Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Wednesday directed concerned officials to stop conducting drive-in and door-step vaccination programmes. This was done as the activities are not permitted under operational guidelines. Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Health, PK Mohapatra wrote a letter to all collectors, municipal commissioners and chief district medical officers, in this regard.
“It has come to my notice that Covid-19 drive-in vaccination and door-step vaccination have been started in some districts. I would like to bring to your notice that as per Covid-19 operational guidelines of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), drive-in or door-step Covid-19 vaccination is not permitted,” Mohapatra said in his letter.
As per the guidelines, vaccination sessions should be conducted in places with space for waiting areas, vaccination and observation rooms. The centres also should have adequate facility to manage adverse events following immunisation (AEFI).
The ACS said it will be difficult to manage AEFI, if it occurs during the drive-in/door step vaccination. Moreover, there is also high likelihood of vaccine wastage. Therefore, Mohapatra urged the district and local administrations to refrain from such strategies.
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) first initiated the drive-in vaccination programme in a shopping mall parking complex here. Later, the number of such centres was increased to five in the city. Following BMC, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation also conducted such a programme. Few districts including Ganjam rolled out vaccination-on-wheels to provide the service at door-steps.
Questions on drive-in programme was criticised as the poor, who don’t have a vehicle especially four-wheelers were deprived from the service.