West Bengal receives first consignment of Covid-19 vaccine

The first consignment of Covid-19 vaccine reached West Bengal on Tuesday in a cargo flight from Pune. The flight arrived at the Kolkata Airport at around 1.40 pm.

Sources said that the consignment comprised of 6.89 lakh doses of the Covishield vaccine. The consignment was sent to the Central Vaccines Store at Baghbazar in two insulated vans.

Earlier in the day, the state’s Home Department tweeted that the consignment would arrive in a “special cargo flight of Spicejet at Kolkata airport".

“These vaccines shall be stored at our Central Vaccines Store at Baghbazar and will be then transported to different districts for vaccination of Health Care Workers as per priority,” it stated in another tweet.

The vaccination drive in the country will start from January 16 with 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers, such as police personnel, will receive it on priority basis.