RIMS, JNIMS, SHRI Directors to get first Covid vaccine shot

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jan 14: With the first phase of COVID-19 inoculation set to begin from Saturday throughout the country, Directors of RIMS, JNIMS and Shija Hospital would be among the first beneficiaries of the Covid vaccine.
Briefing media persons at the conference hall of Family Welfare office today, Additional Chief Secretary P Vaiphei informed that the COVID-19 vaccine delivered to the State is Covishield which was manufactured by University of Oxford-Astra Zaneca in collaboration of  Serum Institute of India, Pune.
He said that the inoculation drive would be kick-started in the presence of Chief Minister N Biren.
Inoculation of Covishield is going on successfully in the UK, Vaiphei said.
Injection of Covishield to the Directors of RIMS, JNIMS and Shija Hospital at the very beginning would certainly raise people’s confidence, said the Additional Chief Secretary.
He said that 3710 doses of Covishield vaccine would be shot at RIMS, 1800 doses at JNIMS, 1200 doses at Shija Hospital and 200 to 470 doses at district hospitals.
100 people each would be inoculated in a day at the inoculation centres of Imphal. However, as the total number of doses allotted to RIMS is much higher, the Government has been working to inoculate 200 people in a day at RIMS in consultation with the World Health Organisation (WHO), said the Additional Chief Secretary.
Covishield vaccine would be injected twice and the two doses would be separated by at least 28 days.  
As it takes some time for human bodies to develop immune system even after inoculation, people who have been inoculated should follow COVID-19 SOP for at least two weeks after injection of the second dose.
P Vaiphei said that it may take around 80 days to inoculate all the health workers of the State.
The 54,000 doses delivered so far are for the first  phase. The Central Government would provide necessary doses for the next phase too. As such, there is no need for the people to worry about possible shortage of vaccine doses, he assured.
After all the health workers are inoculated, the next phase would target other frontline workers and they would be followed by citizens above 50 years. People below 50 years with co-morbidities would be targeted in the subsequent phase, he said.
Inoculation of COVID vaccine would have three phases. The first phase is checking health condition of the beneficiary. The second phase is injection of the vaccine and the third is monitoring the health condition of the beneficiary for around 30 minutes after the vaccine has been injected.
Trial run for Covishield has been already conducted and no side effect was detected. Even if any beneficiary develops side effects, the Ministry concerned has sanctioned funds to take up necessary measures, he said.