To administer the Covid-19 vaccine safely once available to the frontline workers, the preparations by district administration are in full swing and has readied its machinery for storage, distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, and immunization.
Participating in a video-conference held by Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Hussan Lal, Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori accompanied by Additional Deputy Commissioner (D) Vishesh Sarangal, on Friday said the administration has already made elaborate arrangements of cold chain storage capacity which has sufficient space for storing 12.5 lakh doses of Covid vaccine presently and would be further augmented gradually when the vaccine would be available for the general public.
He added that the district has 62 Ice Lined Refrigerators (ILR) under its cold chain storage facility which can store 5739 Litre and one ILR can store 217 hence, we have sufficient space for storing 12.4 lakh doses here.
The Deputy Commissioner further said that the administration has also identified 57 cold chain points including 16 in urban and 41 in rural areas and are being managed effectively by trained staff.
He stated the district has 1057 vaccine carriers presently and vaccine vans and are in working condition besides all CHCs, PHCs/SDHs and Civil hospital has been earmarked as session sites and private health institutions are being identified.
He said that a total of 46 health teams have also been formed and directed the department to increase its number.
Ghanshyam Thori said that as per the directions of the government, the first dose of the vaccine would be administered to all frontline health workers including doctors, nursing and lab staff, ward attendants, and all Anganwari workers along with helpers and data of 10844 workers have been uploaded already.
DC further revealed that block-level task forces have also been set up and meetings are being held regularly by heads.
Calling the doctors/nursing and lab staff/ ward attendants/ other health workers ‘Soldiers without Uniform’, Deputy Commissioner said that administration will leave no stone unturned to ensure topmost priority to the immunization of frontline health workers who are fighting the pandemic for the last eight months.
On the occasion, Civil Surgeon Dr Gurinder Kaur Chawla, District Immunization Officer Dr Seema, DMC Dr Anu, District Epidemiologist Dr Satish and others were present.