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PMC to begin ‘vaccine on wheels’ in Pune schools
The vaccination drives will be conducted in both private as well as government schools that demand PMC for the vaccines
Amid the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the city, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) plans to begin its ‘vaccine on wheels’ drive for the students between the age group of 12 and 15 soon.
“The decision to start vaccination drives in schools has been taken recently. Next week, once the procedure for Palkhi ends, we will begin with the vaccination drive,” said Dr Ashish Bharati, chief health officer, PMC.
The vaccination drives will be conducted in both private as well as government schools that demand PMC for the vaccines. Additionally, the health officers of each ward will also collect data on the number of beneficiaries, doses remaining, etc.
“There is a possibility that the beneficiaries will be more. So, the entire process may take time to complete,” added Bharati.
According to the immunisation officer of PMC, Dr Suryakant Deokar, there are approximately 1,04,000 beneficiaries in this age group. “Out of the total beneficiaries, we have already vaccinated 27,000 children,” said Deokar.
The vaccination drive for the children between the age group of 12-15 began on March 16 in the city. The potential beneficiaries will be given the Corbevax vaccine free of cost during the drive.
Deokar said, “There are two teams which include doctors, nurses, data interpreters, etc. We will coordinate with the principal of the schools and decide on days for each school. We plan to complete the process as soon as possible.”
The schools in Pune reopened last week with a lot of safety arrangements in the backdrop of rising cases. “The schools are following all the Covid protocols and precautions for the safety of the children. The vaccination will be double protection for the children. So, parents will surely be willing for the drive,” said Jayshree Deshpande, president of the parents’ association, Pune.
“We hope that the entire process will be followed properly and there won’t be any lapse,” Deshpande added.
While the Covid-19 cases cross the 4,000-mark on Friday, the vaccination drive will increase the safety among the children.
