MAPUSA
The first phase of Covid-19 vaccination drive got off to a perfect start at the North Goa District Hospital (Asilo) in Mapusa on Saturday, as none of the beneficiaries who took the jabs reported any adverse reaction.
The inaugural day witnessed 38 healthcare workers getting jabbed with the Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield.
Out of the 100 beneficiaries who were selected to take the vaccine, only 61 turned up at the hospital.
Fifteen beneficiaries opted out and refused to take the vaccine, while eight were rejected by the vaccination team for various clinical reasons.
All the beneficiaries had to go through a registration process on the basis of their ID cards before entering the vaccination room on the second floor of the Asilo Hospital.
After the vaccination, the person was made to seat for at least 30 minutes for observation. Some of the beneficiaries went back to their duties in the hospital after the observation period was over.
“It was a smooth operation. There was no adverse effect after the 30 minutes observation period among any of the beneficiaries who took the vaccination,” said Dr Anant Palekar, Deputy Director, Directorate of Health Services, who was supervising the operation at the Asilo.
Sources informed that several of the selected beneficiaries did not receive the customary messages inviting them for the vaccination.
Another source informed that the hospital received the beneficiary list on the eve of the launch of the vaccination drive.
Two vaccination teams consisting of five members each were overlooking the entire vaccination programme in the hospital.
Asilo has around 500 healthcare staff but a list of 430 beneficiaries has been sent to the centre.
“We are still uploading the data which include medical officers, consultants, staff nurses, field workers, multi-purpose staff, class IV workers, housekeeping staff, security, maintenance staff and drivers,” said Dr Maitreyee Ghoshal, Nodal Officer for the vaccination.
