AP sets up 520 Covid vaccination centres to administer vaccine in phase-3 from today
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh has set up 520 Covid vaccination centres to administer jabs to those aged over 60 years and those aged over 45 with multiple health complications, apart from healthcare workers and frontline warriors, in Phase-3 starting from Monday.
State health authorities have set up 40 vaccination centres in each of the 13 districts and the target is to administer 150 doses to the targeted beneficiaries per day. The 40 CVCs are set up at seven private empanelled hospitals, 10 government hospitals meant for police personnel and 23 government hospitals for the targeted beneficiaries.
These government hospitals include Primary Health Centres, Urban Primary Health Centres, District Hospitals, Area Hospitals and Teaching Hospitals.
As the upgraded CoWIN-2.0 portal is yet to become operational, the health authorities will permit the walk-in of targeted beneficiaries at the session sites to undergo vaccination. Once the portal gets launched officially on Monday, the authorities may allow on-site registrations for vaccination.
The beneficiaries are advised to carry Aadhaar card or electoral photo identity card or any other ID proof. Those aged more than 45 years and suffering with comorbidities are supposed to bring doctor’s certificate specifying the details of health complications, before getting a shot.
State health authorities say there are nearly 55 lakh people aged 60 years plus, and 45 to 49 years in the state as per the 2011 Census and it has to be seen as to how many of them will turn up for vaccination.
A senior health official will manage each vaccination centre to supervise the vaccination process and district-level health officials including district medical and health officer, district immunisation officer and others are still undergoing training on the vaccination in Phase-3.
Though Covid-19 vaccines like Covishield and Covaxin are to be administered free of cost at government hospitals, the Centre has allowed private hospitals too to do this and charge Rs 250 including Rs 100 as service charge for each dose. Private hospitals would procure requisite doses of vaccine from government agencies in districts by paying the cost of the vaccine in advance.
Though the state government permitted some private hospitals to administer the vaccine, they are yet to lift the stocks from government stores. The reason is that there is no estimate of how many beneficiaries will turn up for the jab.
Moreover, several private doctors are considering whether to administer vaccine simply at Rs 150 per dose by not collecting a service charge.
AP health director Dr Geetha Prasadini said, “We have set up 520 vaccination centres, 40 each in a district, to administer the vaccine. An estimate is of administering 150 doses per day at each session site for Monday, the first day of Phase-3 vaccination. Initially, there will be a walk-in of beneficiaries at the session site. Depending on the response on the first day, we will take a decision either to enhance or reduce the number of CVCs and also the number of doses per day.”
