Prama Ghosh, Amity University Kolkata
India is preparing to roll out COVID-19 vaccines with Anganwadi centres, schools, panchayat buildings and other such setups and buildings identified by the state governments as vaccination sites in addition to healthcare facilities. The anti-corona virus inoculation drive would be monitored by the Union health ministry’s digital platform and tracking of the beneficiaries after each job would be done by sending SMSes and generating a QR code.
In order to avoid duplications and to track beneficiaries, every person in the immunization list would be linked with their Aadhaar cards or any government photo identity if the former is not available.
eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network), the health ministry’s existing digital platform under UIP (Universal Immunization Programme) will be used to track the COVID-19 vaccine distribution and delivery, through SMSes which would be sent to recipients informing the time, date and venue of the vaccination. Real-time information on vaccine stocks and storage temperatures across all cold chain points in the country is also provided by the network.
Administration of the vaccine to the priority groups would be made free of cost. Identification of around 30 crore priority beneficiaries has begun who would be immunized on the initial phase. Four categories of people have been demarcated by the government which includes around 1 crore healthcare professionals including doctors, MBBS students, nurses and ASHA workers etc, around two crore frontline workers which include municipal corporation workers, police and armed forces, about 26 crore people aged above 50 and a special category of those below 50 with co-morbidities and requiring specialized care.
Around 40-50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine covering 20-25 crore people is estimated to be received and utilized by July next year. State steering committee (SSC) will be set up which will strategize state-specific challenges.
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