Indore: IIT Indore has developed a portable, standalone vaccine carrier with temperature control, remote temperature monitoring, and location tracking system.
Usually, a vaccine carrier system is based on passive cooling, using well-insulated containers, and ice packs, making the systems heavy, and restricted by the duration of the ice life.
Dr Shilpa Raut, senior medical officer, IIT Indore, has developed a vaccine carrier box which can control and maintain temperature of the carrier box between 2 and 8 degree for prolonged duration.
The temperature is maintained with a thermoelectric cooler and temperature controller. It has a temperature display and remote temperature monitoring system. A location tracker is attached to the vaccine carrier box to track location of the box.
This can be very useful in any vaccination program, which requires a cold chain including Covid 19 vaccination. Currently, remote temperature monitoring and location tracker systems are not available with any vaccine carrier box.
Thus, the data of the reach of vaccination programs is not easily available. Similarly, there is no remote centralized temperature monitoring system for vaccination. The peripheral health workers in the vaccination program have to return from remote locations as there is a possibility of ice melting before completion of the vaccination drive.
This module will help the health care workers to complete their target vaccination even in remote locations and provide district administration with a record of temperature of vaccine carriers and reach of vaccination.
This vaccine carrier box is also useful for cold chain maintenance for biological specimens.
With 1 day to go, vaccination sites changed
With only one day left for launching the vaccination drive for COVID-19, the health department has decided not to give the vaccine to pregnant women, those below the age of 18 and those having any allergy from any drug.
Moreover, the department has also changed the vaccination sites just a day before starting the vaccination drive.
“As per the instructions from the state health department, we have decided not to administer vaccine doses to pregnant women, those having any kind of allergy from any drug, or below the age of 18. However, it will be given to the health workers first, we didn’t find anyone below the age of 18,” acting Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Purnima Gadaria said.
She also said that they will not consider those beneficiaries again who refuse to get the vaccine dose at the scheduled time.
The CMHO also informed that vaccine would be administered at five centres including MGM Medical College, Shri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Bombay Hospital, Apollo Hospital, and ESIC Hospital.
“Earlier, Index Medical College and District Hospital were included but it was changed at the last moment,” she added.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also chaired a meeting of religious leaders and prominent people of the city, through video conferencing over vaccine drive and appealed to the people to support and motivate people for the same.
Minister Tulsi Silawat, Member of Parliament Shankar Lalwani, Divisional Commissioner Dr Pawan Sharma and Collector Manish Singh were also present in video conferencing.
