JOIN USShun hesitancy, accept Covid-19 vaccine shots, doctors told
With Covid-19 vaccination numbers remaining far below the ideal level, health officials on Tuesday asked doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers to shun their vaccine hesitancy and accept the shots offered to them.
“We are not fulfilling our societal responsibility if a vaccine assigned to us is not being taken. When the world is clamouring for a Covid-19 vaccine, we have two such vaccines. It is sad if our doctors and nurses decline the vaccines. The concerns on adverse events are unfounded and the number of such adverse events are negligible,” Vinod Paul, NITI Ayog member said.
Till Sunday 6,31,417 persons received the vaccines out of which nine developed serious adverse events following immunisation (AEFI). Three of them are under observation currently as the remaining six have been discharged.
“Vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers should end. They should act as role models. The vaccine is safe and we should have faith in the vaccine. Vaccination of the healthcare workers is essential to start the non-Covid-related healthcare works,” Paul said.
Going by the Union Health Ministry’s plan of conducting 100 vaccinations in each session, there should have been 11,66,000 vaccinations so far. Instead, there were 6,31,417 vaccinations in total—a shortfall of 46%. More than 1.77 lakh people were given the shots on Tuesday in nearly 3,800 sessions all over the country.
Doctors’ body asks govt to withdraw Covaxin for now
The federation of professional medical organisations in India, the Organised Medicine Academic Guild (OMAG), on Tuesday urged the Centre and Bharat Biotech to withdraw Covaxin for the time being in the wake of the advisory over the vaccine, reports DHNS.
OMAG also sought to seek clarifications from Bharat Biotech.