Corona vaccine shot twice a week, next round on Jan 22
Health care workers (HCWS) will remain the focus of the vaccination drive and districts have been told to prepare list
GHAZIABAD: The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said that the next round of Covid-19 vaccinations will take place on January 22. After that, the drive will take place bi-weekly -- likely on Mondays and Fridays, according to health officials.
Health care workers (HCWS) will remain the focus of the vaccination drive and districts have been told to prepare their list of beneficiaries and vaccination centres.
“The first round of vaccination was successful (on Saturday). In all, 22,643 people were vaccinated (of the 31700 they had targeted, which is a 71% turnout) and we used both vaccines – Covishield and Covaxin in the state. The next round of vaccination will be held on January 22 and thereafter the vaccination will take place for two days in week. The list of beneficiaries is being prepared with the help of the CO-WIN portal,” said Amit Mohan Prasad, UP’S additional chief secretary (health).
The Centre on Sunday had advised states to keep the vaccination sessions four days in a week so as to avoid disruption of health services. Depending on their cohort, resources and staff, the states have created their weekly schedule ranging from six to two days a week
During the on-going phase 1 of vaccinations, over 900,000 HCWS are expected to be vaccinated over several weeks in the state. Those who were vaccinated with Covishield on Saturday are expected to get their second booster shot on February 15.
Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad district officials said they will further fine tune their ground protocols for the second round of vaccinations. The districts were told to prioritise vaccinating HCWS over 40 years of age.
On Saturday, the Ghaziabad district vaccinated 379 of 400 listed HCWS in four centres, while Gautam Budh Nagar vaccinated 393 of 600 in six centres.
In terms of turnout, the Ghaziabad district stood third after Siddharth Nagar and Baghpat, while Gautam Budh Nagar was on 53rd spot among all 75 districts.
On Saturday Hindustan Times reported how a centre in Dasna had to call beneficiaries up when they realised that people had not got their text message informing them of their shot, date, time and centre the previous day. Some beneficiaries in Ghaziabad were on leave and could not take their shot.
“We have learnt our lessons from the first round. For the next, we will procure a list of beneficiaries from the centres and rule out people suffering from ailments and also those on leave, and include those who are willing to get vaccinated. So, this will help us get more coverage,” said Dr NK Gupta, Ghaziabad chief medical officer (CMO).
“We will also deploy a dedicated team for each centre that will contact beneficiaries over phone a day before the vaccination drive,” said Dr Gupta.
Of the stock of 2,741 vials of Covishield vaccine, the district used 40 vials during the first round. A vial contains 10 doses.
District officials said they will continue with routine immunizations --- polio, DPT, diphtheria, tetanus and BCG, among others -- on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Gautam Budh Nagar district administration said their drive on Saturday was smooth and they had nothing to improve.
“We will likely increase the number of centres. The exact number of beneficiaries will be decided by Thursday,” said Suhas LY, district magistrate.
Of the stock of 3,500 vials of Covishield vaccine, the district used 44 vials during the first round in the district.