NE HEALTH BUREAU
PUDUCHERRY, JAN 16
As part of the nation-wide roll out, the COVID-19 vaccination programme was launched in Puducherry on Saturday with over 24,000 health workers to be inoculated in the first phase of the drive.
Chief Minister V Narayanasamy inaugurated the exercise at the Rajiv Gandhi Government Women and Children’s hospital.
16-01-2021 | HCM Shri @VNarayanasami Press meet at Launching of #Covid19 Vaccination Programme at RGGWCH, #Puducherry #COVID19Vaccination pic.twitter.com/shDRRwhDn6
— Office of Ex CM V Narayanasamy (@ExcmPuducherry) January 16, 2021
K Munusamy, a health worker at the hospital was the first to be vaccinated in the Union Territory. Secretary to Health T Arun and Director of Health and Family Welfare services S Mohan Kumar were among those present.
Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, in a message, thanked the Prime Minister and the Union Health Minister for remarkable leadership and administrative acumen. She also expressed her gratitude to the PM and Health Minister for making vaccines available free of cost to all across the country including Puducherry.
Visited two vaccination centres. Hear what the health care workers said… pic.twitter.com/JpYp5tQjWE
— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) January 16, 2021
After launching the inoculation drive here, the Chief Minister told reporters that in the initial phase the vaccination would be given to health workers, including doctors, nurses and those attached to the ANM besides Asha workers.
He noted that more than 24,000 health workers, including 9000 from the JIPMER and Vector Control Research Centre will also be covered. In the second phase, the vaccine will be administered to frontline workers such as the Police, Revenue and PWD officials, teachers, anganwadi workers and Local Administration Department, the Health department sources said.
The third phase would covering those above fifty years and also those having co morbidities like diabetes, blood pressure and cancer.
Chief Minister said he had a written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to ensure that the CM, Ministers, political party leaders, MLAs also received the shots in the first phase. Political leaders and Ministers should set an example by undergoing vaccination so that people would repose faith in the programme, he said.
The health authorities here are vaccinating the targeted groups in five centres in Puducherry (Government GH, Maternity Hospital, Indira Gandhi Government Medical college hospital, JIPMER and Community Health Centre in the Karikalambakkam village).
The programme would be held from 9 am to 4 pm on four days a week namely on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. One hundred people would be covered at the scheduled sessions at each of the sites. Trained health professionals are deployed to carry out vaccination in the sites.
