BHUBANESWAR: DGP Abhay and the district collectors will be inoculated on the first day of phase II Covid-19 vaccination programme for frontline workers commencing Saturday. The frontline workers included police, security and armed forces personnel, sanitation workers and revenue staff and PRI members engaged in Covid containment measures. So far, 1.92 lakh beneficiaries have been enrolled.
Initially, the Health and Family Welfare department had decided to vaccinate police and sanitation workers only. Other beneficiaries will be inoculated after a majority of the two categories are covered. But as per the decision of the Steering Committee meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, all senior officials including the DGP, collectors and SPs will get the jab first.
Additional Chief Secretary PK Mohapatra said once the senior officers are administered the vaccine, it will build confidence amongst frontline workers that the vaccine is safe and has no side effects. After getting the jab, the officers will share their photos in social media platforms for creating awareness and confidence among others so that the vaccination programme would get the desired momentum, he said.
Mohapatra, who was administered vaccine on Saturday, appealed to all healthcare and frontline workers to come forward to take both the doses as the vaccines are completely safe. The Health department also shared his photo on its Twitter account.
Meanwhile, all arrangements have been made to vaccinate the frontline workers at separate sites other than the health facilities where healthcare workers are being vaccinated. The frontline workers will be inoculated at their offices designated by their respective district administration. Separate vaccinators have been deployed for them.
The listed beneficiaries included 1,56,765 armed forces personnel, police and prison staff, 25,964 municipal workers and 8,514 staff of Revenue and Disaster Management department. The first dose vaccination of frontline workers will be completed in three weeks.
Amid the concern over poor turnout of healthcare workers in some districts, around 200 AYUSH beneficiaries of eastern region comprising Khurda, Puri and Nayagarh districts alleged that they have not received message for vaccination even a month after their enrolment.