After a week of almost no vaccination, Kashmir will restart vaccination for both 18-44 and 45 years plus age groups this week, Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education Atal Dulloo said. However, eligibility criteria for getting a dose are under modification, the high risk groups to be prioritized.
The FC said J&K Government purchased 1.17 lakh doses of CoviShield last week for the 18-44 years age group in the Kashmir division. Confirming the reprieve in vaccine supply, Dulloo said vaccines had been procured but will be administered after changes are made in the CoWin app “in about two days” . “The vaccines for the 18-44 age group were through registration only, there was no onsite registration. This left a large number of people at disadvantage, especially those who were not tech-savvy,” he said. He said that GoI was in the process of making changes to CoWin now and now it will be possible to register on-site.
Dulloo said the new criteria would be to prioritize frontline workers that had been left behind. “We want to make sure that vendors of essential commodities, drivers, shopkeepers and other such people who work in such important sectors are not left behind. The vaccination process will restart with those who fall in high risk groups and with co morbid conditions. The process is designed to be hassle free with emphasis on getting priority groups vaccinated. “Adequate awareness for this will be generated,” he said.
A senior official said 50,000 doses of CoviShield had also been procured on 06 May for 45 plus years age group in Kashmir division. However, he said, these doses have not been utilized and for over a week the vaccination centers in most districts of Kashmir division had run almost dry.
Regarding vaccination for the 45 plus age group and those who are due for their second doses, he said the guidelines had changed and that was a reprieve for beneficiaries. “Now we can give a gap of upto four months between vaccine doses, so we have time,” he said. However, he added that those who had already booked appointments will be entertained.