Telangana administers only Covishield on Day 1

Hyderabad, Jan 16 (SocialNews.XYZ) No Covid-19 vaccine beneficiary in Telangana was administered Covaxin on Saturday, the first day of the vaccination programme.

The vaccine manufactured by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech was not used for the rollout. All the beneficiaries in the state were given only Covishield, which has been manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune.

At the launch of vaccination at Gandhi Hospital, state health minister Eatala Rajender said only Covishield will be administered as per the guidelines of the Union Ministry Of Health and Family Welfare.

Health officials said 90 per cent of targetted 4,200 beneficiaries were administered the vaccine at 140 centres across 33 districts.

It was not clear as to when Covaxin will be included in the vaccination programme in the state. Health officials claimed that both the vaccines are totally safe and there is no need for any apprehension.

Director of Public Health G. Srinivas Rao on Friday said that as per the government's guidelines consent will be taken from those who will be receiving Covaxin shot.

"Their health status will be examined and scrutinized before giving the vaccine and after the inoculation they will be monitored for seven days for any adverse events. Similar process will be followed after the second dose which will be given after four weeks.

"We should be proud that Covaxin has been developed indigenously and that too on the soil of Telangana. Nobody should have any worries. If necessary I will take Covaxin in coming days," he said.

The state has received 3.64 lakh doses of Covishield and 20,000 doses of Covaxin.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Rajender on Saturday urged the Centre to supply more doses of vaccine to the state. During the video conference with Union Health Minister Harshvardhan, he said the state needs more doses to cover all healthcare workers and other Covid warriors.

Source: IANS