Gujarat has received 2.76 lakh Covishield vaccine doses: Govt

The Gujarat government onTuesday received 2.76 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine fromthe Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), which hasstarted dispatching the vaccine to various cities for theJanuary 16 nationwide rollout of the inoculation drive.

These doses were transported to designated places bythe police by creating green corridors, Gujarat Minister ofState for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, the first batch of the vaccinedoses reached the Ahmedabad airport around noon.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who visited theairport along with Jadeja, described the arrival of thevaccines as the ''much-awaited moment''.

''We have received 2.76 lakh doses of the coronavirusvaccine today. People have been eagerly awaiting the arrivalof this vaccine and it has finally arrived,'' Patel toldreporters at the airport.

He said these doses are meant for Ahmedabad,Gandhinagar and Bhavnagar sectors.

Additionally, 93,500 doses of the vaccine will reachSurat from Pune by road on Wednesday, while 94,5000 doses willreach Vadodara and 77,000 doses will reach Rajkot, the deputyCM said.

Officials said the vaccines will be transported tovarious destinations with elaborate security arrangements.

Security will be beefed up at places where thevaccines will be stored, they added.

Meanwhile, Jadeja said that strict vigil will bemaintained at the vaccine storage centres, and that thegovernment will ensure that the identified people only receivethe jabs.

On early Tuesday, the first consignment of the dosesof Covishield vaccine rolled out of the Serum Institute ofIndia facility in Pune for various locations, setting inprocess a massive pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19that begins on January 16.

Patel said the Gujarat government will administer thevaccine to 4.33 lakh healthcare workers in the first phase.

''In the second phase, the state government is planningto vaccinate over 6 lakh frontline workers comprisingpolicemen, and workers of revenue and sanitation departments,''he said.

Patel said 11 lakh healthcare and frontline workershave already been identified by the state government forinoculation.

''More doses of vaccine will arrive as the vaccinationprogramme starts,'' he said.

Patel reiterated that no public representative,including MPs and MLAs, of the ruling BJP will receive thevaccine during the first phase, as the shots are meant forhigh risk groups.

He said cold chains have been set up for storing thesevaccines, which will be administered at over 20,000 booths.

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