GB Nagar may follow Bikaner model of door-to-door vaccination

The Gautam Budh Nagar health department is analysing the “Bikaner model” of door-to-door vaccination underway in Rajasthan

The Gautam Budh Nagar health department is analysing the “Bikaner model” of door-to-door vaccination underway in Rajasthan.

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Under the model, people who are 45 and older can register for the vaccine against Covid-19 on a helpline launched by the Rajasthan government, Live Hindustan reported.

A vaccine van will reach people’s homes only when a minimum of 10 people have registered from the same address. The van will then move to another address, but a medical team will stay back to keep an eye on the people who have been vaccinated for adverse events. The drive began on Monday. Earlier, the drive had been kicked off in Jodhpur and Pali districts.

GB Nagar district magistrate, Suhas LY, said, “The Bikaner model of vaccination is very similar to our chief minister’s vision of inoculating the people residing in rural areas through the common service centres (CSCs). It can be very handy in the remote areas as well as in the high-rises. Adequate number of ambulances and mobile teams will be ready to carry the vaccine vials to the doorsteps. The district administration will release a helpline with a WhatsApp number for people to register for the shots with their names and address,” he said.

The DM also said that if the Bikaner model will be adapted, once at least 10 people register, the vaccine van will leave for the desired destination.

“The requirement of a minimum of 10 registrations before the mobile van rolls out will minimise the wastage as one vial of vaccine can be used to give the jab to 10 people. While the vaccine van will go from one address to the next after administering the shot, a medical team in back-up will stay with the vaccinated persons for observation,” he said.

District chief medical officer Dr Deepak Ohri said that 447,162 people under the 18-45 age group had been vaccinated till Tuesday, which is nearly 50% of the total vaccination.

“The participation of women in the vaccination drive is also as per our expectations, which is nearly 46% of the total vaccination. Even the number of adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) in the district is less than 0.002%, which is much better than national AEFI of 0.011% and state’s 0.006%. In terms of number of vaccination, GB Nagar district stands second after Lucknow’s figures of 1,157,910,” he said.

The official sources said that GB Nagar has a population of around 2.1 million, of which nearly 1.6 million over the age of 18 years are eligible for vaccination. As per the Co-WIN portal, 904,057 doses had been administered in the district till Tuesday. While 793,187 have taken their first dose, as many as 110,870 have been given both the shots.