Thiruvananthapuram: The state panel on the COVID-19 vaccination drive has set February 15 as the last day to complete the administration of the first dose of the vaccine across Kerala. Accordingly, orders have been issued to increase the number of vaccination centres in the state from Saturday.
At least 14 vaccination centres should be opened in each district. Also, the earlier stipulation of vaccination just four days in a week has also been done away with.
The steering committee reviewed the ongoing drive after it moved at a slow pace in the initial days.
A total of 4.69 lakh people is on the list for the first phase of vaccination. Every eligible person has to receive two doses of the vaccine, Covishield.
As planned the administration of the first vaccination dose would be completed this month in Idukki, Kasaragod, and Wayanad -- the districts with the least number of people registered for the vaccination. And the first dose would be completed in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kollam districts by February 11.
Kerala is one of the states to have carried out the vaccination for the least number of registered people. While states such as Nagaland, Odisha and Haryana have inoculated about half of the registered people, the figure from Kerala is still below 10 per cent.
Records show many who had registered did not turn up at the vaccination centre due to the delay on the part of the authorities in informing them about their appointment.
To avoid such bungles the latest instructions to alert the registered 48 hours in advance have gone out. If some do not arrive, then people who have registered via the CoWIN app can be given the opportunity. However, spot registration is not allowed.
CoWIN is the dedicated platform for the vaccination registration. It is the acronym for Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network.
47,893 vaccinated in Kerala
A total of 12,120 health workers received the jab on Friday, the fifth day of the vaccination drive in Kerala. So far, 47,893 have been vaccinated, while 4,81,747 have registered for the vaccination.
State Health Minister K K Shailaja said that no side-effects were reported by anyone who were vaccinated.
77 lakh registered nationally
Around 77 lakh people have registered for vaccination on CoWIN across the country, though the objective is to vaccinate 1 crore health workers. This was conveyed to the Parliamentary Affairs Committee by the Government of India's principal scientific advisor K Vijayraghavan and AIIMS director Randeep Guleria.
12.7 lakh vaccinated
A total of 12.7 lakh people has so far got vaccinated in the country. As many as 2.28 lakh people took the jab on Friday, the seventh day of the vaccination drive.
2 more deaths
However, two people who took the vaccination have died in Rajasthan and Gurugram on Friday. With this, the total number of people who died after getting vaccinated has risen to six. But the Union Health Ministry said that none of these cases were primarily linked to the vaccine.
