India’s Mass Vaccination Program- Highlights

PM Narendra Modi has started the 1st phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16 through video conferencing.

Key Points

• The COVID-19 vaccination drive of India is being considered the largest vaccination programme in the world.
• The vaccination programme has begun at 3006 session sites across all States/UTs of the country.
• All these sites will be virtually connected throughout the exercise.
• Approximately 100 people will be vaccinated at each of the 3006 session sites.
• “1075” – A 24×7 dedicated call centre has also been set up for solving the queries related to the vaccine rollout, pandemic, and the CoWIN software, etc.
• Two COVID-19 vaccines- Covaxin and Covishield are being used in the vaccination drive.
• The beneficiaries at present do not have a choice to choose between the vaccines.
• CoWIN platform is being used in the vaccination drive. The digital platform can be used to identify the beneficiaries, maintaining their records, checking the vaccine stocks, and also the storage temperature of the vaccine.
• The platform will provide assistance to programme managers.
• Doses of both the approved Covid vaccines have already reached all States/UTs of the country.

Who will get the Vaccine in Phase 1?

10 million Healthcare workers from the government as well as private sectors along with the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers will get vaccinated during phase 1 of the vaccination.

It will be followed by 20 million frontline workers like sanitation staff and police. After this, people above the age of 50 will be vaccinated, followed by people under 50 with heart diseases, diabetes, etc. After this, the programme will be extended to the entire country on a voluntary basis.