Prioritise persons with disabilities for Covid vaccination: Bihar social welfare dept

The directorate officials stated that persons with disabilities are often exposed to different infections as a majority of them are dependent upon others for routine activities

The directorate of persons with disabilities, social welfare department, has requested the health department to consider disabled persons as part of the highly vulnerable group for Covid-19 vaccination drive in Bihar and vaccinate them on priority basis, said an official requesting anonymity on Sunday.

Representational image. (REUTERS)

In a letter, the directorate has also requested the health department that serious cases among persons with disabilities be vaccinated in presence of doctors.

The directorate officials stated that persons with disabilities are often exposed to different infections as a majority of them are dependent upon others for routine activities.

The Covid-19 vaccination in Bihar will take place at polling booths and at each booth, 100 people will be vaccinated. As per the government plan, health care workers will be vaccinated first while frontline workers like police, bank employees and Aanganwadi workers will be vaccinated next.

In the third phase, people above 60 years of age will be be vaccinated. As per the government directive, public representatives, government department workers, businessmen in the market are to be covered in this phase.

The population of persons with disabilities in the state is around 5.1 million. “Over 33% among them are serious cases. For any kind of movement, they are dependent either on their family members or on their attendants and are quite vulnerable,” the commissioner, directorate of persons with disabilities, Shivajee Kumar said.

But they have not been included in any of the three phases under the vaccination drive.

“Many disabled people may not be able to turn up at the vaccination centre and the department will have to arrange this facility at their places,” Kumar said. “Besides, there is also the need to administer the vaccine in presence of a doctor to avoid any kind of adverse impact,” he added.