New Delhi: Indians with heart ailments or diabetes are likely to be classified as those with comorbidities. They will be put on the list of those who will get a COVID-19 vaccine on a priority basis. This information was shared by an official involved in the vaccination plans on condition of anonymity.
Quoting the official, ‘Hindustan Times’ has said that there will also be a door-to-door survey across India. Existing government databases will be used to identify such people with heart ailments and diabetes. The survey will be carried also to identify people who are over 50. These people will also be placed in the priority list. These two categories will have the first chance of vaccination after health workers and frontline service on duty such as police and municipal employees.
“The voter list already provides us the age-wise profile of the people in a locality. We have to conduct a door-to-door survey to reconfirm the names and also find out comorbidities. Anganwadi workers and Accredited Social Health Activists (Asha) would be tapped for this purpose,” said another official, asking not to be named.
The three categories mentioned above make up approximately 300 million out of India’s 1.3 billion population.
“The list is being worked on by a panel headed by Dr Randeep Guleria, the head of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), to finalise which ailments would be included in the list of comorbidities,” the person quoted above said.
According to the National Family Health Survey-4, at least 5.8 per cent of women and eight per cent men across India have been identified with a high level of blood sugar. It means that they can become diabetic any time.
In terms of heart diseases, a 2018 study published in ‘The Lancet’ journal found that cardiovascular disease caused more than 2.1 million deaths in India in 2015 at all ages. This data provides the evidence of a large number of people suffering from heart ailments in India.
People who have had any COVID-19 test have been required to declare their Aadhaar numbers. They have also been asked whether they suffer from any comorbid conditions. This data will also be used in making up the list of prioritised persons who will get vaccination first.