The first consignment of Covid-19 vaccines, Covishield reached Kolkata and Gujarat on Tuesday, hours after they were dispatched from the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) in Maharashtra.
Reportedly, around 6.89 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines arrived in Kolkata in a special flight from Pune, while 2.76 lakhs doses in Gujarat.
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel visited the Ahmedabad airport today and dubbed the vaccine arrival as the "much-awaited moment". He was accompanied with Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja.
Patel while talking to the reporters said, "We have received 2.76 lakhs doses of the coronavirus vaccine today. People have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this vaccine and it has finally arrived.
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He said these doses are meant for Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bhavnagar sectors.
A senior official of the Bengal health department told PTI, "The first consignment of Covid-19 vaccines from Pune reached the city at around 1.40 pm. There are around 6.89 lakh doses of the vaccines."
He further informed that the consignment will be transported in two insulated vans from the city airport to a state-owned store at Baghbazar. Five walk-in-coolers and four walk-in-freezers have been installed in the Baghbazar store to keep the vaccines
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The vaccines will be dispatched from the depot to various districts on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 93,500 doses of the vaccine will reach Surat from Pune by road on Wednesday, while 94,5000 doses will reach Vadodara and 77,000 doses will reach Rajkot, the deputy CM said.
Security will be beefed up at places where the vaccines will be stored with elaborate security arrangements, officials said.
Patel said the Gujarat government will administer the vaccine to 4.33 lakhs healthcare workers in the first phase.
"In the second phase, the state government is planning to vaccinate over 6 lakhs frontline workers comprising policemen, and workers of revenue and sanitation departments," he said.
Patel said 11 lakh healthcare and frontline workers have already been identified by the state government for inoculation.
"More doses of vaccine will arrive as the vaccination programme starts," he said.
Patel reiterated that no public representative, including MPs and MLAs, of the ruling BJP will receive the vaccine during the first phase, as the shots are meant for high risk groups.
He said cold chains have been set up for storing these vaccines, which will be administered at over 20,000 booths.
India will launch its Covid-19 vaccination drive from January 16 with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers.
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The country had recently granted emergency use authorisation to two vaccines, Oxford's Covishield being manufactured by Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
(With PTI Inputs)
