Delhi identifies 89 sites for COVID-19 vaccination drive: Health Minister
The Delhi government has identified 89 sites for the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the national capital, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Sunday. In the first phase of the vaccination drive, which is set to begin on January 16, only healthcare workers will be administered the shots, Jain said. India has approved two vaccines for restricted use so far: Covishield and COVAXIN.
36 government, 53 private hospitals identified
Jain said that the 89 sites include 36 state-run hospitals and 53 private hospitals. The list of hospitals includes AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lok Nayak, GTB, Hindu Rao, etc. Max, Fortis, Apollo, BL Kapur, Gangaram, etc., are among the private facilities identified for the vaccination drive. The first vaccine to become available in Delhi will likely be Covishield. It will be free for beneficiaries.
Vaccination drive to begin on January 16
On Saturday, the central government had said that India's COVID-19 vaccination drive would begin on January 16. In the first phase, nearly 30 million healthcare and frontline workers will receive the vaccine, while vulnerable groups (those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities; covering roughly 270 million people) will be vaccinated in the second phase.
India grants emergency approval to two vaccines
India has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to two vaccines for restricted use across the country: Covishield and COVAXIN. Covishield has been developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), while COVAXIN has been developed indigenously by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech. Notably, COVAXIN has been granted EUA "as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode."
How bad is the outbreak in India?
Across India, 1,04,50,284 COVID-19 cases have been reported, out of which, 2,23,335 are active infections, while 1,00,75,950 patients have recovered, according to data shared by the Union Health Ministry on Sunday morning. The death toll stands at 1,50,999. 18,645 fresh infections and 201 new deaths were reported over a 24-hour period. India is the world's second worst-hit country after the United States.
Delhi reports 6.3 lakh infections; 97.7% recovered
As of Saturday, Delhi had reported 6,29,801 COVID-19 cases, which includes just 3,683 active infections, while 6,15,452 patients have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic. The death toll in the national capital stands at 10,666.
