India Releases COVID-19 Vaccine Operational Guidelines, Details Inside

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released a detailed COVID-19 Operational Guidelines on Tuesday, a day after the dry run for the Covid-19 vaccination began in four states.

The Ministry of Home, meanwhile, added that the guidelines for surveillance will be extended to January 31, 2021, and has instructed states and UTs to strictly adhere to them.

The Health Ministry in a separate statement said that India has selected the priority groups who will be vaccinated on priority as they are at higher risk. Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “After consultation with experts, we’ve prioritized 30 crore people for COVID -19 vaccine. It includes health workers, frontline workers like police, military, and sanitation staff, people above 50 yrs, and those who are below 50 yrs but are suffering from certain diseases.”

The first group includes healthcare and frontline workers. The second group to receive COVID 19 vaccine will be persons over 50 years of age and persons under 50 years with comorbid conditions.

Registration of beneficiaries is mandatory only then they will be eligible for the vaccines.

The 50 plus age group may also begin early based on vaccine availability. The eligible beneficiaries will be informed through their registered mobile number regarding the Health Facility where the vaccination will be provided and the scheduled time for the same.