SHILLONG, Jan 11: Ahead of the nationwide roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines from January 16, the Meghalaya government has prepared a list of 100 health workers each from 11 districts of the state for the vaccination drive.
Health officials informed today that the vaccination drive will be held at 11 centres in the state on January 16 and 1,100 frontline workers would be vaccinated on that day.
Informing that the vaccines are expected to arrive in the state in two to three days, the officials informed that the Centre has sanctioned Covishield — the vaccine co-developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca in collaboration with the Pune-based Serum Institute — for Meghalaya.
Making it amply clear that the state is fully prepared to administer the vaccines, the Health officials added that in the first phase doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and cleaners engaged in hospitals would be administered the coronavirus vaccine.
To chalk out the details of the mega vaccination drive, Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma and Health officials held discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today through video conferencing.
The Meghalaya government has identified some 25,000 health workers in the state to be vaccinated in the first phase. The first list includes ASHA (accredited social health activist) and Anganwadi workers in the field as well as sanitary workers managing COVID-19 hospitals.
The government has plans to vaccinate private practitioners in the first phase while police personnel will be given the shots in the second phase.