COVID vaccination continues in Bengal, CoWIN glitches reported

The COVID-19 vaccination driveresumed on Monday at 207 sites across West Bengal withbeneficiaries, mostly frontline workers, reaching there asscheduled to receive the doses, a senior official of theHealth Department said.Glitches in the CoWIN portal were reported fromseveral sites, following which health officials chose tomanually complete the process of documentation and allocation,he added.The vaccination drive began around 9 am.

The COVID-19 vaccination driveresumed on Monday at 207 sites across West Bengal withbeneficiaries, mostly frontline workers, reaching there asscheduled to receive the doses, a senior official of theHealth Department said.

Glitches in the CoWIN portal were reported fromseveral sites, following which health officials chose tomanually complete the process of documentation and allocation,he added.

''The vaccination drive began around 9 am. We hope thatthose who did not come on the first day will turn up today.

Most of the people who have received SMSes have alreadyreached the centres. Around 100 beneficiaries will bereceiving the Covishield vaccine from each centre today,'' theofficial said.

''The CoWIN portal is not functioning. We are facingtrouble for session allocation, listing of beneficiaries andsending of SMSes,'' he said, adding that on Sunday healthofficials worked round the clock to overcome the limitations.

On Saturday, West Bengal witnessed 75.9 per centturnout for the vaccination programme with four districtsregistering 100 per cent success, he said.

These districts are Purba Bardhaman (700/700),Jhargram (400/400), Darjeeling (498/500) and Kalimpong(100/100), he said.

There were five other districts that registered above90 per cent turnout.

Purba Medinipur registered 96 per cent (995/1,037)turnout, followed by Kolkata (93 per cent) and Murshidabad (92per cent), the official said.

Fourteen cases of Adverse Event Following Immunisation(AEFI) were reported on Saturday from different districts,including one from Kolkata.

While a nurse is undergoing treatment at the criticalcare unit of the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospitalin the metropolis, 13 others are ''doing fine'', he said.

A team of doctors is monitoring the health conditionof the woman at the NRS Hospital, the official said.

The others are in touch with the respective districthealth officials for a daily update on whether they are facingany problem, he added.

AEFI is any untoward medical occurrence followingimmunisation and might not have a relation with thevaccination process, officials said.