From vaccinating 100-200 people during each session per day, to monitoring them for 30 minutes for any adverse event, using COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network to track beneficiaries, the Central government has released a set of detailed guidelines for the mass vaccination drive, which will commence once the vaccines get emergency use approval form the drug regulator.

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The Health Ministry had recently marked thirty crore Indian population for the phase one of the large-scale immunisation of COVID-19 vaccine. It includes one crore healthcare workers, two crore frontline workers and 27 crore general population falling in priority groups set by the expert group.

According to the guidelines issued on December 12, the latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and legislative assembly election will be used to identify the population aged 50 years or more. Around 100 to 200 people will be vaccinated during each session per day and will then be monitored for 30 minutes pursuant to getting the shots for any adverse event.

The vaccination team will be five-membered. "If the session site has adequate logistics and space available for waiting room and observation room along with arrangement for crowd management, one more vaccinator officer can be added to create a session for 200 beneficiaries," the guidelines stated.

A digitalised platform for vaccine delivery called COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network or Co-WIN will be used to track enlisted beneficiaries for the vaccination on a real-time basis. Besides, 12 photo-identity documents, including Voter ID, Aadhaar card, driving license, passport and pension document will be required for self-registration on digital platform. Only pre-registered beneficiaries will be vaccinated at the vaccination site in accordance with the prioritization charted out by the ministry. The guidelines state that there will be no provision for on the-spot registrations. Notably, states have been asked to allocate vaccine from one manufacturer to a district to avoid "mixing of different vaccines in the field."

They have been further directed to implement an integrated 360-degree comprehensive advocacy communication and social mobilisation strategy to address the challenges surrounding vaccine rollout. "It further states that all measures should be taken to avoid exposing the vaccine carrier, vaccine vials or ice packs to direct sunlight," the guidelines further stated, adding that vaccines and diluents should be kept inside the vaccine carrier with the lid closed until a beneficiary comes to the centre for vaccination.

The guidelines further said that there may not be vaccine vial monitors (VVM) and Date of Expiry on the label of COVID-19 vaccine, but it should not discourage vaccinators from using the vaccine. "At the end of the session, the vaccine carrier with all ice packs and unopened vaccine vials should be sent back to the distributing cold chain point," it stated.