Front line staff to get Covid jabs later this week; 77 centres added | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
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Front line staff to get Covid jabs later this week; 77 centres added

ByAbhishek Dey, New Delhi
Feb 03, 2021 04:21 AM IST

"The govt should stress the vaccine is for prevention and India is yet to witness a second wave like several other countries," Dr Namrata Makkar of the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital said.

State health minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday that the ongoing Covid-19 inoculation drive —which currently covers health workers — will be opened to front line workers this week even as authorities increased the number of vaccination centres from 106 to 183 as well as the number of vaccination days from four to six days a week.

Satyendar Jain did not mention the exact day when the vaccination will begin for the city’s estimated 600,000 front line workers.(ANI)
Satyendar Jain did not mention the exact day when the vaccination will begin for the city’s estimated 600,000 front line workers.(ANI)

Jain, however, did not mention the exact day when the vaccination will begin for the city’s estimated 600,000 front line workers, including the police and municipal employees, among others, directly engaged in Covid-19 management in some way. About 338,011 front line workers have enlisted so far to take the jab in a registration drive that is still underway.

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Meanwhile, Delhi gave a boost to its vaccination drive. So far, Covid-19 vaccines in the national capital were administered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. From Wednesday, it will become a six-day drive (from Monday to Saturday), a senior health official said on condition of anonymity.

Also read: Over 50% exposure to Sars-Cov-2 in 10 of 11 city districts

But the turnout rate in Delhi witnessed a sharp fall on Tuesday with only 9,357 of a targeted 18,300 (at scaled-up capacity) beneficiaries getting vaccinated. The turnout rate of 51.13% was the lowest since January 19, the second day of vaccination when it was 48.8%.

On Tuesday, Delhi also reported 17 cases of adverse effects following immunisation (AEFI), of which none was severe in nature, government officials said.

Several government officials attributed the low turnout to fewer people turning up at new centres because of lack of awareness about them, said officials. However, other government officials said turnout at some of the existing vaccination centres have reached a saturation point.

“That is why the government should start vaccinating front line workers now, along with health workers, to fill up the gap,” said a health department official.

For instance, the vaccine centre at Maulana Azad Medical College, which witnessed a turnout of around 70% over the past one week, saw only 18 beneficiaries on Tuesday.

“There are apprehensions among beneficiaries, especially in view of several cases of mild fever and AEFI (adverse event following immunization) that have emerged. In its ongoing awareness drive, the government should stress that the vaccine is for prevention and India is yet to witness a second wave like several other countries such as the US and the UK,” said Dr Namrata Makkar, deputy medical superintendent at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital.

Delhi government spokespersons did not comment on Tuesday’s turnout figures.

The 183 sites are spread across 114 hospitals, which essentially means at least some of them – such as Lok Nayak Hospital in the public sector and BL Kapoor Hospital in the private sector — have more than one centre now, said the health department official cited above.

“This scaling up was needed to increase the coverage at a faster rate among health workers. There will be need for more capacity building to accommodate front-line workers, whose numbers are more,” said a second health department official.

The number of health workers in the city is estimated at 300,000 by the Delhi government, of which around 240,000 registered for the Covid-19 vaccination and 73,983 health workers have taken the jab.

“The aim at this stage should be to reach out to more categories of beneficiaries. People belonging to other priority groups, who want to get vaccinated at the earliest, should be given the opportunity now,” said Dr Suneela Garg, director professor, community medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, and member, Lancet Covid-19 Commission and Vaccination Task Force for India.

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