COVID vaccination drive for all 18+ people; A tough task for Assam Health Department

VACCINATION DRIVE FOR 18-45 AGE GROUP

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The vaccination drive for all 18+ people in Assam is in for some delay. This is because the State Health Department will step up for the drive only after getting the nod from the Centre.

The Centre has made it clear that from May 1, 2021, all people above 18 years of age will also be vaccinated for COVID-19. The registration of people of this age will start on April 28, 2021.

According to sources in the State Health Department, the Centre will give the go-ahead signal to the States for procuring vaccines for this drive based on the number of applicants. Assam has around 1.26 crore people falling in this age group – 18-45 years. Thus the beginning of this vaccination drive depends largely on the number of people applying from this age group.

The problem doesn't end there. According to official sources, the department at present has a mechanism for the vaccination of a limited population. If the additional population of 1.26 crore is to be vaccinated, the entire vaccination chain from cold storage to vaccination centre has to be reorganized. That's a big and time-taking exercise, the sources said. Thus the beginning of the vaccination drive for 18+ people is likely to be delayed.

According to sources, so far around 15.46 lakh, people have taken the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines, and around four lakh took the second dose as well. Of late, there has been a scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines in the State, and this scarcity is supposed to linger.

Around two lakh Covishield vaccine doses arrived in the State on Saturday. With its existing stock of two lakh doses, the department has now four lakh doses of the vaccines under its disposal. Sources also said that three lakh doses of the vaccines are set to arrive in the State within three days. However, on average the State needs 60,000 vaccines per day. Thus, the existing stock of vaccine doses can last only for a week.

The sources further said that 2,000 remdesivir injections arrived in the State on Saturday. The State still has around 12,000 such injections.

Sources in the department said that the thrust is now on preventing the spread of the virus that has made inroads into even remote villages in the State. Some youths who were working in other States stealthily reached their villages giving the personnel in railway stations the slip. According to sources, some of them aren't even disclosing their COVID status even after testing positive.

The department, according to sources, is now going to set up isolation centres at villages where village heads and panchayats are being entrusted to monitor such centres by keeping in touch with deputy commissioners.

Sources said the Department is now going to spend Rs 300 per patient for food in COVID care centres. In front of each COVID care centre, there will be a canteen to enable the patients to procure anything they need.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met the representatives of all private hospitals and nursing homes of Guwahati on Saturday. The meeting decided that each of the nursing homes will have to take on rent a hotel nearby for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. A decision has also been taken to grant loans to the nursing homes to enable them to install oxygen-producing plants within their premises. Eight government hospitals have been producing oxygen from their in-house plants in the State.

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