A private city hospital has approached several schools to administer Covid vaccination to students and teachers free of cost before they run out of stock or the vaccines expire.
Some of the schools said they would run a survey after the summer vacation to find out how many individuals are eligible and willing.
RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences has sent emails to South City International School, Indus Valley World School and Delhi Public School Ruby Park after having conducted vaccination camps in some schools and NGOs.
The hospital has already conducted camps for seven institutes and administered approximately 2,000 doses of vaccine, said an official.
The hospital has lined up a few more.
It will provide not just the first or second dose of Covaxin to anybody above 15 years of age but also booster dose to those who are eligible.
In many schools, teachers are eligible for the booster dose and schools would also want them to avail of it before the summer vacation ends, if eligible.
“The available dose after the camps which are done and the proposed ones would be 4,000 doses of Covaxin that will expire in August. There will be many more such initiatives, including schools. We hope we will be able to do maximum utilisation before expiry date,” said R. Venkatesh, regional director, east, of Narayana Health, of which RN Tagore hospital is a flagship unit.
Since several schools have closed for summer vacation and the teachers who are coming are on board examination duty, the schools have put the camps on hold as of now.
“Some teachers have planned a holiday after two years and some are on examination duty. But after the school reopens in June we plan to conduct a survey to find out how many students and teachers would need the vaccination and accordingly conduct a camp,” said Amita Prasad, the director of Indus Valley World School.
DPS Ruby Park will also take it up after the vacation, an official of the school said.
Because it is summer vacation many teachers would also prefer to take the vaccination closer home.
“After the mail came I informed teachers and the non teaching staff about it. At present, the requirement is booster shots and we encourage our staff to take it. As schools we are also accountable to parents and students,” said John Bagul, principal, South City International School.
Private hospitals are giving booster shots and in Belle Vue Clinic, the hospital has got fresh stock of both Covishield and Covaxin that is being administered at government fixed rates.
“On an average 30 to 40 people are coming on weekdays and 50 to 60 on weekends,” said Pradip Tondon, CEO, Belle Vue Clinic.