COVID-19: 2.6 lakh government healthcare staff to get vaccine first

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Around 2.6 lakh government employees in the healthcare sector including doctors and nurses will get the COVID-19 vaccine in the first round of inoculation in Maharashtra, an official said on Wednesday. The state government on Wednesday held its first review meeting on the preparation for vaccination, where facilities of storage and transportation, finalization of lists of beneficiaries and setting up of vaccination booths were discussed, he said.

"There are some 2.6 lakh employees in the state working in the health sector who will get the vaccine dose in the first round. As many as 16,245 employees have been registered on the government's Co-vin portal," the senior health department official said. The portal has been set up to create a database of employees to be vaccinated on priority.

"The beneficiaries also include frontline workers such as police, home guard, paramilitary forces, state and central reserve forces as well as the people who are above 50 years of age and are suffering from co-morbidities," the official said. "The vaccination will take place on the lines of the election commission's system. A list of the people who will get vaccinated in the first round will be prepared. The selected people will have to produce identification card before undergoing vaccination," he added. Booths will be set up for vaccination; hospital and health department employees will get vaccine doses at booths set up in Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Frontline workers and those who are above 50 will be vaccinated at booths set up at hospitals, schools, community centres and even the offices of self-governing bodies, the official said.

To store the vaccine, there is one central cold storage facility ready at the state level, nine at the divisional level, 34 at the district level and 27 at various development corporations, he said. Besides, there are 3,135 cold chain centres available across the state for vaccine storage and distribution, he said.

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