Nearly 25,000 frontline workers identified for priority Covid vaccine shots

Gurugram health department has identified at least 24,971 frontline health care workers in the district for priority vaccination against Covid-19, officials said

Gurugram health department has identified at least 24,971 frontline health care workers in the district for priority vaccination against Covid-19, officials said on Friday. Of these, 4,623 individuals work across 56 health care facilities in the district — including at 19 primary health care centres, the civil surgeon’s office, polyclinics, dispensaries and warehouses. About 20,328 others work at various privately-run hospitals and clinics in Gurugram, as per data provided by the health department.

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With vaccine delivery expected to commence early next year, officials said they are preparing for a scenario in which demand outstrips supply. “We have to prioritise who gets the vaccine. Both central and state governments have clarified that frontline health and sanitation workers will be the first beneficiaries. All districts in the state are in the process of identifying them, so sufficient availability of doses can be secured for the first phase of this campaign,” said Naresh Garg, district immunization officer, Gurugram.

Of the 25,000 odd workers already identified, the health department will further prioritise those over the age of 60 or have co-morbidities. “The most vulnerable workers will be the first to receive the vaccine,” said Garg. Across the state, a total of 97,000 workers in the public sector, and another 170,000 in the private sector have been identified as of November 27, data with the health department stated. The second phase of immunization may cover other vulnerable groups such as policemen and the elderly, department officials said.

However, officials said, a significant portion of private facilities in Gurugram are yet to submit details of their staff. As per official data, there are at least 325 registered private health care facilities in Gurugram, including 87 general hospitals, 132 clinics, 130 multi-specialty hospitals and six super-specialty hospitals, in addition to several smaller practices. “But we have received details from only 260 facilities so far. Gurugram is a hub of private health care, so the number of frontline workers in the private sector is expected to be much higher, possibly the highest for any district in the state,” said a health department official, preferring anonymity.

Confirming this, Garg said that the department is making efforts to reach out to more private facilities through organisations such as the Indian Medical Association and other professional bodies. “We can’t force anyone to send us their details. It is entirely voluntary, but it is definitely recommended that all facilities provide us with their staff numbers. Everyone is eligible to receive the vaccine, from doctors to sanitation workers, nurses, ambulance drivers and so on. We are also reaching out to proprietors of radiology clinics, skin clinics and other private practices through the appropriate professional associations,” Garg added.

Other preparations for vaccine delivery that are in progress include augmentation of cold-chain points and vaccine delivery infrastructure. The health department had, in October, started taking stock of available cold chain equipment (CCE), such as walk-in freezers, walk-in coolers, ice-lined refrigerators and temperature-monitoring devices, which are used in the storage and transportation of vaccines. Though officials did not provide numbers from their assessment, they clarified that a report had been sent to the state government with details.

Gurugram is one of four proposed regional vaccine stores in Haryana, which also supplies doses to Faridabad, Mewat, Palwal and Jhajjar. In order to accommodate doses of the vaccine as they make their way to other districts, health department officials said they would need to increase the number of cold-chain points, where vaccines can be stored at required temperatures, to maintain their integrity. There are 33 such points in the district (out of 659 in Haryana), of which 19 are in urban areas and 14 in rural areas.

“The state government has received allocation for additional cold-chain equipment and will further distribute it among the districts. We are in the process of exploring locations which can be turned into cold-chain points, but it is a bit early to comment on where they will be created. We will definitely try to augment storage capacities at our existing primary health care centres, which are cold-chain points themselves,” Garg said.

A district task force on Covid vaccine delivery is expected to meet on December 1, under the aegis of the deputy commissioner, Gurugram, to plan the next course of action.