TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Bringing in some hope in the pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccination programme commenced in Goa as well as the entire country on Saturday with a multi-tasking staff worker of Goa Medical College (GMC) becoming the first to get the much-awaited shot.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the vaccination drive at GMC.
Seven session sites in Goa participated on the launch day wherein health care worker beneficiaries were vaccinated. Multi Tasking Staff of GMC, Ranganath Bhojji, from Vade Succour was the first person in the State to be administered the Covid-19 vaccine.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who was present at the launch said that 700 health care staff in the State were to be vaccinated at seven centres across Goa on Saturday. However, by the end of the day 426 had been inoculated.
GMC Dean, Dr SM Bandekar said that 4,000 GMC staffers, of which 2,000 are doctors and medical students, have registered to get vaccinated for COVID-19 at GMC.
He said that 100 persons will be vaccinated at one centre on a given day. With seven centres in Goa, around 700 will get the shot on any given day.
“Two doses of corona vaccine are absolutely essential. Don’t make the mistake of not taking the second dose. Two weeks after the second dose, you will develop the power to combat corona,” the Dean said.
The next round of the vaccination drive will be held next Saturday, he added. Subsequently, vaccination will be done four times a week, he said.
Dr Ira Almeida was the first one to be vaccinated at the Margao Vaccination center and Nilesh Gadekar, multi-tasking staff (MTS) was given the vaccine at the District Hospital, Mapusa.
District immunization officer Dr Rajendra Borkar said that 426 health care workers were administered covishield vaccine at seven session sites by maintaining and sustaining the key Covid-19 preventive behaviours.
The break up was GMC 42; Hospicio Margao 65; North Goa District Hospital Mapusa 38; Sub District Hospital Ponda 49; Manipal Hospital 100; Sub District Hospital Chicalim 70 and Healthway hospital 62.
The doctor said that every session site was equipped and organised as per the MoHFW guidelines for smooth vaccination, observation and management of AEFIs.
Each session site comprised five experienced and trained vaccination officers in three designated rooms – waiting room, vaccination room and observation room – wherein identity of each health care worker beneficiary was verified followed by the vaccination and then kept in the observation room to monitor any AEFI. No major AEFIs were reported during the campaign.
The entire COVID-19 vaccination campaign was monitored under the supervision of senior most officials from the Directorate of Health Services, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched the nationwide drive which is termed as the world’s largest vaccination drive. Following the launch the first shot of the vaccine in India was given to a sanitation worker at AIIMS Delhi.
