DC visits Garhshankar hospital to review arrangements

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, January 16

Joining the Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh through a videoconference here for the roll out of Covid-19 vaccine, Industries and Commerce Minister Sunder Sham Arora on Saturday said the vaccination had started at three session sites in the district — Garhshankar, Dasuya and Mukerian.

Arora, who was taking part in the virtual state-level launch of the vaccine at the District Administrative Complex, said the vaccine would be administered on the first day for registered healthcare workers, including 81 beneficiaries at Garhshankar, 100 at Dasuya, besides 95 at Mukerian.

Following the directives of the Government of India, the vaccine will also be administered at the remaining sites in the coming days, said the minister, adding that in the first phase, healthcare workers would be inoculated followed by the frontline workers, including police and other staff performing duties at the forefront. Thereafter, people in the age group of above 50 years and under 50 with co-morbid conditions.

Giving further details, he said the district had received 9,570 doses of the vaccine, of which 9,540 were for state healthcare workers, while 30 for Central healthcare workers. As many as nearly 9,000 healthcare workers got themselves registered for the vaccination, Arora said, adding that the availability of more vaccine would be ensured as per the registration in future. In the district, 32 teams are fully geared up for the vaccination process with 20 session sites identified across Hoshiarpur, he said. The second dose of the vaccine would be administered after a gap of 28 days and the requisite information regarding the vaccination would be sent through SMS on the mobile phones of the beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Apneet Riyait went to the Garhshankar Civil Hospital to take stock of arrangements at the session site. After meeting the teams and beneficiaries, Riyait said the district administration had already ensured the requisite facilities and arrangements at all three session sites —Garhshankar, Dasuya and Mukerian, where 81, 100 and 95 beneficiaries were registered, respectively, for the inoculation on the first day. After administration of Covid vaccine, the beneficiaries were kept in the observation room for half an hour, said Riyait, adding that the process of vaccination at other sites would also be started shortly in accordance with the directives of the Government of India.

Nodal officer for Covid-19 at the Garhshankar Civil Hospital, Dr Jaswant Singh, who was the first to get the vaccination, not only thanked the government for rolling out the vaccine, but also appealed to the people to not fall prey to rumour-mongering, as the vaccination was a must for all in the larger interest of the country, state and public.

Other beneficiaries Arun Minhas of Garhshankar Civil Hospital, while sharing his experiences after the vaccination, said he was quiet well and people should not hesitate for vaccination since the immunisation of Covid vaccine was necessary amid the current health crisis.

Another beneficiary Harinder Kaur of Dasuya Civil Hospital said besides having vaccinated, all beneficiaries and other people should ensure meticulous adherence of Covid protocols as issued by the government and Health Department from time to time to keep the coronavirus at bay.

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