Covid-19 Vaccination Phase 2: Centre allows all private hospitals with adequate arrangement to serve as facilities

Number of Covid-19 vaccination centers exapanded. (IE Image)

Overcrowding of beneficiaries at Covid -19 vaccination centres has prompted authorities to expand its reach beyond the government and private facilities empanelled under the Central scheme. The Centre directed the state to utilize all private hospitals for giving Covid vaccination apart from the empanelled ones. Over 50 lakh eligible beneficiaries have already registered for the jab.

The hospitals can also extend their vaccination sessions beyond 5 pm to cater to all the enrollments in a day. The centre has asked state hospitals to vaccinate beneficiaries or at least 15 days a month. Registration through the Co-WIN portal now will only find you a slot with a week’s waiting time.

Initially, the government designated around 600 private hospitals under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), and State Health Insurance and 10,000 private hospitals empanelled under Ayushman Bharat, as vaccination centres.

However, owing to the huge number of enrollments, the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, over a meeting with Dr Ram S Sharma, chairman of the Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration decided to all private hospitals to serve as vaccination centres. However, the Centre mandated that these hospitals need to ensure that they have a sufficient number of vaccinators, adequate space for observation and a cold chain management facility for the vaccine vails.

With 50 lakh registration done on Co-win, the centre assumes that at least 1 crore beneficiaries are lined up for vaccination. Talking about the glitches on the first day of registration, the Health Secretary said that not an app called Co-WIN but the Aarogya Setu is the right place to register. The centre is further looking to resolve technical glitches and make the data hack-proof from any cyber-attack.

Moreover, the ICMR Chief Dr Balram Bhargava cleared doubts around the suitability of vaccine for patients under blood thinner medication. Bhargava said that the vaccine is safe for those using blood thinners, but those using anti-coagulants can stop their medication for 1-2 days before and after taking the vaccination as that can clot the injection site. There is no contraindication either related to anti-coagulants or anti-platelets, he further informed.

The centre has informed states that there is no shortage of Covid-19 vaccine and it should not resort to storing, reserving or creating a buffer stock for vaccines at the state or district level.

Five states and Union Territories i.e. Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Lakshadweep and Gujarat have administered the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine to 100 per cent of healthcare workers.

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