Finance
By: Shree1news, 11 FEB 2021
Bhubaneswar: At AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, 1411 healthcare workers (HCWs) have reportedly refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine jab. Many among them are also unwilling the sign the self-declaration form introduced by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), forgoing free vaccine from the government in future.
AIIMS-Bhubaneswar director Gitanjali Batmanabane informed that only 500 health employees have signed the form which they’ve received from the city civic body. The premier hospital has so far seen 2,595 health workers being vaccinated.
SELF-DECLARATION FORM
I do declare that I voluntarily refuse to take the government-supplied Covaxin after being aware of the available factsheet and accept the decision that I will not avail myself of any vaccine-related to COVID-19 free of cost from the government in future.
APPREHENSIONS
The health workers in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are being administered Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and they don’t need to be guinea pigs for a vaccine for which the trials haven’t even been completed, sources mentioned.
OTHER HOSPITALS
Similarly, 1500 of SUM Hospital are but to get the jab however only 200 have signed the form.
In KIMS, 500 health employees are yet to be vaccinated and so they have refused to sign the form, additional urban public health officer CVSN Rao informed the national daily.
Amid the poor turnout, the government has prolonged the deadline for the first dose of vaccination drive until February 13. The second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will probably be administered to the health employees from February 15.
SO FAR….
Around 81 per cent (2.73 lakh of 3.38 lakh) HCWs registered within the first phase have been vaccinated so far. Sambalpur is the only district where 90 per cent HCWs have been covered. Whereas the coverage in Bhubaneswar is 80.3 per cent, it has been the poorest in Cuttack with 67.1 of them being inoculated.
Source: A-N
