The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has started preparing to stock the Covid vaccine when it comes.
Dr. A.P. Chaturvedi, state immunization officer, said “We do not know how many vaccine vials will be coming, but the infrastructure will be ready. Construction of depots is going on in 22 districts, while in 27 others, the repair work is in progress.”
Two vaccine depots are coming up in Lucknow — a district depot at the urban health post in Aishbagh and a divisional/state depot near the family welfare directorate in Chowk. Both these facilities are being ramped up.
Dr. Rakesh Dubey, director-general, family welfare, said, “The focus is on the maintenance of the cold chain, and work in this regard is in progress at vaccine depots. The target is to have them ready by December 15.”
In Prayagraj, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. G.S. Bajpai said, “We have identified a meeting hall of the Tej Bahadur Sapru (Beli) Hospital as the main vaccine storage center in the district and its renovation process has begun.”
“The district has around 1,365 private hospitals and clinics as well as 130 government hospitals and facilities registered with the CMO office and staff of these would be vaccinated first,” he added.
In the Meerut division, which comprises six districts of Meerut, Ghaziabad, Noida, Hapur, Bulandshahr, and Baghpat, health officials have made adequate arrangements for storing Covid-19 vaccine at the storage center of the Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College.
Divisional surveillance officer Dr. Ashok Taliyan said the medical college can store vaccines for three months at the required temperature.
The state government has announced that all citizens in the state will be administered the vaccine free of cost, but the first phase of the inoculation drive would cover the health force — doctors, nurses, paramedics, and non-medics in hospitals. All divisions have prepared lists of people who will be inoculated first.
