12 leading doctors to be the first to get COVID-19 vaccine in Assam

Twelve leading doctors of Assamare among the health workers who will be administered COVID-19vaccine from the first vial on Saturday morning as part of thecountry-wide vaccination drive, state Health and FamilyWelfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The exercise will begin in 65 sites in 33 districtsacross the state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launchesthe pan-India roll out of the COVID-19 vaccination drive viavideo conferencing, the minister told a press conference here.

In the state, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal willinaugurate the drive at Assam Medical College Hospital,Dibrugarh and the health minister at Gauhati Medical Collegeand Hospital here.

An estimated 6,500 people of the 1.9 lakh healthworkers, designated as COVID warriors, will be vaccinated onthe first day, Sarma said.

''Taking the vaccine is entirely voluntary butconsidering the challenges being faced by the medicalfraternity, it is imperative that health workers take it asthey are directly dealing with coronavirus patients and are athigh risk,'' the minister told journalists at a pressconference here.

Former vice chancellor of Srimanta SankardevaUniversity of Health Sciences Dr Umesh Chandra Sarma will bethe first to receive the initial dose, he said.

The other doctors to be vaccinated are Padma Shriawardee and surgeon Dr Ilias Ali, Sahitya Akademi awardee andformer principal of Barpeta Medical College and Hospital DrDhrubajyoti Borah, GMCH principal Dr Achyut Baishya and itssuperintendent Dr Abhijeet Sharma.

An observation room has been set up at the vaccinationsites for monitoring the condition of those who will bevaccinated, for at least half an hour for side-effects, ifany.

Assam has received 2,21,500 doses of vaccine so far,including 2,01,500 Covishield and 20,000 Covaxin, Sarma said.

As many as 2.9 lakh people of the northeastern statehave registered in the CoWIN portal so far. Covishield vaccinewill be administered in 59 sites and Covaxin in six sites.

In the first phase, 1.9 lakh health workers of bothgovernment and private health facilities, comprising doctors,nurses, paramedical staff, ambulance drivers and cleaners willbe included and this will take around eight weeks.

Altogether 100 persons will be inoculated at each ofthe vaccination sites.

The second stage will cover one lakhfrontline workers, including police, army and paramilitaryforces.

In the third phase, all persons above the age of 50will be vaccinated and in the next phase, people below the ageof 50 but with comorbidities will be included but for thesecategories, the guidelines will be announced by the Centrelater, the minister said.

Tentatively around one crore people in the state willbe covered in these phases, Sarma said.

The second dose of the vaccine will be administeredafter 28 days of the first and after that there will be awaiting period of 14 days, following which the person willattain immunity.

Sarma said, there will be no immunity after the firstdose and a person may test positive during this period evenafter taking the vaccine.

The minister claimed that the COVID-19 situation inAssam was now under control and the number of new casesdetected daily has been less than 50 since December 31.

Sarma mentioned that COVID-19 will be there at thecommunity level, though not as a pandemic, as mutant strainshave been detected in other countries.