Health authorities in Telangana are making arrangements to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to 55 lakh people under the second phase of vaccination from March 1. With the Union government giving the green signal to administer COVID-19 vaccines for people above 60 years of age and those above 45 with comorbidities, the Health Department started making arrangements for administering the shot to beneficiaries in these two groups.
Health officials estimate that there are around 45 lakh people who are above 60 years old and about 10 lakh people in the 45-60 age group with co-morbidities in the state. The department has decided to set up 1,500 centres across the state to cover both the target groups.
Authorities had initially worked out plans to vaccinate about 75 lakh people including 3.5 lakh healthcare employees, 2.5 lakh employees of various frontline departments, 65 lakh people who are above 50 years and four lakh in 18-50 age group with comorbidities. However, with the Union government making some changes in the target groups, the overall number of beneficiaries came down by 14 lakh.
Telangana currently has six lakh doses of the vaccine and the Health Department expects to receive another 10 lakh doses in the next couple of days, health officials informed.
Officials said that the vaccine will be administered at all government hospitals and 230 private hospitals linked with Aarogyasri Trust. In addition, 1,000 primary health centres in rural and urban areas and Basti Dawakhanas will also serve as vaccination centres.
The beneficiaries can register themselves on the Co-WIN app by uploading an Aadhaar card as proof of age and voter card or any of 11 other identity cards.
Those with comorbidities have to submit a certificate from the doctors treating them. The beneficiaries can also choose the vaccination centre where they want to take the jab. However, they will not be given the option to choose the brand of vaccine. "Beneficiaries will have to take whichever brand is available," an official said.
Those with successful registration will receive a password on their mobile phones. They will also be sent an SMS, informing them about the date and time for taking the vaccine.
They will have to report to their respective vaccination centres and show their original identity cards and certificates in case of comorbidities to the officers concerned. They will also have to share the password.
Those who can't register themselves online can directly go to the vaccination centres and show their relevant documents to the staff, who will register them on the app.
Healthcare workers and employees of various frontline departments, who could not take vaccines earlier, will get a final chance to receive the shot from Thursday. Health officials made it clear that all those who missed the vaccine will have to take it before March 1, when the next phase begins.