First consignment of Covishield vaccine reaches West Bengal's Siliguri

The first consignment of Covishield vaccine reached Siliguri in West Bengal on Wednesday night, a health official confirmed.

"One truck carrying Covishield vaccine for COVID-19 arrived at Siliguri on Wednesday. The vaccines have been stored at the principal storage point at the required temperature at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. Those will be dispatched from the cold chain points to the vaccination facilities in the Darjeeling district and other districts of north Bengal," Darjeeling district Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr Pralay Acharya told .

Acharya also said 18,000 doses have been allotted for the district.

The Home Department of West Bengal government on January 12 had tweeted, "The first consignment of 6.89 lakh Covishield vaccines arrived today in our state at 2:30 PM by a special cargo flight of Spicejet at Kolkata airport."

"These vaccines shall be stored at our Central Vaccines Store at Baghbazar and will be then transported to different districts for vaccination of health care eorkers as per priority," the tweet added.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive will begin on January 16.

Earlier, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said the central government is having close collaboration with states and Union Territories for vaccine roll-out.

"All preparations are on track for vaccine roll-out from January 16," he had said.

( With inputs from ANI )