Indore:
Expecting the arrival of the much-awaited Covid-19 vaccine on January 13, divisional commissioner Dr Pawan Sharma and collector Manish Singh inspected the regional vaccine storage centre and district vaccine storage centre on Tuesday.
Officials checked the storage facility along with ensuring safe and secure transportation of the vaccine from airport to regional storage centre and to district storage centre.
“As many as three refrigerator vans will be used in Indore while one each in other districts of the division to transport the vaccine to the storage facility. Vaccines would be distributed to focal points and to the centres,” Dr Sharma said.
Meanwhile, collector Manish Singh said that they have a storage capacity of about 12 lakh doses and it can be increased to 20 lakh doses if required.
“We will start the vaccination drive on January 16 at 8 hospitals including MY Hospital, Hukumchand Polyclinic, Unique Hospital, Apollo Hospital, and Bombay Hospital. Our preparations are completed and we will organise an orientation programme for all the employees and staff who will participate in the same,” Singh said.
Acting chief medical and health officer Dr Purnima Gadaria said, “Vaccination will be conducted at 101 sites in 129 sessions. We have completed the training and orientation of all the stakeholders and employees involved in the process.”
Dr Gadaria said that they have prepared eight launching sites for the same and two-way connectivity will be provided in MY Hospital so that the government may connect.
“We have completed the preparations for transportation of vaccines to sites. We will also keep the record of empty vials as well,” she added.
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//0.5 ml dose would be given
According to district immunization officer Dr Tarun Gupta, “Each site will have eight staff including the guard, two verifiers who will verify the beneficiary's name in COWIN app and administer the vaccine, two staff will be involved in mobilization of beneficiaries, one would be in-charge, one would be nodal officer, and the AEFI nodal officer.”
He said that they didn’t get information about the size of vial but 0.5 ml dose would be administered to the beneficiaries.
“We will also discard the vial if it remains open for four hours. However, we will open in only after beneficiaries reach the centre,” he added.
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//Dr Gupta answered FAQs about vaccine
Q1: Will Covid-19 vaccine be given to everyone simultaneously?
Ans: Based on the potential availability of vaccines the Government of India has selected the priority groups who will be vaccinated on priority as they are at higher risk. The first group includes healthcare and frontline workers. The second group to receive Covid-19 vaccine will be persons over 50 years of age and persons under 50 years with co-morbid conditions.
Q2: Is it mandatory to take the vaccine?
Ans: Vaccination for Covid-19 is voluntary. However, it is advisable to receive the complete schedule of Covid-19 vaccine for protecting oneself against this disease and also to limit the spread of this disease to the close contacts including family members, friends, relatives, and co-workers.
Q3: Will the vaccine be safe as it is being tested and introduced in a short span of time?
Ans: Vaccines are introduced in the country only after the regulatory bodies clear it based on its safety and efficacy.
Q4: Can a person presently having Covid-19 (confirmed or suspected) infection be vaccinated?
Ans: Person with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 infection may increase the risk of spreading the same to others at vaccination sites. For this reason, infected individuals should defer vaccination for 14 days after symptoms resolution.
Q5: Is it necessary for a Covid recovered person to take the vaccine?
Ans: Yes, it is advisable to receive complete schedule of Covid vaccine irrespective of past history of infection with Covid-19. This will help in developing a strong immune response against the disease.
