The Phase Three vaccination strategy beginning from May 1 has been announced. Importantly, it states that there would be no walk-in registrations for people aged between 18-44 years.
The order states: “On-site registration/appointments will be allowed only if any doses are left in the last opened vial(s) so as to minimise vaccine wastage.”
States have been advised to register additional private Covid Vaccination Centres (CVCs) in mission mode by engaging with private hospitals, hospitals of industrial establishments, industry associations, etc.
Additionally, both – public and private vaccination centres need to register themselves on CoWin app, record details of all vaccination, issue digital certificates and report to CoWIN and AEFI (Adverse Event Following Immunization) systems.
The guidelines for a place to be considered as a Covid Vaccination Centre (CVC) that includes the availability of sufficient cold chain equipment, capacity, trained vaccinators, rooms, and the ability to manage AEFI, will remain unchanged.
The private CVCs should declare the types of vaccines, stockpile, and their prices on the CoWIN app.
The states were also advised to prioritize decisions regarding direct procurement of vaccines by the state/UT government.
The order stated that “it will not be necessary for the State/UT Governments to send any Proposals to the Ministry for approval of new private CVCs, prior to their registration on CoWIN. The State/UT Government may designate an appropriate Authority at State/District level that will ensure that only facilities eligible (as per the criteria…) are registered on CoWIN as a CVC.”
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pointed out that the state government will have to do complete stockpiling, assessment of funds deposited by private CVCs, and utilization of vaccine doses until April 30 before issuing new stocks to private covid vaccination centers.
States can take help from agencies like the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and similar agencies in the private sector to build field hospitals, the government said.
Apart from this, it also mentions that individuals above 45 years will continue to remain eligible for vaccines
