More than 4,600 health workers were vaccinated against Covid-19 in Calcutta on Monday, the city’s highest daily count since the vaccination was launched across the country on January 16.

Also on Monday, Covid jabs were administered from the highest number of sites so far in the city.

Some of the medical colleges in Calcutta ran multiple vaccination sites on Monday. Officials said multiple sites would continue for now.

“We vaccinated over 4,600 health workers in Calcutta on Monday. This is the highest since the Covid-19 vaccination was launched. We had vaccinated 2,500 health workers on Friday, which is the second highest till now,” a health department official said.

Officials in the department attributed the rise in the number of daily vaccinations to an increase in the number of sites and the decision to invite 200 health workers, instead of 100, to get the shots from each site.

“The health department has adopted these measures to expedite the vaccination. Invitations are being sent out to 200 people (to get vaccinated at each site) with the understanding that even if some fail to turn up, the number of vaccinations at each site will still be 100, the target from day 1,” said an official of the health department.

“However, all sites have been asked to remain prepared to vaccinate 200 people daily.”

Accordingly, every site in the city was given 20 vials, each containing 10 doses of Covishield, on Monday.

Pradip Tondon, the chief executive officer of Belle Vue Clinic, said they received 20 vials on Monday, the first day of Covid vaccination at the hospital. “We vaccinated 187 health workers. We are very happy with what we achieved,” he said.

Tondon, 74, was the first to get a shot at the hospital. “Our medical superintendent, who is 80, was the second person to get a dose and our nursing superintendent, who is 69, was the third. We were the first ones to receive the vaccine so that no one has any fear in taking it,” Tondon said.

Some of the hospitals that ran multiple vaccination sites were the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, SSKM Hospital and the NRS Medical College and Hospital.

“We ran three sites on Monday, one more than Friday. We vaccinated 336 health workers, the highest since the vaccination was launched,” said Indranil Biswas, the medical superintendent of Calcutta Medical College.

The Indian Medical Association’s Bengal chapter has tied up with SSKM to run a vaccination drive for private practitioners on Wednesday. “Two hundred private practitioners will be invited to get the shots,” said Anirban Dalui, an assistant treasurer of IMA, Bengal chapter.

The state health department had registered the names of private practitioners among the six lakh healthcare workers in Bengal who would be vaccinated in the first phase, but their vaccination is yet to begin.