Darrang district wouldn’t face a shortage of any brand of Covid19 vaccine during PM’s Tika Utsav, but if fresh supply is not received, there would be a shortage of Covishield vaccine after Rongali Bihu, said a health official.

Dr Nirmal Kumar Beria, additional chief medical and health officer, Darrang, who is the vaccine nodal officer in the district, told Northeast Now, “Except Covishield vaccines, there will be no shortage of Covaxin vaccine even after Rongali Bihu.”

“The demand for the vaccine has suddenly increased with the recent introduction of all citizens touching 45 years of age in the list of beneficiaries,” Dr Beria said.

“It is good to see people in large numbers coming to the vaccination sites even by reserving buses following sensitization through grassroot ASHA workers. Now the vaccination sites have to be limited for conduct of the programme,” Dr Beria maintained.

According to district health department sources, since the launch of the vaccination programme on January 16, Darrang district till Saturday achieved a cumulative coverage of altogether 41,323 beneficiaries.

This includes 7,418 beneficiaries, who have completed the vaccination process taking both the doses.

The remaining 33,905 beneficiaries have taken the first dose of Covid19 vaccine.

In the first phase, the government-sponsored free Covid19 vaccines were administered to all the health care workers along with Anganwadi workers and helpers followed by frontline workers, security personnel, staff of urban civic bodies and civil defence.

In the second phase, starting from March, the service was extended to senior citizens above 60 years of age and persons engaged in polling and now in the ongoing third phase since the first of this month, it is covering all persons in the district touching 45 years of age, sources said.

Mayukh Goswami is Northeast Now Correspondent in Mangaldai. He can be reached at: [email protected]