60,000 health workers to get flu shot in first phase

Srinagar: Kashmir on Wednesday received its first cache of Covid-19 vaccine which will be injected to frontline health workers from January 16.
State Immunization Officer Dr Qazi Haroon told Kashmir Reader that 79000 shots of vaccine were received for Kashmir, which is sufficient for 60,000 health care workers.
“It will be done in sessions and in a phased manner every day. Not all the workers will be given shots once. We will take 50 institutions on a daily basis,” he said. “Once the health care workers are covered, army police, revenue officials will be given the vaccine.”
According to him, people aged above 50 will be vaccinated in the third phase while people below 50 but with co morbid conditions will be taken in the fourth phase.
Dr Haroon said that the vaccine will be given at a designated place which will have a waiting area, vaccination room and an observation room. “Once the vaccine is given, the recipient will be put under observation for at least half an hour before allowing him/her to go.” he added.
“We have everything ready. All the back-ups needed including the emergency kits,” he said.
On January 16, J&K government finalized 30 sites for starting the COVID-19 vaccination. The sites include GMC Jammu, SKIMS Soura and 14 other locations
To far flung areas the vaccine will be made available through air transport.
At SKIMS where the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is supposed to interact with the recipients, there would be 35 health workers who will get the shot on the first day.
Two COVID-19 vaccines– indigenous Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and the Oxford-AstraZeneca & Serum Institute of India vaccine Covishield for emergency use.
More than one lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir have been Covid positive in JK, mostly in the Kashmir Valley. The positivity rate, however, has declined over the past few months.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz