Covid Vaccination: Who Are The Frontline Workers To Be Vaccinated And The Dos And Don'ts Of Mega Inoculation Drive

The Union Health Ministry lists out guidelines on who shall be administered the vaccine doses and under what circumstances one may be excluded. India will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16 which will be inaugurated by PM Modi.

Medical staff and policemen speak at a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccination centre in Mumbai on January 15, 2021, a day before India starts the first phase of vaccination across the country. Punit PARANJPE / AFP

Around three lakh healthcare and frontline workers will be inoculated at 2,934 sites across India on the first day of the massive nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive. India will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16 in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the world's largest inoculation programme.

Each vaccination session will cater to a maximum of 100 beneficiaries and the Union Health Ministry has advised states not to organize "unreasonable numbers of vaccination per site per day", reported news agency PTI citing official sources.

Who Are The Frontline Workers To Be Vaccinated?

1. Personnel from Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guards

2. Personnel from BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, NSG, SSB, AR

3. Disaster Management Volunteers

4. Municipal Workers

5. Civil Defence Organisation

6. State Police

7. Prison Staff

8. Revenue officials involved in Covid 19 activities

9. Home Guards

Here are the DOs and DON'Ts of COVID-19 vaccine

1. Covid-19 vaccine is only for 18 years and above

2. Administration of vaccine should be done separated by an interval of 14 days

3. Second dose should be of the same vaccine of which the first dose was administered. 

4. Interchanging vaccines is not allowed

Contraindications

1. Persons with a history of:
-Anaphylactic or allergic reaction to a previous dose of Covid-19 vaccine
-Immediate or delayed-onset anaphylaxis or allergic reaction to the vaccine or injectable therapies, pharmaceutical products, food-items etc.

2. Pregnancy & lactation:
-Pregnant and lactating women have not been part of any Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial so far. Therefore, women who are pregnant or not sure of their pregnancy; and lactating women should not receive Covid-19 vaccine at this time.

3. Provisional/temporary contraindications:

In these conditions, Covid vaccination is to be deferred for 4-8 weeks after recovery

a) Persons having active symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
b) SARS-CoV-2 patients who have been given SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies or covalescent plasma.
c) Acutely unwell and hospitalised (with or without intensive care) patients due to any illness.