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Committee formed to spread Covid awareness in rural Pune
Collector Rajesh Deshmukh said preparation is on for distribution of the virus vaccine.
Pune: Collector Rajesh Deshmukh has signed an order to form a Covid-19 committee comprising local public representatives and medical officers. The committee would be in charge of spreading awareness and clearing rumours regarding the virus.
Rural Pune has been reporting the same number of coronavirus cases as Pune city and the administration has taken the step to keep the surge in control. The decision has been taken keeping in mind the possibility of community transmission in rural areas where over 150 Covid fresh cases are being reported on a daily basis.
Deshmukh also informed that the administration has begun preparation for distribution of Covid vaccine distribution.
Deshmukh said, “This three-member committee would be formed specifically for information, education and communication. Keeping in view a possible second wave we need to be prepared and so the committee will spread the right message. We will involve local NGOs which have been working during the pandemic to spread the word.”
The committee will include tehsildar, block development Officer (BDO), taluka medical officer and the order also states that the MLA, zilla parishad member, panchayat samiti member and municipal council officials will also be part of the team. The order states that the committee may include NGOs and social activists for spreading information. The committee will meet twice every month and will primarily be involved in spreading information about social distancing and using masks compulsorily in public places in the rural areas. As of Tuesday, rural Pune, including the gram panchayats and municipal councils, have reported over 68,500 Covid positives of which 63,211 have recovered and discharged, 1,812 deaths have been reported and remaining are in isolation.
The central government has asked all the states to create a database of health care workers who would be prioritised for vaccination whenever a vaccine is approved for administering. Deshmukh said, “There are about one lakh and 10 thousand health care workers in the district and for which the database is being prepared through CVBMS ( COVID 19 Vaccination Beneficiary Management System). To ensure that the vaccine reaches the common public, a NEGCAV (National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID 19) has been formed under which the administration is inspecting the necessary training, required vaccination machinery and also manpower to ensure that the vaccine reaches the common man.”
“It will be a mammoth task to ensure that every individual gets the vaccine which will be done by the government healthcare machinery and so it is important to first prioritise the healthcare workers so that the infection spread is controlled. Currently there are multiple researches going around in the world to develop a vaccine, but until then we have to ensure that the spread is under control by following all the norms,” Deshmukh said.
