PUNE: The time taken to collate data of frontline workers — largely policemen and staff of departments involved in Covid-19 management — will be key to completion of Phase 2 of the vaccination drive. It will also determine when the third phase, meant for senior citizens and those with co-morbidities, can be rolled out.
As the country gears up for the rollout of the vaccine this Saturday, senior state health department officials said it could take 6-7 months to a year for the three phases to be completed and the vaccine be available for the general public.
Officials said supply of vaccines from the manufacturers is also critical, although they are optimistic that more vaccines will be given emergency authorisation in the coming months.
State principal health secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas told TOI that the timeline should not be the focus as the government has clearly indicated that the priority group vaccination drive for healthcare workers, frontline workers, people above 50 and those with co-morbid conditions will take 7-8 months or even a year.
“Timelines for each group would all depend on the vaccine supply and the number of beneficiaries uploaded for each state,” Vyas said. He, however, said health workers will be covered in three months and frontline workers could be covered in the next 5-6 months.
State immunisation officer Dr D N Patil told TOI that while the health department had carried out enrolment of government and private doctors for the first phase, different departments would be engaged in identifying frontline workers. The respective department heads would have to upload data on the CoWin app. “Once data is uploaded and we are intimated about it, we can make arrangements,” Patil said.
The data enrolment for frontline workers can be done till January 25. The Union government would then assess the beneficiaries for each state and make necessary allocations. During a recent daily briefing of the health and family welfare department, it was stated that the vaccination drive in the country could take a year or more. NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul had stated at a function organised by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) that the drive would take at least 7-8 months.
With more vaccines expected later this year, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, a member of the national task force, had indicated earlier that vaccines would be available for the common public in the market only at the end of 2021 or even early 2022. “The country will have 6-7 vaccines and with enough data, a better long-lasting vaccine could also come up. Over 50 vaccines are in clinical trials the world over and the most effective one would be selected suitable to the age group and comorbidities” he had said.
Meanwhile, 2,70,300 police personnel in Maharashtra who will be inoculated in the second phase are being registered on the CoWIN app. State home minister Anil Deshmukh has said police would get the vaccine for free. Additional DGP Kulwant Kumar Sarangal said, “All the 2.2 lakh police personnel, 45,000 home guards, 4,400 prison police personnel and 900 disaster management personnel are being registered. We are confident of completing the registration process by the end of this week.”
(Inputs by Mohammed Akhef)