DIMAPUR, Dec 16 - The Nagaland Government is all set to roll out the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive for health care workers in the State.
The State Task Force (STF) held its first meeting on COVID-19 vaccine, under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), Amardeep Singh Bhatia, in Kohima on Tuesday. The meeting deliberated on the rollout plan of the vaccine in the first phase and the role of stakeholders in the Statewide campaign in this regard.
According to the STF, there will be regular monitoring of the database in the COWIN dashboard so that no health units and beneficiaries are left out in the first phase. The Government will ensure that the health care worker data is validated, and that the deputy commissioners and chief medical officers of the districts ensure their 100 per cent registration.
The meeting decided to follow a set of broad guidelines for the first phase vaccination of health care workers.
As per the guidelines, session sites will be clubbed as per line list of beneficiaries. It was decided that the PHCs having low beneficiaries can be clubbed accordingly to minimise wastage, taking into account cost and feasibility of transport.
The first phase will be planned in health units with cold chain points (fixed session sites). In urban areas with high caseload, the sites without cold chain can also be included to avoid crowding.
All the districts have been directed to submit line lists of all session sites with beneficiaries and names of five vaccinators for all sites on or before January 4, 2021. The excel sheet will be prepared at the state level.
The meeting decided that a line list of all cold chain points with current storage capacity, storage used by RI vaccines and storage for COVID-19 vaccine/ shortage of space will be highlighted as per population or beneficiaries. The next STF meeting, scheduled for January 6, 2021, will have a presentation on district wise status of cold chain points.
Monitoring and supervision of cold chain points in addition to the COWIN dashboard will be done by State and district-level officers and the joint director in charge of districts will be deputed for the same. Supervisors, cold chain technicians and other managers will ensure that the NCCMIS portal, S4i app, is used during supportive supervision and the NCCMIS portal is updated every month.
The meeting also discussed specific roles of all departments/stakeholders and decided that the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) wing of the Health and Family Welfare Department would coordinate with the Directorate of Information and Public Relations for appropriate awareness and IEC activities.
While the Social Welfare Department will be part of the vaccination team, the child development project officers, other supervisors, and Anganwadis will be designated specific roles for the same.
The meeting said the Anganwadi workers would be needed, especially in urban areas where there are no ASHAs. School teachers will have designated roles in the vaccination or supervision teams.
The National Rural Livelihoods Mission of the Rural Development Department will actively support in mobilisation and arrangement of necessary logistics as and when needed, and will be a part of the vaccination teams. The municipal bodies, NGOs and faith-based organisations will also be involved in mobilisation and awareness activities as and when required.