Govt refines vaccine shortlisting: states told to use district data for under-50s with risks
In February 2019, the Centre informed Parliament that it had screened 1.30 crore in the 30-plus category for hypertension following which 9.01 lakh were identified as new cases while 22.69 lakh were under treatment.
So far, official data show, 616 NCD clinics have been set up at the district level and 3,827 at the Community Health Centre (CHC) level, apart from 175 Cardiac Care Units (CCUs) and 214 Day Care Centres for Chemotherapy. The Centre has asked states to utilise data generated at the district level during screening for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to identify a priority group that is expected to receive Covid vaccinations early next year: those below the age of 50 with comorbidities, top government sources told The Indian Express.
“The basic document will be the electoral roll, which will provide states with age details of beneficiaries. The states will superimpose this basic document with the NCD screenings that they have conducted. The states can also create their own mechanisms, as health is a subject of the state,” sources said.
Last week, a high-level expert group co-chaired by Dr V K Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, and Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, recommended three groups to be simultaneously vaccinated on priority depending on availability of vaccine: 1 crore health care workers; 2 crore frontline workers, including police and armed forces; and, about 27 crore above the age of 50 and those less than 50 years with comorbidities.
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