Punjab Government on Tuesday launched Covid-19 vaccination drive for the state Police personnel during which more than 80,000 personnel and frontline workers will be vaccinated over next 10 days.
As the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh launched the second phase of Covid-19 vaccination drive for frontline workers in the state, the state Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta volunteered to be the first among the Punjab Police to get the jab. The state Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Anurag Agarwal also got vaccinated at the same session, along with the top brass of the Punjab Police.
Under the second phase of the ongoing vaccination drive in Punjab, around 82,789 Punjab Police personnel are estimated to be inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine across the State. Prior to launch of the vaccination drive, the Chief Minister was given the Guard of Honour, after which he laid a wreath at Punjab Police Martyrs’ Memorial in the foyer of Punjab Police Headquarters to pay homage to 1,800 police personnel of different ranks, who laid down their lives during fight against terrorism.
Lauding the Punjab Police’s efforts, Capt said that the entire force had worked day and night on the frontlines when the COVID-19 was at its peak in Punjab and rest of the country. Besides maintaining law and order, the Police also ensured home delivery of food, medicines, and other essentials, during the curfew spanning over two months from March 22, 2020, and later all through the worst phase of COVID pandemic in Punjab.
“A total of 6,153 police personnel were diagnosed positive for COVID-19 out of which 6,086 have successfully recovered while 15 Punjab Police cops are presently COVID-19 positive and are undergoing the treatment,” he said.
He added that unfortunately, 52 Punjab Police personnel, including one gazetted officer, 33 non-gazetted officers, nine other ranks, six Punjab Home Guard jawans from the Punjab Police lost their lives to COVID-19.