The Centre on Thursday issued guidelines for vaccinations near home, which will make it easier for the elderly and the differently abled to get inoculated against Covid.
People aged above 60 who have not been vaccinated or have had just the first dose, and those below 60 but with special needs, will be eligible for jabs at the “near to home Covid vaccination centres” or NHCVCs, the health ministry said.
These centres are “for elderly and differently abled citizens”, the ministry said.
They can be set up at places that are not health facilities — such as community halls, residents’ welfare association offices, panchayat ghars, school buildings, old age homes and polling booths, according to guidelines sent to the states and Union Territories. These sites can be sub-health centres or health and wellness centres too.
A district task force or urban task force will choose the location of the near-home vaccination centre to best serve the target population, reduce vaccine waste, and cause the least impact on existing health services. The choice will be made in collaboration with community groups and residents’ welfare associations.
Each near-home vaccination centre will be linked to an existing covid vaccination centre, with its official-in-charge assigned the responsibility of providing vaccines, logistics and human resources.
A near-home centre should have a vaccination room and a waiting area with appropriate access for the target group, for example a ramp for wheelchair access and an observation room for the mandatory 30-minute wait after vaccination.
Each team at such a centre will have five members: a team leader (necessarily a doctor), vaccinator, vaccination officer 1 for Co-WIN registration and/ or verification of the beneficiary, and vaccination officers 2 and 3 who will ensure crowd control and 30 minutes’ post-vaccination observation of beneficiaries, and provide assistance to the vaccinator or any other support.
Where there is a group of target beneficiaries under one roof, such as an old age home, the near-home centre can be organised at the site.
Once identified, each near-home vaccination centre will be registered on the Co-WIN portal. The guidelines allow advance or on-site registration of beneficiaries, including the option of “facilitated cohort registration” (in groups) on Co-WIN.
The guidelines mandate facilitating the travel of the elderly and the differently abled to the vaccination sites wherever needed, and making the vaccination centre friendly to the beneficiaries.
Vaccine plea
Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the Centre and the Delhi government’s response on a plea seeking directions to them to ensure adequate supply of Covid-19 vaccines for residents, especially in the 18-44 age group, of the national capital.
The plea was filed by a lawyer who has contended that the residents of the capital should not suffer as a result of the “blame game” between the two governments.