COVID-19 vaccination drive in Andhra: State's strategy, numbers and other details

TNM brings an in-depth assessment of Andhra’s preparedness-from storage strategy to administration of the vaccine.
Covid-19 Vaccine
Covid-19 Vaccine
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With just 5 days to go for the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Andhra Pradesh health department has said that it is confident and ready for the roll-out. The state which has had three dry runs in the run-up to the big day, says it has identified and worked on issues to ensure a smooth vaccination drive. Around 3.6 lakh health workers in the state would be administered the COVID-19 vaccine in the first phase. 

Speaking to TNM, state Health Commissioner Katamaneni Bhasker said that the department is prepared for the roll-out. “We are confident and ready for rolling out the vaccination on January 16. The three dry runs carried out have given us good experience.There were some software related issues that cropped up during the dry run. The Government of India has assured that this has now been rectified,” said Bhasker. 

Speaking about the viral forwards and apprehensions among the people, the commissioner said, “People need not have any apprehensions and can come forward for vaccination. They need to carry their ID card and care has to be taken to maintain COVID-19 appropriate behaviour at the booth.”

What is Andhra Pradesh’s strategy for vaccine storage?  

The Andhra State government has earmarked Gannavaram as the ‘State Vaccine Store’ for the state. This will be the main hub from where the vaccines will be sent to the regional vaccine stores. There will be a total of four regional vaccine stores from where the vaccines will be sent across the 13 districts in the state. Kurnool, Kadapa, Guntur and Vizag have been decided as regional vaccine stores. From these regional stores the vaccines will be sent to 1940 sites that have been identified to be used for the vaccination programme. Out of the 1,940 sites, 1,659 will have cold chain provisions (The provision to store the vaccines) within the premises. For the rest of the sites, the vaccine will be brought from the nearest cold chain point.

How prepared is the state for the vaccination drive?

Dedicated committees called Task Force Committees have been constituted at the state level, district level and also at the mandal level. These committees will not only monitor but also coordinate activities involved in the preparedness and implementation of COVID-19 vaccination. The state government has identified and readied vaccine storage points, earmarked equipment for the storage of the vaccines and also identified trained staff to administer the vaccines. The state had also asked the Government of India for a list of equipment to be made available before the drive begins.

Control rooms have been set up across the state at the state level, district level and also at the mandal level. Round the clock assistance would be provided for those calling up for assistance, queries etc. 104 has been set up as a dedicated call centre.

Who would be given priority during vaccination?

Health care providers and workers in the state including those from the public and private health care setting providing healthcare would be given the first priority. Nearly 3.7 lakh health workers have been identified and their data has already been entered in the CoWIN app.

Front line workers which include personnel from the state and central police department, armed forces, disaster management volunteers and municipal workers would then be given priority. The number of frontline workers has been estimated to be around 9 lakh. The data entry is presently underway.

Those above the age of 50 years will be the next in the priority list of the government. Those below 50 but having co-morbidities like Diabetes, Hypertension, Cancer and Lung disease will be considered in this priority segment. The number of people in this category is estimated to be around 90 lakhs.

What is a dry run? How does it help?

To put it in the simplest of words, a dry run is a rehearsal to test the laid out mechanisms in place before the day the vaccination roll-out begins. A dry run was carried out in 5 facilities in Krishna district on December 12. The facilities were arranged as per the laid down guidelines, beneficiaries were also brought in and the entire process was photographed so that it can be used for training purposes. After the dry run, the feedback was collected from all those who participated in the process. A dry run helps in explaining the process to those administering the vaccine and also to those who are going to be administered the vaccine. A dry run gives a reality check on the preparedness of the various teams.

How long will it take to administer the vaccine to people in the state?

According to the Health Commissioner, 10 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine would be required to administer to the five-crore people in the state. The entire process is expected to take around 8 months. According to the health department, a total of 13,21,844 vials would be required. Each vial has 10 doses and the figures have been calculated considering 25% wastage.

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