Coronavirus vaccination: BMC plans dry run before D-day; will also offer counselling to hesitant health workers

After having laid the basic infrastructure for the first phase of the Coronavirus vaccination drive, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has now instructed the officials to remain prepared to start vaccination as soon as the stocks of vaccine have arrived. Of the eight vaccination centres where the health workers will be vaccinated, seven of them are going through final refurbishment while Dr RN Cooper hospital has already been readied for the vaccination drive, the Indian Express reported.

The BMC is also thinking of conducting a dry run of the vaccination drive in the city to remove various bottlenecks from the process. The dry run will be conducted on the lines of the dry run which was conducted last week in four districts.

Dr Mangala Gomare, who is the executive health officer at the BMC told the Indian Express that the BMC is planning to conduct trial run in some vaccination centres. However, Gomare explained that some exigencies will only surface during the actual vaccination drive as real vaccines will only be given in the actual drive and adverse reactions to the vaccine will only surface then.

With a battery of 1367 medical professionals trained in vaccination, the BMC is targeting to immunise about 8000-12000 health workers per day in the city. However, in addition to its own preparedness and medical infrastructure, the total number of vaccinations per day will also depend on the number of vaccine doses shipped to the city by the vaccine manufacturers. The BMC has zeroed in on 1.26 lakh health workers which are to be vaccinated across the eight vaccination centres in the city in a period of 15-20 days.

In a bid to vaccinate a maximum number of people in the first phase of the vaccination drive, the BMC has also altered the model vaccination shift timings which were mentioned in the guidelines issued by the central government. The BMC has decided to go in two shifts of six hours each- between 8 AM to 2PM and between 2 PM to 8 PM. The centre in its vaccination guidelines had suggested the single shift between 9AM and 5PM.

Dr Mangala Gomare, who is the executive health officer at the BMC told the Indian Express that each vaccination centre will be manned by 10-20 vaccinators and each vaccinator on an average will be asked to vaccinate a total of 100 people in a day. In order to avoid any confusion among the health workers about their turn to get vaccinated, the BMC has inserted the data of all 1.26 health workers on a software named Covid Vaccine Intelligence Work (Co-WIN).

The software, as per a planned schedule, will intimate the health workers about their date, timing and location of vaccination. Only those health workers who have been intimated through an SMS will be allowed entry inside the vaccination centres.

Dr Rajusing Rathod from the civic health department told the Indian Express that all health workers including those who have already contracted the lethal virus will be vaccinated. However, those health workers who have had Coronavirus should only come to the vaccination centres 14 days after they have recovered from the disease.

In order to persuade hesitant health workers and doctors the BMC is also planning to conduct counselling sessions at different hospitals to help health workers understand the benefits of vaccination and bust myths around the vaccination.