NEW DELHI: Days before the Covid-19 vaccination drive undergoes a major expansion in the country and opens for all adults, the Centre on Saturday asked states to consider setting up field hospitals with help from government research agencies or private sector facilities where the shots can be administered.
States can take help from agencies such as the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and similar agencies in the private sector to build field hospitals, the government said. Releasing a strategy guide to take the country’s vaccination drive to a new phase, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and R S Sharma assured the states that the CoWin platform is equipped to handle the complexities of the new phase of vaccination starting next month.
The Centre, meanwhile, also clarified that only online registration facilities will be available for those in the 18–44-year age group. As per the new vaccination policy, this age group can take jabs at vaccination centres run by state governments or at private hospitals offering the service.
The states, therefore, have now been asked to register additional private Covid vaccination centres in mission mode by engaging with private hospitals, hospitals of industrial establishments, industry Associations, among others.
The Centre also directed states to monitor the number of hospitals that have procured vaccines and have declared stocks and prices on CoWin and schedule vaccination for the eligible population for providing adequate visibility of vaccination slots on the platform.Also, they have been asked to prioritize decisions regarding direct procurement of vaccines and train vaccination centre staff about vaccination, reporting on adverse events following immunisation and management. The authorities also said that for crowd management, law and order agencies should be roped on.