COVID-19 vaccination drive begins in Rajasthan
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Health workers being given the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at SMS Hospital in Jaipur. File photo
Jaipur: The much-awaited COVID-19 vaccination drive began in Rajasthan. The eldest health worker at SMS Hospital – Dr Premchand Dandiya – was among those who were vaccinated on Saturday. Ninety-four-year-old Dr Dandiya volunteers as a health worker in the state’s biggest hospital. He provides his services free of cost.
“One of my students fell prey to this pandemic. When it was being vaccinated, I remembered him. Had the vaccine been available when he was infected, he would have been alive today,” Dr Dandiya told media persons. The student was senior surgeon – Dr Dinesh Jindal – at SMS Hospital. Dr Jindal tested positive for the virus and after battling for life for a few days, he died.
Dr Dandiya said that he wanted to raise awareness by getting himself vaccinated. “There are rumours that COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe. It’s not true. I have no doubt in my mind that the vaccine is completely safe. We should trust our scientists,” said Dandiya.
Health workers are being vaccinated across the states. There are 21 vaccination centres in Jaipur alone. Those who were to get the vaccine shot were intimated through an SMS about the time and date.
Rajasthan has received around 5.63 lakh vaccine doses of two companies. State Vaacine Store, Jaipur has received 4,43,000 vaccine doses of Covishield of Serum Institute of India and 20,000 vaccine doses of Covaxin of Bharat Biotech. Similarly,1,00,500 doses have been made available at the State Vaccine Store, Udaipur.
The beneficiaries were given the first dose of 0.5ml in the vaccination process starting from January 16. The second dose of 0.5ml of the same company will be administered after 28 days of the first dose.
