VIPs recommended for priority Covid-19 vaccine shot in Haryana

A December 10 communication to the Union health ministry recommending inclusion of MPs and MLAs in the priority list said the public representatives are at the risk of getting exposed to the virus since they frequently meet people to hear their grievances.

Public representatives in Haryana, including members of Parliament (MPs) and members of the legislative assembly (MLAs), have been recommended for priority inoculation of coronavirus vaccine by the state government.

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A December 10 communication by the state health department to the Union health ministry recommending inclusion of MPs and MLAs in the priority list said the public representatives are at a risk of getting exposed to the virus since they frequently meet people to hear their grievances.

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar will also write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure their immunisation on priority, officials said. “ The recommendation for including MPs and MLAs in the priority list primarily entails vaccinating 105 persons (10 Lok Sabha MPs, 5 Rajya Sabha MPs and 90 MLAs),’’ an official said.

“The coronavirus vaccine administration will span over a year with multiple groups being included sequentially. For the first phase of vaccination, health care workers will be inoculated. That means they are the top priority. Frontline workers like municipal, sanitary workers, state and central police forces, civil, defence, armed forces will be vaccinated next. The third category is population above 50. The public representatives, if approved by the Centre, will be the next,” a health official said.

Media persons registered with the district public relations offices also figure in the state’s recommendation for priority inoculation.

Civil and revenue administrators such as deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners, sub divisional magistrates, tehsildars and patwaris etc have also been recommended for priority vaccination since they handle disaster management and are actively involved in public interaction. Besides, volunteers who were involved in Covid-19 vaccine trials and given placebos have also been recommended for priority inoculation, said the communication sent to the Union health ministry.

Officials said a request has been made to the Centre to accord priority vaccination to these vulnerable occupational groups so that they who are providing services at the frontline are also protected on priority.

The communication also said that during the serological survey conducted by the Haryana health department, a section of the population was found sero positive due to development of antibodies against Covid-19 infection. Frontline workers among the serological positive population may not be considered for priority vaccination in the first phase and instead may be considered for the second phase, it said.

Besides, population below 50 but having comorbidities have also been recommended on the grounds that they are a productive group and are only 2.25 lakh in numbers. Thus, they can be easily accommodated along with people who are above 50.