Meghalaya Govt. to vaccinate 26,500 health workers in phase one: DHS Dr Aman Warr

SHILLONG

The Meghalaya Health Department is gearing up to vaccinate 38 lakh people in the state during the COVID-19 vaccination drive, which is expected to be soon.

“We have never exercised a vaccination programme of this massive scale in recent years. We are expected to provide vaccination to the 38 lakh population in the state,” Director of Health Services (MI), Dr Aman Warr told reporters on Friday.

Dr Warr said that the vaccination dry run is also being carried out in 33 places across the state, including district civil hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres.

He also said that the vaccination dry run is being carried out in Reid Chest Hospital, Mawphlang CHC and Mawroh PHC.

“The vaccine is going to prevent the spread of the virus and protect the person who will get the vaccination. Any reservation about the vaccination does not longer arise,” Dr Warr added.

Informing that the first batch of the vaccine is expected to arrive by the end of the month, Warr said that the first target will be 26,500 health workers and that the second target will be the frontline workers, including the COVID-19 Management team.

“The next target will be people above 50 years of age and people with comorbidities,” Warr said.

Informing that one vaccinator on a single day will have to vaccinate up to 100 people, Warr said that the more vaccinators would be needed to complete the vaccination drive.

“It will take months to complete the whole exercise,” he said.

India had recently granted emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines, Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and Covishield by the Serum Institute of India.

(Edited by Andre Kongri)