By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Jan. 18: Ten Tibetan health care workers from Delek Hospital and Department of Health, CTA here at the virtual capital of the exile Tibetan diaspora have been inoculated on Monday as part of the nationwide vaccination drive in India.
Seven doctors, two nurses and a lab technician were among the 80 people who were administered doses of COVISHIELD vaccine yesterday in Dharamshala’s Zonal hospital, under the Himachal Pradesh’s state government initiated inoculation drive. COVISHIELD vaccine is developed by Oxford-Astrazeneca Plc. and manufactured by the world’s largest vaccine producer Serum Institute of India.
The Director of the Delek hospital Dawa Phunkyi welcomed the move and said the Tibetan frontline workers getting vaccinated is an encouraging sign for the safety of the vaccine for the masses. “Since Delek hospital is designated as a vaccination center, priority was given to the frontline workers here. We have already conducted a dry-run where details like logistics, implementation and other factors were carefully taken into consideration,” Phunkyi told Phayul.
When asked about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and the doubt in the public about possible side effects, he responded, “As far as the question of safety is concerned, the medical advice is positively overwhelming. Dr. Tsetan la has consulted with top medical minds in Delhi and have received positive advice. Due to the shortage of the vaccine, there is not much to go around at the moment but we hope the masses will also get the vaccine in due time.”
India’s nationwide vaccination drive saw a total of 3,81,305 beneficiaries as per provisional report on Monday. A total of 580 adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) and seven hospitalisations have so far been reported in the country since the nationwide COVID inoculation drive which began on January 16.
