New Delhi: Dispelling doubts regarding the country’s capability to undertake such a massive vaccination drive, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan today said India had unparalleled experience in dealing with immunisation and runs one of the largest immunisation programmes in the world.
He referred to India conducting several successful immunisation drives in the past with respect to Polio, Rubella and Measles. He narrated his personal experience from the early nineties of having galvanised efforts of millions of Indians which eventually led to the eradication of Polio from the country.
“It is as a result of our steadfastness and dedication, that India was declared polio-free in 2014. Our rich learning from the earlier immunisation drives including the Polio vaccination campaign is being used to guide our present countrywide COVID19 vaccination campaign”, he stated.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan today visited two mock vaccination sites in Delhi to review the dry run drill for administering the COVID19 vaccine. It may be mentioned that ahead of the actual vaccination drive, the Ministry had today conducted a nationwide mock drill at 285 session sites to test the end-to-end planned operations and the mechanism that has been set up to ensure smooth conduct of the COVID19 vaccination that is expected to begin soon. This dry run of the vaccination drive had spread across 125 districts is covering all States and Union Territories having adequate representation of urban and rural districts along with hard-to-reach areas.
Speaking on the preparedness for ensuring that the vaccine reaches even the remotest corner of the country, Dr Vardhan said that the country’s cold chain infrastructure had been sufficiently upgraded to ensure last mile delivery. Adequate supplies of syringes and other logistics had also been provided for. He added that the digital platform, Co-WIN, repurposed from the e-VIN platform was the “real game changer”, and would provide real time information of vaccine stocks, their storage temperature and individualised tracking of beneficiaries of the COVID-19 vaccine. “This unique platform will assist the program managers across all levels through automated session allocation for pre-registered beneficiaries, their verification and for generating a digital certificate upon successful completion of the vaccine schedule,” he said. More than 75 lakh beneficiaries have been registered on Co-WIN platform till date, he said.
Dr Harsh Vardhan warned the citizens against falling prey to rumours and disinformation campaigns regarding the safety and efficacy of the COVID19 vaccine. He rubbished the rumours being propagated on social media which are raising doubts in the mind of the public regarding the vaccine side-effects. Asserting that the Government was committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens, he said: “I have ample personal experience from the Polio Eradication campaign of 1994 about how the people of the country placed their trust in the science of the vaccine rather than the falsehoods and canards being spread by some rumour-mongers”.
– global bihari bureau
