COVID-19 vaccination: Centre issues guidelines on risk groups which are not to be vaccinated

Medical workers during a dry run at R N Cooper hospital on Friday. Pic/Satej Shinde

The central health ministry issued directives to states and UTs about contraindications and special precautions related to the COVID-19 vaccination drive that starts on Saturday. The directives specifically mentioned high-risk groups who should be excluded from the vaccine drive.

The Centre's four-page directives mention not giving the vaccine to people with a history of anaphylactic or allergic reaction to a previous dose of the vaccine, immediate or delayed anaphylactic or allergic reaction to injectable therapies, pharmaceutical products, food, to pregnant and lactating women.

Vaccination for people who have COVID-19 symptoms, who have received anti-COVID monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma and who are acutely unwell and hospitalised should be deferred by four to eight weeks. Vaccination for those with a history of bleeding or coagulation disorder should be given with caution.

Last-minute prep
Prime Minister Narendra will be inaugurating the drive and interacting live with health care workers at 10.30 am.

Highly-placed state government officials said that the vaccination drive will be conducted between 9 am and 5 pm in four slots of 9 am-11 am, 11 am-1 pm, 1 pm-3 pm and 3 pm-5 pm. In each slot, 25 frontline workers randomly selected by the CoWIN app, will get the vaccine. On Saturday though, the drive will start at 11 am, after Modi's address.

Nidhi Choudhary, district collector, Raigad, said, "We have four centres - Alibaug Civil hospital, Sub District hospital, Pen and two medical colleges in Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits - G D Pol Medical College in Kharghar and MGM Medical College in Kamothe."

The Collector added, "We have around 8,900 health care workers and on Saturday, 400 health care staff (100 at each centre) will be vaccinated. Thereafter, the drive will be conducted four days a week for the rest."

On Friday evening, last-minute preparations were being done at various levels.

A doctor at Cooper hospital said, "We were told that a list of shortlisted names would be out by Friday evening, but no update was received till that time."

A doctor attached to Rajawadi hospital said, "Till Friday evening, none of us has got an intimation about being shortlisted. We are presuming that only a select few will be getting the message late at night or a few hours before the programme."

Is training enough?
Dr Wiqar Shaikh, senior allergy and asthma specialist and professor of Medicine, Grant Medical College, expressed concerns that those in charge of the vaccine centre and administering the vaccine are not trained to enquire about recipients' histories, especially related to allergies, asthma and anaphylaxis.

"Looking into this lacuna is an urgent necessity. Also, training for vaccine handlers of a mere few days, according to me, is inadequate. Even trained doctors need to be an allergy expert," said Dr Shaikh.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (public health) Suresh Kakani told mid-day, "At least 40 vaccination units across nine centres will operate on Day 1 and vaccinate 4,000 health care staffers." Asked about staffers not getting an intimation, Kakani said, "The messages would start coming in by late night on Friday to those shortlisted. I went to some of the centres on Friday and everything is fine at the ground level. On Saturday, too, I intend to visit the centres to get a firsthand account."

"Health staff who get the SMS about their names being shortlisted should get vaccinated, without having any doubts or ambiguity in mind. The entire vaccine drive will be a success," Kakani added.

A senior BMC official said the Centre's letter has been received and that adequate training has been given to staff to record histories of the recipients and take all preventive measures.