E-Paper
2nd phase of Covid-19 vaccination starts as J-K reports 2 deaths, 60 new cases
Frontline workers like security forces, revenue and municipal workers will be inoculated in the second phase of the Covid-19 vaccination drive that began on Thursday.
The second phase of vaccination against Covid-19 started in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday in which frontline workers like police were administered vaccines.
Kashmir’s inspector general of police (IGP) Vijay Kumar volunteered for the first vaccine shot and inaugurated the vaccination drive at the Police Control Room in Srinagar. Other senior police officers were also present on the occasion.
“The vaccination drive will be a key factor in strengthening our defence against this disease and will facilitate resumption of our daily life schedules,” Kumar said, advising all the officials to shed any inhibition and take the vaccine.
The IGP appreciated the efforts of police personnel during the pandemic and thanked the health department officials for their assistance in administering the vaccine doses to police officials.
In the first phase of the vaccination drive in the country that began on January 16, healthcare workers across the union territory were administered the shots.
A health department official who did not wish to be identified, said that in the second phase the frontline workers like security forces, revenue and municipal workers will be inoculated.
“There are estimated 7-8 lakh frontline workers other than over one lakh health care workers. Security forces other than police are also to be vaccinated. It will take some time to completely vaccinate all the frontline workers,” he said.
The vaccination drive was simultaneously inaugurated at all the district headquarters by respective senior superintendents of police (SSPs) after receiving the first vaccine shots. Similarly, the immunization drives were started in other districts of the union territory.
Even as the second phase of vaccination began, Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday recorded 60 fresh coronavirus infections and two deaths on Thursday, taking the total cases to 1,24,719 and death toll to 1943. For the past two weeks the UT has been consistently reporting less than 100 daily cases of Covid-19.
Officials said that as many as 18 positive cases of Covid-19 were reported from Jammu division and 42 from Kashmir division. Two persons succumbed to the disease in Kashmir.
In Kashmir, the highest jump in fresh cases was in Srinagar where 22 more people each tested positive, while 20 cases were cumulatively reported in other six districts.
In Jammu division, the highest number of cases was recorded in Jammu district at eight while there were 10 cases cumulatively in three other districts.
For the past 14 days, the daily cases have not gone beyond a high of 94 on January 23 and low of 44 each on February 1 and February 2.
Seventy five people were discharged from various hospitals including 13 from Jammu Division and 62 from Kashmir Division on Thursday after recovering from Covid-19.
Officials said that 1,22,124 people have recovered in the union territory so far taking the recovery rate to 97.91%. There are now just 652 active cases.
A total of 1,221 people have succumbed to the disease in Kashmir and 722 in Jammu.
There were 53 Covid-19 casualties in January while the average daily cases have remained below 115.
