Leh, January 16: A sanitation worker at a hospital was the first person to be administered COVID-19 vaccine in the Union Territory of Ladakh where Lt Governor R K Mathur inaugurated the first phase of the inoculation drive on Saturday.
Ladakh has recorded 128 COVID-19 related deaths and a total virus caseload of 9,646 since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year. As many as 9,404 patients have recovered from the infection, while the rest 114 are undergoing treatment.
At least 20 healthcare personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) posted in Ladakh were among the first recipients of the coronavirus vaccine on Saturday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nation-wide drive to combat the pandemic.
The armed forces on Saturday kicked off the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccine drive at multiple locations across the country including Ladakh, Delhi, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam. Thousands of Covid warriors, including military doctors, nurses and paramedics, were vaccinated against the coronavirus disease on the day when India rolled out the biggest vaccination campaign in the world, officials familiar with the development said.
A total of 20 ITBP personnel have been given the jab at the sector hospital in Leh and this includes two women officers, chief medical officer Katyayni Sharma Pande and medical officer Dr Skalzang Angmo, force spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said in Delhi.
The border guarding force has a large presence in the Ladakh region by virtue of its deployment to guard the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Its north-west frontier, headed by an Inspector General of Police rank officer, is based in Leh and its troops are currently deployed at the front along with the Army as part of the ongoing military standoff with the Chinese PLA troops.
The spokesperson said similar vaccine shots were given to its medical wing personnel in other parts of the country too.
