The Central government has released a set of detailed guidelines for India’s mass inoculation drive, which will commence once the vaccines get emergency use approval from the drug regulator. Vaccination process will be monitored using Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network to track beneficiaries.
The Health Ministry had recently identified thirty crores Indian population for phase one of the large-scale immunisation of Covid-19 vaccine which includes one crore healthcare workers, two crore frontline workers and 27 crores general population falling in priority groups set by the expert group.
Key pointers from the guidelines:
- According to the guidelines issued on December 12, the latest electoral list for Lok Sabha and legislative assembly election will be used to identify the population aged 50 years or more.
- Around 100-200 people will be vaccinated during each session.
- Vaccinated people will be monitored for 30 minutes to check for any adverse event.
- The vaccination team will consist of five-member.
- If the session site has adequate logistics and space available for a waiting room and observation room along with arrangement for crowd management, one more vaccinator officer can be added to create a session for 200 beneficiaries.
- Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network or Co-WIN - a digitalised platform for vaccine delivery will be used to track enlisted beneficiaries for the vaccination on a real-time basis.
- 12 photo-identity documents, including Voter ID, Aadhaar card, driving license, passport and pension document will be required for self-registration on the Co-WIN digital platform.
- Only pre-registered beneficiaries will be vaccinated at the vaccination site by the prioritization charted out by the ministry and there will be no provision for on-the-spot registrations.
- States have been directed to allocate vaccines from one manufacturer to a district to avoid mixing of different vaccines in the field.
- States have also been instructed to implement an integrated 360-degree comprehensive advocacy communication and social mobilisation strategy to address the challenges surrounding vaccine rollout.
- The guidelines further said that all measures should be taken to avoid exposing the vaccine carrier, vaccine vials or ice packs to direct sunlight adding that vaccines and diluents should be kept inside the vaccine carrier with the lid closed until a beneficiary comes to the centre for vaccination.
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- The guidelines further said that there may not be vaccine vial monitors (VVM) and Date of Expiry on the label of Covid-19 vaccine, but it should not discourage vaccinators from using the vaccine.
- The guidelines also stated that at the end of the vaccination session, the vaccine carrier with all ice packs and unopened vaccine bottles should be sent back to the distributing cold chain point.