Delhi schools tying up with govt, pvt hospitals to get students Covid-19 shots

In its directive to both government and private schools, the department said that it was imperative for all government, government-aided, and private unaided school students aged 15 to 17 years to get vaccinated on an immediate basis

School in Delhi have said that they were tying up with private and government hospitals to get their students vaccinated against Covid-19, as the nationwide jabs drive for teenagers between 15 and 17 years began on Monday.

A health worker administers a dose of Covid-19 vaccine to a teenager at a vaccination centre in New Delhi, Monday. (PTI)

Last week, the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) asked schools to inform parents to get their children in the 15-17 age group vaccinated as soon as possible. In its directive to both government and private schools, the department said that it was imperative for all government, government-aided, and private unaided school students aged 15 to 17 years to get vaccinated on an immediate basis.

Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, said the school has approached the government for organising a vaccination camp on school campus on Wednesday. The school has nearly 500 students in classes 9-12 that fall in the eligible category.

“We have already sent a letter to parents informing them about the vaccination process. Depending on the response of children, we will increase the duration of the camp,” said Arora.

Sudha Acharya, principal of ITL Public School, Dwarka, and the chairperson of the National Progressive School Conference (NPSC) which has 122 Delhi schools as members, said her school will also be conducting the vaccination drive through private and government tie-ups.

The school has reached out to the district health department and sought an appointment for vaccination at the nearest Central Government Health Scheme empanelled hospital. This will be followed by a vaccination camp in collaboration with a private hospital. “We will ask all students who have taken admission under the EWS category to get vaccinated at the government hospital in batches of 50 each. Since not everyone would like to pay for the private vaccination camp, they can avail this option. A private hospital will also be holding the camp for our students,” said Acharya.

The school has planned a series of webinars for parents and students ahead of the vaccination. “We are holding webinars in collaboration with our parents. Many parents who are doctors will be sharing their insights with other parents so that they are motivated to get their children vaccinated,” said Acharya.

Apeejay Schools in Delhi will also be holding a vaccination camp on campus from Thursday. The school has tied up with a private hospital for facilitating the process. The school plans to widen the vaccination process to cover non-school students in future.

“In the first phase, our primary aim is to first facilitate vaccination for our students. However, our students can invite their relatives in the eligible age group to take the benefit of the vaccination drive. In subsequent phases, we will surely facilitate and make it open to a larger student community depending upon how the situation unfolds further. The payment for the vaccination will be directly dealt with by the hospital,” said a representative from Apeejay Schools.

Not all schools are conducting vaccination on campus for now. Many said that they had informed parents and shared details about the vaccination centres. “Due to the spike in cases, many parents might not be willing to come to school. Some are also unsure about vaccination and would like to wait and watch before they decide to get children vaccinated. We have shared all necessary details as of now and will see how the situation develops,” said Tanya Joshi, principal of the Indian School.