70 seniors get the jab on Day 1

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 1

The district Health Department started administering the vaccine to senior citizens and people with comorbidities on Monday. On the first day of the second phase, 70 persons above 60 years of age and 16 persons in the age group of 45 to 59 years with co-morbidities were given the shot.

The district health officials said the vaccination would be available at 15 public sector hospitals in the district besides 19 private hospitals.

Civil Surgeon Dr Charanjit Singh said on Monday, 19 private hospitals were approved for giving Covid vaccines. “More hospitals from the private sector would be empanelled in the coming days as and when need be,” he said.

The district had earlier started vaccination for around 23,000 health workers in public and private sector on January 16. Later on February 3, the district started vaccinating other frontline workers.

“At present, we have allowed senior citizens to walk-in and get the vaccine after registration. As the vaccination picks up pace, they would be required to register on the portal prior to visiting,” said Dr Singh. He said people aged between 45 years and 59 years, too, can get the vaccine, provided they have any of the 20 ailments listed by the government as co-morbid conditions for the coronavirus. “They would have to furnish a certificate from the physicians,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha member Gurjit Singh Aujla and his wife received the injection at Ranjit Avenue satellite hospital. A meeting of senior health officials to plan the drive was also held.

No side-effects of the injection have been reported from the district so far, but the general public is still apprehensive. A senior health official said: “The response is expected to be slow initially, but it will pick up pace gradually.

Covid Update

New cases: 45
Total cases: 15,777
New deaths: 2
Total deaths: 597
New recovery: 16
Total recovery 14,693
Active 487

Helpline numbers for Covid patients

City Control Room Numbers: 0183-2500398, 2500498, 2500598

Health Department helpline: 0183-2535322, 0183-2535323

Medical helpline: 104

Contact a doctor: 1800 180 4104

Bed availability and status: Punjab Covid App (updated daily at 5 pm)

Here’s How you can register yourself

• There is no CoWin app on Google playstore for registration, as it has been integrated in the Aarogya Setu app. The registration will remain open from 9 am to 3 pm.
• Open Aarogya Setu app or cowin.gov.in website
• Enter your mobile number, enter OTP and click on verify button.
• In app, go to CoWin, tap on vaccination tab, then proceed.
• Subsequently, a registration page appears, where you will need to enter the photo ID type (driving licence, Aadhaar card), number and your full name. You also need to enter the gender and age of the person.
• For senior citizens, click on the register button. If you are registering a person with comorbidities, click on yes when it asks ‘Do you have any comorbidities (pre-existing medical condition)’. People aged between 45 and 60 years with comorbidities will need to carry a medical certificate, when they go for appointment. Once registered, a confirmation message will be sent to the registered mobile number. After the registration, the system will display the account details.
• Once registered, senior citizens can book a slot at the nearest vaccination centre. After selecting the city, the list of nearest vaccination centres along with directions would be displayed. A beneficiary can choose the slot as per him/her.
• A citizen can register a maximum four persons (including himself). Once the first dose is administered, the appointment for second dose would be automatically fixed after 28 days. Click on 'Add button' and enter details of other individuals to register for them as well.

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