A number of Covid-19 vaccination sites in the state have been asked to remain prepared to inoculate 200 health-care workers every day from Friday, officials of the health department as well as those managing some of the sites said on Thursday.

Also from Friday, Covid shots will be administered at over 400 sites across Bengal, up from 207.

“The number of persons to be given the shots every day and the number of sites have been increased to speed up vaccination,” said a health department official.

The department informed vaccination site managers that 200 individuals would be invited — through text messages or phone calls or both — to get inoculated at each site from Friday.

“Initially, all sites were asked to inoculate 100 people each every day. The number has been increased to 200 to prevent any significant dip in the number of people vaccinated per day,” the official said.

“If we invite 200 people to a site on a day, 100 may turn up. So with 50 per cent of those invited turning up, the actual number would still remain 100. This is a way to work around vaccine hesitancy among many health-care workers…. If 200 people turn up, the site should be prepared to inoculate all of them. There is no dearth of vaccines and vaccinators.”

Bengal received 6.99 lakh doses of Covishield on Wednesday, which, together with 6.89 lakh doses it had received last week, will be enough to inoculate the 6 lakh-odd health workers of the state.

Covishield is a two-dose vaccine and the second shot is to be given 28 days after the fIrst. Which means 12 lakh doses will be required to vaccinate all health workers of the state. Sources in the health department have said that some doses always go waste in any vaccination programme.

With total 13.88 lakh does in its custody, the state health department is in a position to inoculate all health-care workers.

Some of the new sites in and around Calcutta where vaccination will begin on Friday are Woodlands Hospital, Medica Superspecialty Hospital and AMRI Hospitals Salt Lake, said sources in the state health department. Several more hospitals will launch inoculation next week.

Besides, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation will also begin inoculation at 11 more ward health clinics from Monday. Now, the jabs are being given at five clinics.

On Thursday, vaccination went ahead at 94 sites. “Covid-19 vaccination was successfully done for the fifth day on Thursday at 94 planned sites. Altogether, 7,692 people were vaccinated against the target of 9,400. We managed to vaccinate 81 per cent of those targeted,” said Ajay Chakraborty, the director of state health services.

No serious adverse event was reported on Thursday, Minor issues like pain at the injection site, dizziness, vertigo and nausea were reported.

“Recipients with such complaints were sent home after initial observation,” Chakraborty said.