BREAKING: Odisha Govt Issues Guidelines For Covid-19 Vaccination Drive

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the mass inoculation drive across the country, the State Health and Family Welfare Department on Wednesday issued guidelines with regard to Covid-19 vaccination to be carried out from January 16 at around 160 sessions in different districts and Municipal Corporations in Odisha.

The State has received 4.08 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine and 20000 doses of Covaxin vaccine in the first lot. The wastage factor of both the vaccines is 1.11 (10 per cent). While 50% of the vaccines received would be supplied to districts for first dose vaccination, the remaining 50% vaccines will be supplied in time for second dose vaccination.

A notice of the department sent to all Collectors and Municipal Corporation Commissioners mentions that the vaccination programme would be launched from the 16th of January in 160 session sites, and thereafter, the session sites can be increased or changed so as to utilize the entire available vaccines within one week of January 16.

Two types of vaccines - Covishield vaccine and Covaxin vaccine - with a shelf life of six months will be supplied to the State. Each Covishield vaccine vial contains 10 doses while each Covaxin vaccine vial contains 20 doses.

The date of manufacture of vaccine has been mentioned on the vials, but there will be no mention of expiry date and no vaccine vial monitor. There is no Open Vial Policy for either vaccine and the vaccine should be utilized within four hours of opening the vial.

The authorities have been asked to ensure that there is Zero Wastage of the vaccine and once opened, all doses in a vial should be fully utilized. Further, the principle of 'First Expiry First Our' (FEFO) shall be followed during vaccine distribution and use at District Vaccine Stores and Cold Chain Points.

All the beneficiaries should complete vaccination using the same vaccine product, which means there is no option for inter-changeability of vaccines. Based on the present supply by MoHFW in the first lot, the Covishield vaccine will be supplied to all 30 districts and Covaxin vaccine would be supplied to Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation area. The amount of vaccine distributed to a district will be in proportion to the number of healthcare workers registered in the district.

Prioritization Of Health Institutions & Beneficiaries

• Session planning should be done based on the supply and availability of vaccines in the district.
  Beneficiaries should be informed in advance to come for vaccination in staggered time slots so as to prevent crowding at the session site.
• During vaccination, the principle of saturation of a healthcare institution will be followed. Hence it is to be ensured that when an institution is selected for vaccination, there is sufficient vaccine supply for all its healthcare workers (from Safaikarmachari to doctors) before selecting another facility for vaccination.
• Healthcare institutions, both government and private, will be prioritized for vaccination in the order of the level of care they provide: first tertiary care institutions, then the secondary care institutions, then primary care institutions.
• If the vaccine available is insufficient to cover all institutions of a certain category (tertiary/secondary/primary), the one with the higher patient load will be prioritized.
• If the vaccine available is insufficient to cover all workers within a healthcare facility, the healthcare workers with higher age will be prioritized.

In another development, the Collectors have been asked to include Panchayat Samiti members in the district database of Covid frontline workers for the vaccination programme. OSDMA has sought details of the PS members who have worked during the Covid-19 management as frontline workers.

The government has also prepared a chart mentioning the district-wise allotment of vaccines. So far, 3,38,777 workers healthcare workers have been enrolled in Odisha for vaccination in Phase-1.