LUCKNOW: As preparations for the
Covid-19 vaccination drive continue on war footing in the city, sources in the health department said that
medical staff of Covid hospitals will be among the 40,000
frontline workers who will receive the
vaccine shots in the first round.
The vaccine is expected to arrive in the first or second week of January, said sources.
Times View
The news of the vaccine has come as a relief, but it does not mean that people should drop their guard. The initial phases of vaccination to frontline workers followed by the elderly and vulnerable will definitely help in breaking the chain and reducing number of casualties, but it will take a few more months for covering a substantial population required to bring the pandemic completely under control. Till then, strict adherence to safety protocols is the best and only option.
According to the health department’s plan, staff of Covid-19 L3 hospitals will be first among frontline workers to get the shots followed by those in L2 and L1 Covid hospitals.
The staff of non-Covid hospitals will receive doses thereafter.
Chief medical officer Dr Sanjay Bhatnagar said, “The city has 40,000 health workers as per our database. All will be vaccinated. We will prioritise administering the vaccine in the bigger Covid-19 facilities first, followed by smaller units, and then non-Covid-19 hospitals so that the maximum number of vulnerable groups can be covered in a quick span of time.”
A meeting has been called on Tuesday in which health department officials from the Centre, state and district will take part to decide the vaccine distribution strategy.
A 4,800-sq ft storage unit with four ice-lined refrigerators (ILR), each with 225-litre capacity to maintain a cold chain, has already been made at a healthcare centre in Aishbagh locality of the state capital.
The training of vaccinators has also started. ANMs, MBBS interns, staff nurses and pharmacists, both from government and private sector, are being trained as vaccinators.
“These health professionals already know how to administer vaccine. Only precautions which must be taken for Covid vaccination will be taught to them,” said in-charge of routine immunisation Dr MK Singh.
“All persons who will get vaccinated will be registered on the Covid-19 control portal. Database for the purpose has been already prepared,” Dr Singh added.