Health workers hesitant to take vaccine: H&FW

• Says, COVID-19 vaccine is safe
• Urges beneficiaries to come forward

Correspondent KOHIMA, JAN 19 (NPN) : Only 2873 out of 19,000 targeted health care service providers in Nagaland have so far been administered Covishield vaccine (manufactured by the Serum Institute of India). A total of 25,600 covishield vaccines were received by the state on January 14 to be administered under Phase-I.

In January 16, out of 900 targeted people, 561 (62%) were vaccinated while on January 18 out of 1316 targeted in 22 sites, 897 (68%) was vaccinated. Over 19,000 health worker beneficiaries are to receive Covishield vaccine in the State under the current phase–I that was kicked off on January 16.

In this regard, Dr. Kevichusa Medikhrü Director National Health Mission, expressed dismay at the response. He has appealed to health workers to take vaccination shots without hesitation as it was safe and also inspire confidence among people.

In an interview to Nagaland Post at his office chamber Kohima Tuesday, Dr. Medikhrü complimented the health workers, district immunization officers, CMO and MS who were working hard to achieve the target, without even getting proper rest.

He however reminded that being in medical fraternity, it was important for the health workers to come forward and get the vaccine without hesitation.

Dr. Medikhrü said the vaccination was not to be forced upon but administered purely on voluntary basis. When asked, Dr. Medikhrü said he has not received any information of anyone being forced to take the vaccination.

However, the reason for not being able to achieve the target was because of the hesitancy of the health workers to take the vaccine while some were out of station, he said.

He also informed that there was no report of any health workers having complications after being administered the vaccine though mild fever can be expected on the day after receiving the vaccine shot.

Dr. Medikhrü said he did not see any reason for the health workers to be hesitant in taking the vaccine since they were trained and made aware at H&FW directorate as part of the campaign. He added the health workers should first see for themselves what the vaccine was all about and how safe it was. He said though many people wanted to be vaccinated, yet heath workers were given the priority. He also cited an instances in Delhi, where the turnout of the beneficiaries was very poor at the initial stage. However with the increase in the number of health workers being vaccinated, the turn out parentage increased eventually.

Dr. Medikhrü informed that health ministry has directed states to organize another session after 5 p.m. for those who were hesitant to take the vaccine. However, he said this could not materialise since monitoring was till 5 p.m. To another query, he replied that there was no specific target in a day, pointing out that the objective was to keep increasing the number of jabs. He said the target also depended on a district and the number of vaccination sites arranged, adding that, with a proper set-up, vaccination could be taken up at any site.

Dr. Medikhrü admitted that though Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were fixed as the vaccination days, the drive could not be completed within this period. Hence, he said the inoculation would be carried over to next week.

He emphasised that the vaccination drive should not be neglect or ignored like other essential health services. He said pregnant women were not being targeted under the first phase of the vaccination drive, while those below 50 years and having co-morbidities would be included in the third phase. He however said they should get themselves registered first for the purpose. He also complimented health workers, district immunisation officers, chief medical officers (CMOs) and medical superintendents (MS) for working hard to make the vaccination drive a success without even getting proper rest.

Day 3: 1415 healthcare workers vaccinated
Altogether 1,415 healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses and support staff, were vaccinated on Day-3 with Covishield vaccine across all districts.
With this, the total number of healthcare workers vaccinated in the State has risen to 2873, State immunisation officer and spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccination Dr Ritu Thurr said. The vaccination on Tuesday was conducted across 36 selected sites, including private hospitals. Healthcare workers from both public/private facilities were vaccinated without any reported adverse events, he added. All beneficiaries will receive the subsequent second dose after 28 days and COVID- 19 appropriate behaviours will be strictly maintained even after the vaccination.
Phase-I is reserved only for pre-registered healthcare workers as they are at the highest risk of infection and also to reduce transmission to patients when caring for them. Dr. Thurr said that the Covishield vaccine has undergone all pre-clinical and clinical trials and is safe for use.