The Mamata Banerjee government is set to prepare a complete list of persons with comorbities in Bengal to ensure that they get the Covid vaccine after frontline workers, once the injection reaches the market.

“The comorbidity list will help us identify people who would require the Covid vaccine on priority basis. As we had started the work about three months ago, Bengal could be the only state that would have a full list of vulnerable people by the time the vaccine arrives in the market,” a senior bureaucrat told The Telegraph.

The Centre asked the state during a meeting last week to keep a list of Covid frontline workers for vaccination in the first phase, which could start latest by March 2021.

Frontline workers include doctors, nurses, other health workers like lab technicians of government and private hospitals, and municipal workers engaged in garbage disposal and cleaning of hospitals or similar establishments.

Sources said the state government’s stress on vaccinating persons with comorbidities on a priority basis comes from their vulnerability to infection.

Of the total 6,725 Covid-19 deaths reported till Thursday, the state government attributed 84.1 per cent to comorbidities.

Sources said the survey of health parameters of nearly 10 crore people is complete and the data are being compiled now.

“It is a Herculean task as we are trying to prepare the list on the basis of the degree of comorbidities. Those more vulnerable will be given the vaccine first,” said an officer.

But other officials said the uploading of comorbidity data in Calcutta was lagging behind schedule.

Deputy Speaker death

Bengal Assembly’s deputy Speaker Sukumar Hansda breathed his last on Thursday. He was 66. The two-term Jhargram MLA was suffering from cancer. Mamata Banerjee, in a tweet, said she was “deeply grieved”.