Centre seeks database of forces for COVID vaccination

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla asked the Director Generals of the Home Guards, Civil Defence and Fire Services to prepare a data of their force personnel involved in the Covid-19 management related works. The data will be submitted to the Union Health Ministry and accordingly the Ministry will decide to distribute vaccine among these personnel.

The DGs have been reportedly asked to prepare the data and submit that within the next 15 days as Covid-19 vaccine can be introduced any time in the coming weeks, sources said. This was decided in a meeting held in the Home Ministry office on Thursday evening. The meeting was attended by the three Director Generals, Home Guard, Civil Defence and Fire Services, which lasted for over an hour. The Centre is focusing on the immunisation programme when the Covid-19 vaccination process begins.

The experts on Thursday said people who were at higher risk of infections such as healthcare and frontline workers, followed by the elderly and those under 50 with comorbidities should be vaccinated first. Recently, Union Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said that 30 crore people have been listed in prioritised population groups, which involves one crore healthcare workers, two crore personnel from the police department, armed forces, home guard, civil defence organisation and 27 crore people above the age of 50 and below 50 with comorbidities.

The Union Health Ministry had said that 1.54 lakh vaccinators or auxiliary nurse midwives will administer the Covid-19 vaccine to people under the universal immunization programme when the vaccination process begins.