COVID-19: Uttar Pradesh government to conduct vaccination drive in three stages

As India inches closer towards launching the vaccine of Coronavirus in the country, the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday stated that the vaccination drive will be conducted in three stages across the state.

In line with the vision of the Central government, health workers will be vaccinated in the first phase of the vaccination drive. In the second stage municipal corporation workers, military and police personnel will be vaccinated. The third stage, people above 50 years will be vaccinated.

"Those who are COVID positive will not be eligible for the vaccine," the release said.

Arrangements have been made to keep 2.03 lakh litre of COVID-19 vaccine in the state and for storing the vaccine, deep freezers, cold boxes and vaccine carriers have been arranged.

Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi who earlier this month stated that the country will not have to wait too long for the coronavirus vaccine even as he cautioned people that there should be no laxity as far as prevention of the infection is concerned.

In his all-party meet earlier this month, PM Modi said that the healthcare workers involved in treating Coronavirus patients, frontline workers, who include police personnel and municipal staff, and old people suffering from serious conditions would be inoculated on priority.

READ | BBL's Covaxin's Phase-1 Trial's Interim Findings Indicate Vaccine 'well-tolerated'

READ | COVID-19: Ethnic Minorities, Low-income People Less Likely To Take Vaccine, Reveals Survey

MoS Health on COVID-19 vaccine

On Sunday, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated that 100 people will be given the vaccine per day at a given booth in the initial stages but eventually everyone will receive the vaccine shot as the inoculation process catches pace. States have been asked to implement an integrated 360-degree comprehensive advocacy communication and social mobilisation strategy to address the challenges surrounding vaccine rollout progress and benefits.

The COVID-19 vaccine will be offered first to healthcare workers, frontline workers and to persons above 50 years of age, followed by persons younger than 50 years of age with associated comorbidities based on the evolving pandemic situation, and finally to the remaining population based on the disease epidemiology and vaccine availability.

The latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and legislative assembly election will be used to identify the population aged 50 years or more. The priority group of above 50 years may be further subdivided into those above 60 years of age and those between 50 to 60 years of age for purposes of the phasing of rollout based on the pandemic situation and vaccine availability.

READ | Telangana Identifies 80 Lakh COVID Vaccine Beneficiaries, To Roll Out Drive By Mid-January

READ | COVID-19 Vaccines May Not Reach A Quarter Of The World’s Population Until 2022: Research