First batch of 94,000 doses of Covishield vaccine reaches MP

The first consignment of about94,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine reached the Bhopalairport in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, a state governmentofficial said.

The batch of the vaccine doses arrived at the RajaBhoj Airport in a scheduled flight from Mumbai, said theofficial of the Public Relations Department.

''About 94,000 vials of the vaccine in different boxeshave arrived in Bhopal,'' he said.

He said the insulated van of the state Healthdepartment transported these boxes of the doses to the StateVaccine Centre.

These doses would be dispatched to eight districtsfrom Bhopal under the supervision of officials, the officialsaid.

Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang inspectedthe arrangements made at the vaccine centre, he said.

According to officials, about five lakh health andfrontline workers will be administered the shots in the firstphase of the inoculation drive beginning January 16.

The dispatch of of the Covishield vaccine began onearly Tuesday from the Pune-based Serum Institute of India(SII).

As on January 12, Madhya Pradesh's COVID-19 case tallystood at 2,49,553, as per the state government.