Bengal ready for COVID-19 vaccination drive; CM to monitor exercise

West Bengal is all set for themuch-awaited COVID-19 inoculation drive commencing fromSaturday and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will supervise theexercise virtually from the state secretariat, an officialsaid here.The chief minister is also likely to be present at theinauguration programme at one of the 210 centres in the state.Vials of Covishield, which arrived in the city fromPunes Serum Institute on Tuesday, have been ferried to coldchain facilities at the five medical colleges in Kolkata aswell as other hospitals in the districts, the official said.The CM will be monitoring the vaccination processvirtually from the state secretariat.

West Bengal is all set for themuch-awaited COVID-19 inoculation drive commencing fromSaturday and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will supervise theexercise virtually from the state secretariat, an officialsaid here.

The chief minister is also likely to be present at theinauguration programme at one of the 210 centres in the state.

Vials of Covishield, which arrived in the city fromPune's Serum Institute on Tuesday, have been ferried to coldchain facilities at the five medical colleges in Kolkata aswell as other hospitals in the districts, the official said.

''The CM will be monitoring the vaccination processvirtually from the state secretariat. She may be present at agovernment medical establishment during the inaugural of thevaccination process,'' he said.

The vaccination centre where Banerjee will be presenthas not yet been fixed.

A health department official said, ''We have to go intandem with New Delhi. We will be starting at 9 am and followthe proceedings in the capital.'' Adequate police personnel have been deployed aroundthe vaccination centres as well as the cold chains to ensuresafety of the vials.

Around 90,000 frontline health workers at governmentand private hospitals have been enrolled for the first phaseof the vaccination process in West Bengal.

Kolkata has been allocated the highest number of93,500 vaccines, followed by North 24 Parganas district(47,000) and Murshidabad (37,500).