Health workers, front-line workers and those most at risk of dying from coronavirus disease (Covid-19), such as those over 50 years of age or patients with comorbidities, are the three priority groups targeted. They have been recommended to receive the vaccine by the National Group of Experts on the Administration of Vaccines for Covid-19 (NEGVAC).
Vaccination in priority groups will be carried out simultaneously according to the availability of doses, according to the Ministry of Health.
“These are the NEGVAC recommendations and the government has to make a decision based on them. The immunization process between the groups will not be sequential; it can also happen simultaneously depending on the availability of the vaccine, ”Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan told a news conference on Tuesday.
According to estimates by the Ministry of Health, there are around 10 million health workers, 20 million frontline workers, including the police and the military, and another 270 million people over 50 years of age or with comorbidities.
He said state, district and block structures have already been created to ensure a smooth delivery of the vaccine up to the last mile.
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The multi-level coordination mechanism created under the NEGVAC has a state-level steering committee headed by the senior secretaries to ensure coordination between departments. A statewide task force, headed by the state secretary of health, has also been created to manage the logistics for vaccine delivery and administration, and a 24×7 statewide control room. At the district level, a district task force headed by the district collector, an urban task force headed by the municipal commissioner, and a district control room will do the same. A block-level working group and a block control room will also be created.
Bhushan said the teams had already started meeting or will meet at the state level by December 8, at the district level by December 14 and at the block level by December 15.
Regarding the infrastructure needed for vaccine delivery, Bhushan said there were 85,634 devices available, such as freezers, freezer trucks and refrigerators. A survey of additional needs has already been conducted and the necessary orders have been placed, he said.
There are 28,947 cold chain points where vaccines and syringes are stored. “These are suitable for storing existing vaccines for the universal immunization program and other 3 crore vaccine doses for the first phase of vaccination,” Bhushan said.
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