Assam to prepare health staff list for Covid vaccine

GUWAHATI: The Assam health department will prepare a database of health workers with their current location of posting by October 30, so that they can be given Covid-19 vaccines after their arrival in the first phase.
Speaking about the initiative, National Health Mission (NHM), Assam director, Lakshmanan S, said, “We are trying to compile accurate data by October 30.There are a few additions because there were new recruitments for ICU technicians, doctors and health staff of various categories. All these data have to be correctly entered with the exact location. There would have been some transfers, retirements or some people might have left their jobs during the pandemic. There will be people, whom we have unfortunately lost.” “In January or February, whenever the Covid vaccine arrives, there will be an effort to vaccinate all frontline health workers on a priority basis. By that time, we should know which frontline health workers are there, what is our requirement, distribution in each district, so that we can plan accordingly,” he added.
By early November, the state health department is planning to provide testing facilities at the community health centres (CHCs) and primary health centres (PHCs) level. With more testing at the grassroots, there is also a possibility of healthcare workers getting affected by the virus, health officials said. Besides, for the third time, another round of massive testing is likely to be carried out after Durga Puja.
A senior health official added, “November onwards, Covid-testing will be carried out relentlessly at the community-level. To carry out such testing drives deeper, the frontline health workers must be vaccinated so that they are protected from the virus.”
The Assam health department was earlier in favour of the trials of Covaxin for the benefit of frontline health workers in the state, as the Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) was listed for phase-3 trials.
However, according to health officials, a selected list of people, who have given their consent, will take part in the trials and most frontline health workers may have to wait for a few months to get vaccinated.
“Health workers, elderly patients with high comorbidities, cancer patients, etc, should be given priority during vaccination according to the Government of India guidelines. But, the first priority will be frontline health workers,” the official said.