India plans polling booth like facilities for COVID vaccination |
As clinical trials are close to the final stages in India, around 300 million people categorized as a high-risk group will be vaccinated on a priority basis, with frontline workers, followed by people above 65 years and then those with comorbidities. Niti Aayog member VK Paul, while making a presentation to the chief ministers on Tuesday said poll booth-like teams will be constituted for vaccine centers and a block-level strategy has been prepared. Government and private doctors will have special responsibility and efforts are being made for public participation and training too. The health ministry flagged four opposition-ruled states, Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Rajasthan, as the biggest concern given the high-test positivity rates and deaths over the last week. The presentation pointed out that Delhi had seen an average of 111 deaths daily in the last week while Rajasthan, which had so far done well, was reporting a 21% test positivity rate since last week. Delhi and Maharashtra were also big concerns as they were reporting 448 and 379 deaths per million respectively which is nearly four times the national average. India`s home minister Amit Shah said that the winter and air pollution in north India could become a cause for worry, and transmission had increased by some degree during the festival season. He told the state chief ministers that close analysis showed that there had been a dip in awareness and hence the need to remove complacency. Shah suggested re-demarcation of containment zones and compliance with wearing of masks and social distancing.
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