Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 30 May: Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) DMO Dr Mandip Perme informed that the state is expected to receive about 10,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine on Monday for people in the age group of 18 to 44 years in the ICR.
“If we receive the doses tomorrow as scheduled, we will reopen the registration sessions for vaccination on 1 June,” said Dr Perme, responding to a query in this regard during an online press briefing on Sunday.
The DMO informed that it is currently mandatory for beneficiaries in the age group of 18 to 44 years to register themselves on the CoWIN portal and get prior appointment for vaccination as walk-in registration is currently not allowed for the age group “due to a shortage.”
Informing that the vaccine session sites will open at around 10 am, with one site at the RK Mission Hospital in Itanagar and two session sites at the old building of the art and culture office in Naharlagun, the DMO added that each session site currently has a capacity of 100-200 doses only.
He, however, said that people in the 45 years and above category can visit the vaccination centres and get vaccinated without prior appointment or registration, and that there are sufficient doses of vaccine available for the age group of 45 and above.
Responding to the query on why there is a shortage of vaccines for the 18-44 age group while at the same time sufficient vaccines are available for the 45 years and above age group, the DMO informed that it is due to “central monitoring.”
He informed that, while vaccines for people in the 45 years and above category are provided free of cost by the central government, vaccines
for those in the age group of 18-44 years have to be purchased by the state government. “However, the state government cannot randomly make such purchases as it is being rationed and monitored by the central government,” he added.
On whether private clinics and hospitals would begin paid vaccination services, the DMO said that the state will implement the same soon. “The vaccines in all centres, including RK Mission Hospital, till then are completely free,” he said.
As for undertaking door-to-door vaccination drives in line with the door-to-door rapid antigen tests (RAT), Dr Perme informed that “such facility is not possible and appropriate.” He informed that, after each vaccination, the beneficiary will have to be monitored for at least 30 minutes to ensure that there is no adverse effect following immunization (AEFI), and that the authorities cannot provide ambulances or sufficient health staff for each location.
He, however, informed that no AEFI case has been reported in the state since the Covid-19 vaccination drive began.
