Gurgaon: To speed up Covid-19 vaccinations in the 45-plus population, the health department and private hospitals will soon expand session sites to malls, metro stations and public transport hubs.
To start with, such camps will come up at Ambience Mall, MG Road, Huda City Centre metro station, Gurgaon railway station and Sadar Bazar bus depot, the places that draw maximum footfall.
Each of these camps will have an observation room, a vaccination room, a verification room and medical infrastructure with AEFI management. An ambulance will also be kept on standby near every session site. And all the session sites will tie up with local police stations for the creation of a green corridor in case of any emergency, health officials said.
On Monday, a total of 26,571 people got vaccinated against Covid-19 in the city, marking another day of good turnout amid a rise in the number of infections being reported daily. As many as 216 session sites were set up for vaccinating eligible people — 160 at government facilities and 56 at private hospitals. At least 4.28 lakh people in Gurgaon are eligible for getting the jabs, and so far, the city has vaccinated 2.35 lakh. Meanwhile, 214 healthcare workers and 1,000 frontline workers also got the jab on Monday, taking their total tally to 51,666 and 33,607, respectively.
Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer of Gurgaon, said, “We have prepared a blueprint to increase vaccinations in the district. As part of the strategy, we will start setting up session sites at malls, metro stations and bus stands this week only. Five vaccine officers, apart from doctors, paramedics and ambulance drivers, will be deployed at every site.”
Apart from these places, session sites will also be set up at community centres near IFFCO Chowk for vaccinating bank employees. The camps will also ensure that people follow social distancing norms and wear masks while waiting for their turn to get the jab, health officials said.
“We have already mapped out vaccinations at housing societies, community centres and office premises in Gurgaon. All the session sites will be set up following the same protocol. We are also in talks with industry associations for setting up similar camps on factory premises in Manesar and Udyog Vihar to help eligible workers get the jab at their workplace,” Dr Yadav said.
Health experts are also hopeful that the vaccination camps on office premises will improve the drive in the district. Dr Sushila Katariya, director and head of department of internal medicine at Medanta, said, “We will increase these camps in the coming days.”
