Updated: December 24, 2020, 4:18:16 pm
A syringe contains a dose of Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine, which is in a container (AP).
Fifty-one lakh in Delhi – comprised of medical staff, frontline staff, people with comorbidities and those over the age of 50 – will receive the Covid-19 vaccine in the first phase, Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Thursday.
In a webcast on the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine in Delhi, expected early next year, Kejriwal said the government had identified nearly all of the 51 Lakh citizens grouped under the “priority category” for vaccination.
The Delhi Government’s plan is in line with the recommendations of the National Expert Group on Covid-19 Vaccine Administration (NEGVAC). Kejriwal said Delhi had made all arrangements to receive and store vaccine doses.
Kejriwal said 1.2 doses of crore are required to cover priority categories including healthcare workers, police, civil defense volunteers, those over 50, and those under 50 with associated conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
The CM said Delhi has around three lakh health workers, six lakh frontline workers, while the number of people over 50 and those below with comorbidities is around 42 lakh. “We’ve identified almost all of them and the identification work will be completed in a week,” said Kejriwal.
“Currently Delhi has a capacity of 74 lakh vaccine doses and is currently expanding. In the next five to seven days, the city can store 1.15 doses of CRORE, ”he said. Those who should be vaccinated as a priority will be contacted by SMS. “The government will inform you of the time and place of the vaccination. People don’t need to worry about that, ”he added.
The government has also created a separate plan to ensure medical assistance in the event that the vaccine causes side effects in a person. “We are eagerly awaiting the approval of vaccines,” he said.
© Indian Express (P) Ltd.