Punjab gears up for Covid vaccine rollout

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 11

As the state gears up for the mega exercise with a total of 729 cold chain points, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today directed the Health Department to incorporate the results of the second sero survey in the state’s strategy for Covid vaccine rollout so that the high-risk population was covered first.

• Also read: 24% infected by Covid in Punjab: Sero survey

At a high-level virtual meeting to review the Covid situation in the state, the Chief Minister noted the state’s readiness for the vaccine rollout in terms of database of priority lists; infrastructure for cold chain management; identification and training of vaccinators, etc.

Apart from vaccine safety and vaccination site safety, correct and timely information communication is critical to the successful rollout of the vaccination, which is expected to be available soon in India, Capt Amarinder said.

Besides a state-level vaccine store, 22 district vaccine stores and 127 block-level vaccine stores are being prepared for the rollout of the vaccine in Punjab, which will also have 570 cold chain points. Besides a walk-in freezer at Ferozepur, the Government of India has decided to provide one more at Chandigarh. In addition, the state will have one walk-in cooler each at Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Ferozepur with more to be received from the Centre. In addition, the state has 1,165 ice-lined refrigerators and 1,079 deep freezers.

In line with the Central Government’s guidelines, data of about 1.25 lakh healthcare workers (government and private) has been compiled by the state government for the first-phase vaccination.

Hotel owner booked for violating norms

Fazilka: The owner and the manager of a hotel in Fazilka have been booked for violating Covid norms. Rajesh Goyal, a resident of Fazilka, and manager Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Himachal Pradesh, have been booked under Sections 188 and 269 of the IPC. However, no one has been arrested so far. OC