Ahead of the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination in the country on the 16th of January, Goa received 23,500 vaccine doses on Wednesday and the authorities have already earmarked 8 hospitals for the first phase of the immunization process. Further, the Dean of the Goa Medical College stated that sanitation workers who have been a part of the state Health Department’s COVID-19 teams, will be the first recipients of the vaccine.
As per estimates, 100 individuals would be administered with the vaccine shot at each of the 8 centres
On Thursday, the Dean of the state’s apex healthcare facility was quoted saying, “The first vaccines will be administered to safai karmacharis. These are people who have also been at the forefront, handling COVID-19 patients’ soiled clothes, clearing their food trays, etc.” He further added that in the first phase itself, the vaccine will also be administered to the doctors who are currently engaged in COVID-19 areas.
The chosen health facilities for the incoluation procedure include Goa Medical College (near Panaji), Hospicio Hospital (Margao), Asilo Hospital (Mapusa), Chicalim Health Centre (Vasco), Sub District Hospital (Ponda), Manipal Hospital (near Panaji), Healthway Hospital (Old Goa) and Victor Hospital (Margao). It is estimated that 100 individuals would be administered with the vaccine shot at each centre amounting to a total count of 800 recipients on the first day. As yet, Goa has already conducted two successful mock drills of the immunization process, to calibrate its preparedness for the upcoming drive.
The Chief Minister of the coastal state had earlier announced that a total of 19,000 employees of government and private healthcare facilities have been categorised for the first phase of the vaccination. After the frontline workers are immunized in the first phase, citizens above the age of 50 years would be next in the line of beneficiaries.
