the centres on the first day, Mission Director Sonika said. So, a total of 3,400 healthcare workers will be given vaccine shots in the state on the first day, she said. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the state was fully prepared for the first phase of the exercise during which 50,000 healthcare workers are to be administered the vaccine doses. Describing the vaccine as totally safe, the chief minister asked people not to have any doubts about it and join wholeheart...

15 things to know about Covid-19 vaccination drive to begin tomorrow

15Jan

By News RoomNo Comments

Highlights, India

15 things to know about Covid-19 vaccination drive to begin tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually launch India's vaccination drive against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Saturday as around 100 beneficiaries will be vaccinated at over 3,000 session sites across the country, the government has said. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has said that adequate doses of the two made-in-India shots have been delivered to all states and Union territories for the world's largest vaccination programme. "This vaccination programme is based on the principles of priority groups to be vaccinated and Health Care workers, both in government and private sectors including ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) workers, will receive the vaccine during this phase," the PMO said in a statement on Thursday. The Drugs Controller General of India (D...

Turkey launches vaccination drive with Chinese jab

14Jan

By News RoomNo Comments

World

Turkey launches vaccination drive with Chinese jab

Turkish doctors and nurses rolled up their sleeves today as the nation of 83 million people launched a coronavirus vaccination drive with China’s Sinovac jab. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca received the first shot of CoronaVac live on television after formally approving the vaccine yesterday despite contradictory data about its efficacy rate. Preliminary studies involving more than 7,000 volunteers in Turkey showed CoronaVac to be 91.25 per cent effective. But a bigger trial in Brazil showed 50.4 per cent efficacy and a third one in Indonesia pointed to a 65.3 per cent success rate, raising concerns about transparency from the Chinese manufacturers. Turkish television was plastered with images today of healthcare workers receiving their first doses as officials tried to raise a...