India to kick off vaccination drive on Jan 16, priority to 3 crore COVID warriors; PM calls it ‘landmark step’

KEY STORY

• New Delhi: The highly anticipated vaccination drive will kick off on 16th January and priority will be given to the healthcare workers and the frontline workers, estimated to be around 3 crore.

• The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the status of COVID-19 in the country along with preparedness of the State/UTs for COVID vaccination, today.

• The meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to PM, Health Secretary, and other senior officials.

• On 16th January, India takes a landmark step forward in fighting COVID-19. Starting that day, India’s nation-wide vaccination drive begins. Priority will be given to our brave doctors, healthcare workers, frontline workers including Safai Karamcharis, the PM said.

  3 crore corona warriors to get the vaccine in the first phase

   

• After COVID warriors those above 50 years and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities numbering around 27 crore will be vaccinated.

• A digital vaccine delivery management system will give real-time info on vaccine stocks, storage temperature, tracking of beneficiaries, the government said adding that digital platform will help in automated session allocation, verification and post-vaccination certificate to recipients.

• On Friday, the Centre had issued guidelines for the packaging and transportation of COVID-19 vaccines by air, directing the airport authorities and airlines to use dry ice as the refrigerant material during the transportation in order to maintain the low temperatures between -8° C to -70° C.

  Decision taken during high-level meet chaired by PM Modi

   

• Last week, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that one crore healthcare workers and two crore frontline workers would be given the free vaccine in the first phase.

  “In the first phase of vaccination, free vaccine will be provided across the nation to most prioritised beneficiaries that include one crore healthcare and 2 crore frontline workers,” the health minister said in a tweet.

• The remaining list of 27 crore priority beneficiaries who will be vaccinated till July is getting finalised, he had said.

• Speaking at the16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention today the Prime Minister had said that the world is not only waiting for them but also watching as to how the nation runs the globe’s biggest vaccination programme.