The central government has released orders to the states to make arrangements for the coronavirus disease vaccine and provide the citizen’s safety measures regarding the vaccine delivery.
The Central Government has sent out a written letter directing them how to deal with the vaccine’s side-effects, if any, especially to bring out the mass immunization program by next year.
Statement from the officials
In the letter, Manohar Agnani, the Union Ministry of Health and Family welfare’s additional security, the govt states, “…steps need to be taken to strengthen Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) surveillance following Covid-19 vaccinations to maintain confidence in safety of vaccines. MoHF has identified initiatives which are essential to further strengthen the existing AEFI Surveillance System of India so that timely and complete AEFI reporting for COVID-19 vaccination is possible…”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took up the interactions with states and union territories and said, “We have to also look into the possibility of dealing with side-effects related to the vaccine; as people tend to develop a reaction to even medicines that are in use for a very long time. Even after 20 years or so there are side-effects seen of certain medicines, which may be also possible with the Covid-19 vaccines,”
Preparation to fight the side-effects
Observing states’ condition, the center has asked the states to strengthen their testing and vaccine steering committees to ensure delivery of the vaccine by the end of the day. The medical experts and pediatricians will be involved in giving vaccine shots in a short period of time. Doctors from different specialties such as neurology, cardiology, and pulmonology will be a part of the team.
The Centre and State are taking effective measures to ensure successful last-minute delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine. Some of the measures that are being taken include
- Establishing a sufficient number of cold facilities for vaccine storage.
- Producing syringes.
- Training vaccinators for giving shots.
- Prioritizing giving the first phase shot.