Four deaths in 5 days; none related to shots, says govt

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 20

A total of 1,12,007 health workers were inoculated on the fifth day of the national Covid vaccine drive, taking the cumulative beneficiary number to 7,86,842 on Wednesday.

The Health Ministry said there had been four deaths across India after vaccination, but none of these was related to the shots.

Active cases below 2L after 6 months

Active cases dropped to 1,97,201 after a gap of 207 days. The total active cases were 1,97,387 on June 27 last year. Current active cases are just 1.86 per cent of the total cases.

In all, 82 adverse events were reported. On Wednesday, the highest numbers of vaccination sessions were undertaken in Karnataka, where 36,211 were vaccinated, followed by Andhra Pradesh 22,548 and Maharashtra 16,261.

Vaccine reaches Bhutan, Maldives

Bhutan became the first among 9 countries to receive free 1.5 lakh doses of vaccines from India, followed by Maldives, which has received 1 lakh doses. About 20 lakh doses will reach Dhaka on Thursday.

Additional Secretary, Health, Manohar Agnani said, “In the death reported in Moradabad, the post-mortem has confirmed it was cardio-pulmonary disease. In Bellary, the post-mortem suggests it was myocardial infarction. In Shimoga, it was a suspected case of myocardial infarction, while in Nirmal (Telegana), the post-mortem report is awaited.”

Nasal vaccine to be ‘game-changer’

Bharat Biotech’s BBV 154, India’s first intra-nasal vaccine has got the regulatory approval to enter phase 1 trials. The government said it could be a game-changer as nasal shots would be easier to administer, including among children.

The ministry announced a new feature in the Co-Win software. Called the “allot beneficiary”, it is meant for pre-registered beneficiaries who can be added to the session as additional beneficiary over and above the scheduled number of beneficiaries.

A decision has also been taken to issue a provisional certificate after the initial first dose. A final certificate will be given on completion of the second and final dose.