Vaccination drive: Maha CM calls for better coordination

The preparations to launch theCOVID-19 vaccination drive in Maharashtra from January 16 arein place, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Monday as hediscussed the modalities with the state health department andtask force members, shortly after his virtual interaction withPrime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the first phase of the exercise, healthcarestaffers and frontline workers will be inoculated inMaharashtra.

PM Modi on Monday informed chief ministers of statesabout the vaccination programme, after which Thackeray held ameeting with the state's health department and task forcemembers, an official statement said.

Thackeray said various departments should coordinatewith each other to conduct the vaccination exercise as per theCentre's guidelines.

The chief minister also took stock of the availabilityof COVID-19 vaccines, transportation and storage, thestatement said.

''The largest vaccination drive of the world will beginin the country (from January 16). Preparations have beencompleted in the state too and all the machineries shouldconduct the drive successfully in coordination with eachother,'' the statement quoted Thackeray as telling theofficials.

As healthcare staffers and frontline workers will bevaccinated during the first phase of the drive, officialsshould ensure proper distribution and transportation of thevaccine and store it at the right temperature, the CM said.

He stressed adherence to COVID-19 rules even aftervaccination begins, so as to ensure that the infection doesnot spread, the statement said.

During his interaction with chief ministers, the primeminister announced that the central government will bear theexpenses of vaccinating nearly three crore healthcare andfrontline workers in the first round and suggested that publicrepresentatives, a reference to politicians, should not bepart of this initial exercise.

Modi also underscored the enormity of what hedescribed as the world's biggest vaccination exercise, sayingover 30 crore citizens will get the jabs in the next fewmonths in India against only 2.5 crore people who havereceived them in over 50 countries in around a month so far.

The Drugs Controller General of India has alreadyapproved Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, manufacturedby Serum Institute of India, and Covaxin of Bharat Biotech forrestricted emergency use in the country.