ugc_banner

Indian states Odisha, West Bengal receive Serum Institute of India's Covishield vaccine

WION Web Team
New DelhiUpdated: Jan 14, 2021, 10:30 AM IST
main img
Photograph:(AFP)

Story highlights

The first batch of the vaccine reached Kerala after it arrived at Thiruvananthapuram from Pune even as the state reported 6,004 new coronavirus cases which included over 65,000 active cases.

Ahead of India's vaccination drive on January 16, Odisha government said today that 1.90 lakhs health care workers will be vaccinated in the first phase as coronavirus vaccines arrived in the state. 

Watch:

Bhubaneswar municipal commissioner Prem Chandra Choudhary said that for the first phase of vaccination 9,000 health workers will be vaccinated with five locations under operation.

West Bengal also received its consignment of Serum Institute of India's "Covishield" vaccine which reached Siliguri. Rajashtan also received its coronavirus vaccine after it reached Jaipur.

The first batch of the vaccine reached Kerala after it arrived at Thiruvananthapuram from Pune even as the state reported 6,004 new coronavirus cases which included over 65,000 active cases.

Meanwhile, India's ministry of health said, "This is an initial lot of supply of vaccine doses and would be continuously replenished in the weeks to come," adding, "any apprehension being expressed on account of deficient supply is totally baseless and unfounded."

"Full initial procurement amount of 1.65 cr doses of "Covishield" & "Covaxin" vaccines allocated to all states and Union territories in proportion of health care workers database," it said.

"There is no question of discrimination against any state in the allocation of vaccine doses," the MHA added.

The first vaccine consignment also reached Jammu as the director of health services said that it is the first time that such an activity will be undertaken for the general mass. 

Dr Samiran Panda, ICMR's head of ECD division, said: "Herd immunity produced by vaccination is a good idea but when the virus mutates, immunity might not be working against it even if it is adrift."

With ANI inputs