To prevent overcrowding in COVID-19 vaccination centres, the district administration introduced new measures from Monday wherein vaccination was carried out only in schools after issuing vaccine tokens based on the electoral roll.
District administration officials said that the government and private schools that were designated as polling stations will be used, henceforth, to conduct the drive. Primary health centres (PHCs) will no longer be used for vaccination campaign in the district. The school premises will also help the public to maintain physical distancing norms better than the PHCs due to the space available, the officials added. Around 18,000 Covishield doses were available at the vaccine centres in the corporation and district limits on Monday.
The decision to revamp the vaccination drive was taken following a meeting convened by District Collector S. Vineeth on Friday with officials from the Health Department, Tiruppur Corporation and Revenue Department, the officials said.
The Collector had said in a statement that the vaccine tokens will be issued to the public on a rotational basis based on the electoral roll and that the concerned local bodies will announce the vaccination centres every day. At all the schools, details such as available vaccine stock, number of tokens issued and the details of vaccination centres for the next day will be displayed. Those who have received the tokens alone must visit the vaccination centres, Mr. Vineeth said.
However, a few residents hailing from other districts complained that they did not receive the vaccine tokens as their names were not present in the district’s electoral roll.
At the Iduvampalayam Corporation High School in corporation limits, minor commotion occurred on Monday morning as some residents from other districts demanded tokens for vaccination. District officials said that the priority will be to ensure vaccination for those in the electoral roll and alternative arrangements for others would be announced soon.
Deputy Director of Health Services (Tiruppur) K. Jegadeesh Kumar said that the new measures will help the Health Department to further expand the vaccination coverage in Tiruppur district. “Depending on the supply [of vaccine doses], we are stepping up our coverage,” he said.