Can't do door-to-door vaccination, will start near-to-door system: Centre to HC

The Centre told the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that a doortodoor Covid19 vaccination programme for senior citizens speciallyabled bedridden and wheelchairbound people is currently not possible but it has decided to start neartodoor inoculation centresThe Union government in its affidavit filed in the HC said the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration NEGVAC has considered the issue of doortodoor vaccination and opined that neartodoor vaccination would be an appropriate solution and not doortodoor vaccinationThe court noted that almost 25 crore people have been vaccinated in IndiaAlso Read Centre to procure 75 per cent Covid19 vaccines under revised guidelines to be implemented from June 21Which other country has been able to do so with so much population The government can do this doortodoor vaccination too You government need to find your own way Chief Justice Dipankar Datta saidA division bench of Chief Justice Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni last month directed the NEGVAC to consider if doortodoor vaccination programmes can be started for senior citizens speciallyabled people and those who are wheelchairbound or bedriddenThe order was passed in a public interest litigation filed by two lawyers Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari raising concerns over how several people would not be able to travel to the vaccination centresThe Centre in its affidavit filed on Tuesday said the issue was discussed by the NEGVAC in its meeting on May 25All the membersexperts who participated in the meeting unanimously agreed that the Covid19 vaccine cannot be given at home due to issues and risks cited by the expert committee it saidHowever the NEGVAC agreed that since the elderly and speciallyabled people have limited mobility there is a need to increase access by bringing the vaccination services closer to such communities while maintaining all necessary precautions and safety measuresThe affidavit said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare formulated standard operating procedures SOPs related to the Near to Home Vaccination Centres on May 27These vaccination sessions can be conducted in nonhealth facilities and will be linked to an existing Covid19 vaccination centre it saidThe HC noted that while it appreciates the efforts taken by the committee and the Union government the concerns raised by the panel on why doortodoor vaccines cannot be started do not seem to be very seriousThe concerns raised by the expert committee on why doortodoor vaccination cannot be started are not very serious These can be overcome if the government wishes to it saidThe court noted that the risks the committee mentioned for doortodoor vaccination will be there at the inoculation centres as wellThe Centres affidavit claimed that till May 25309 cases of adverse reaction after vaccination were reported out of which 1186 were serious 475 deaths were reported following Covid19 vaccination till May 28 2021 it saidThe court will continue hearing the matter on WednesdayThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever