Tripura has recorded a 54.34 per cent turnout of health workers on the first three days of the nation-wide Covid-19 vaccination drive.
According to Tripura National Health Mission (NHM) director Siddharth Jaiswal of the targeted 7829 health workers, only 4257 have received the Covid-19 vaccine.
According to available statistics, of the targeted 1399 health workers only 888 got vaccinated on January 16.
The health department could administer the vaccine to only 1381 of the targeted 2742 health workers on January 18.
Also read: Covid-19 vaccination: 45,000 health workers to be immunized in Tripura
Only 1988 health workers of the targeted 3688 beneficiaries were vaccinated on January 19, which accounts for 54.18 per cent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the world’s biggest immunization drive in India on January 16.
Meanwhile, the state health department is also trying to ascertain the cause behind the low turnout of health workers at the immunization sites.
Siddharth Jaiswal said, “News about side-effects of the Covid-19 vaccine coming from other states and countries may have given rise to confusion among health workers in Tripura.”
“We have not received a single report of any side-effect of the vaccine in the state so far,” he said.
The NHM director said that there is a need to create awareness about the vaccine among the masses so that they get inoculated to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus.
The Tripura Government has targeted to vaccinate nearly 45,000 health workers in the first phase of the vaccination campaign.
The central government has issued specific guidelines to all states to conduct the drive.
The health department is conducting the vaccination process four days a week – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
The vaccination drive is being conducted in 99 vaccination sites across Tripura.