Anganwadis, schools, panchayat buildings to be used as Covid-19 vaccination centres

State governments would identify buildings which can be used as vaccination booths under the special Covid-19 immunisation programme

Inoculation against Covid-19 could be done at a school near you or Anganwadi centres and panchayat offices when the vaccine against the virus is available.

A team of experts is scouting for sites to set up vaccination booths for administering Covid-19 vaccines beyond healthcare facilities to ensure the speedy rollout of the vaccine.

The Covid-19 vaccination drive is expected to run parallel to the existing universal immunisation programme and the government is planning to harness the same infrastructure to monitor the inoculation drive.

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The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) would be used for the distribution and delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine. The same network would be used to send SMS to the recipients of the vaccine conveying the date and time of the vaccination drive and monitor their response.

Three vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which two are in Phase II and one is in Phase-III trials.

Indian Scientists and Research Teams are also collaborating and strengthening the research capacities in neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.

Officials from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Qatar and Bhutan have also requested for conducting clinical trials in their countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a review meeting on vaccine delivery on October 17, had directed officials not to limit efforts to India’s immediate neighbourhood but also reach out to the entire world in providing vaccines, medicines and IT platforms for vaccine delivery system.

The prime minister has also asked officials to utilise the experience of successful conduct of elections and disaster management in the country for putting in place vaccine delivery and administration systems.

The Covid-19 vaccine, once available, would be distributed under a special inoculation programme, using the processes, technology and network of the existing UIP.

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The Centre will procure the vaccine directly to make it available to the priority groups through the existing network of states and districts.

The Centre has also started the process of identifying around 30 crore priority beneficiaries who would be given the vaccine in the initial phase.

Four categories, including around one crore healthcare professionals, around two crore frontline workers, including municipal corporation workers, personnel of the police and armed forces, about 26 crore people aged above 50 and a special category of those below 50 with co-morbidities and requiring specialised care have been demarcated for the first phase of vaccine administration.