Gujarat COVID-19 vaccine drive to start from 25,000 booths

The COVID-19 vaccinationprogramme in Gujarat will start for priority groups from25,000 booths on January 16 when the nationwide drive willkick off, said the state government on Monday.

Gujarat will receive first consignment of coronavirusvaccine on Tuesday at 10.45 am at the Sardar Vallabhbhai PatelAirport here, deputy chief minister Nitin Patel tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be connected to 287such boothsthrough video conferencing on January 16 and hewill interact with doctors and recipients at two locations inAhmedabad and Rajkot, he said.

After Modis request that public representativesshould not take part in the first phase of the drive, theGujarat government has decided that the chief minister, otherministers, BJP MPs and MLAs will not be inoculated along withthe priority groups.

All preparations regarding the vaccination drive areover. We will receive vaccines tomorrow (Tuesday), saidPatel, who is also the health minister, after the meetingwhere Modi interacted with all chief ministers and importantofficials of the country on the vaccination drive.

The vaccine programme will start from January 16 asannounced by the prime minister and it will be administered tothe priority groups at 25,000 booths, Patel said.

Patel said he and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will bepresent at one of the venues to boost the morale of peoplereceiving the vaccine.

Asked whether the chief minister and other members ofhis cabinet will take vaccine shots, Patel said the BJP hasdecided that since the programme is for priority groups as ofnow, they will not take doses in the first phase.

The chief minister, other ministers, MPs and MLAs ofthe BJP and its office-bearers will not take vaccine as theyare for health professionals, frontline workers and seniorcitizens, Patel said.

The Prime Minister, in the meeting, asked publicrepresentatives not to take vaccine shots in the first phase.

Patel said that first healthcare workers followed byfrontline workers like policemen, revenue department staff,safai karmachris (sanitation workers) will be inoculated.

After that citizens over the age of 50 and then thosebelow 50 with serious illnesses will be administered thevaccine, the deputy chief minister said.

Around 11 lakh people engaged in COVID-19 duties,including over four lakh healthcare staff and six lakhfrontline personnel like police and sanitation workers, willget the first benefit of the vaccine.

As per a house-to-house survey for the prioritygroups, more than 1.05 crore people over the age of 50 and2.75 lakh people under 50 with comorbidities have beenidentified for vaccination.