The first batch of Covishield, a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), arrived at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) airport of Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The consignment consisted of 276,000 shots, said the state health department officials.
The state would also get 265,000 vials of vaccine on Wednesday, totalling 541,000. It would cover the first phase of vaccination, to be rolled out from January 16, in which 433,000 healthcare workers would get their first shot.
Gujarat deputy CM Nitin Patel, who is also the state’s health minister, welcomed the consignment at the city airport. He was accompanied by Pradipsinh Jadeja, MoS (home), and Jayanti Ravi, principal secretary (health). Interacting with the media, Patel said that out of the consignment, 120,000 doses would be sent to the cold storage created at regional drugs depot (RDD) at Ahmedabad. “The cold storage at Gandhinagar Civil Hospital would get 96,000 doses, and 60,000 doses to be sent to the storage facility in Bhavnagar,” he said.
