As many as 4,170 sanitation workers will be administered with the Covaxin and Covishield vaccines on the inaugural day of the vaccination drive in Telangana on Saturday. A total of 140 centres across the state, including private hospitals, have been identified for the vaccination drive in which 30 beneficiaries will be given the vaccine at each centre.
Detailing the state’s preparedness for the vaccination drive, Director of Public Health, Dr G Srinivas Rao on Friday said that a total of 50,000 healthcare workers have been involved in the programme. The government has acquired 3,80,400 vaccines and 55,270 doses have already been supplied in the 33 districts. The vaccination centres will be augmented in a phased manner, the DPH said.
The Health Department has established a state-level Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) cell in the Office of Director of Public Health, Koti, and a state level nodal officer has been appointed to monitor the programme. For every five districts, a nodal officer has been appointed and a dedicated helpline number has been set up in case of an adverse event, the DPH told the media.
Reassuring the safety of the vaccine, Director of Medical Education Dr Ramesh said that the beneficiaries might experience hand swelling, rash and fever after taking the vaccine, which would last for two days in most cases. “These symptoms indicate that the body is reacting. It's a common phenomenon. Only in one in a lakh cases, could someone experience something severe. For that purpose, 57 hospitals with 10 beds each including an Intensive Care Unit, have been readied.” Dr Ramesh Reddy said.
The hospitals would be equipped with oxygen lines, ventilators and the required emergency medicines and staff.
These 57 hospitals would function throughout the vaccination drive, which would go on till the next eight months. The government plans to vaccinate the 80,000 frontline workers engaged in the COVID duty in this period.
Explaining the vaccination procedure, the DPH said that they would take written consent from the beneficiary, monitor their health status and record their medical history before vaccinating them.
The health status of the beneficiaries would be monitored for a week after being administered with the vaccine. The second dose of the vaccine would be given after 28 days, in which the same procedure would be followed.
The DPH asked everyone to come forward without fear and break the cycle of the coronavirus and lessen its intensity.
The Union government has permitted Covishield, developed by the Serum Institute of India and Covaxin, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, for ‘emergency use.’ Those below 18 years of age, pregnant and lactating women are not allowed to use the vaccine yet.