Give COVID-19 vaccine jabs at home: Congress; can’t says Centre

A man takes a photo of his kin, on a wheelchair, getting the COVID-19 shot, at Nair Hospital on April 1. Pic/Suresh Karkera

State Congress president Nana Patole has suggested to CM Uddhav Thackeray that the vaccination drive be taken to people's homes. However, the Centre, on Wednesday, has told the Bombay High Court that this was not possible due to fear of contamination and wastage, and other reasons.

Patole's letter to the CM stated, "There will be vaccination for all above 18 from May 1. There will be a danger of the virus spreading due to crowding at vaccination centres. Due to the strict restrictions, commoners are facing difficulty in reaching centres. In rural areas, the number of vaccination centres is much less and located at longer distances."

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare submitted its reply to a public interest litigation filed by lawyers Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari. The PIL sought at-home vaccination facility for those above 75, the disabled and bed-ridden or wheelchair-bound people.

"In case of any adverse event following immunisation, case management may not be proper and there will be delay in reaching the health facility and challenges in maintaining protocol of observation of the patient for 30 minutes after vaccination," the affidavit stated. Further, there were chances of contamination as during door-to-door inoculation, the vaccine container will be taken out at each house which could affect its efficacy, it stated.

There was also the possibility of high wastage as the drive will take longer, the reply said. At the request of state governments, more vaccination centres have been approved with special consideration for senior citizens, the Centre's affidavit stated. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni is likely to take up the petition for hearing on Thursday.

Inputs from Agencies