Third phase of Covid-19 vaccination starts today in Assam

* Citizens aged 60 years and above, and those between 45 and 59 years of age with any specified comorbidities are eligible

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The third Phase of COVID-19 vaccination will be launched in the State on Monday. Citizens aged 60 years and above, and those between 45 and 59 years of age with any specified comorbidities are eligible to be inoculated with the COVID-19 Vaccine.

The vaccine will be provided free of charge at the government health facilities. However, in this phase, it will also be available on payment-basis at identified private health facilities empanelled under AB-PMJAY, Atal Amrit Abhiyan and CGHS. The maximum charges per vaccine will be Rs 250, inclusive of Rs 150 as vaccine cost and up to Rs 100 as service charge per person in private hospitals.

Eligible beneficiaries can self-register for the COVID-19 vaccine on the COWIN portal, and also through other applications such as the Arogya Setu. Provisions have also been made for on-site registration of eligible beneficiaries. Beneficiaries can walk in to the session sites and get themselves registered.

On the day of the vaccination, beneficiaries will have to carry any one of the following ID proofs for verification – Aadhar card, Electoral photo ID, Driving License, Passport, PAN Card, Voter ID card, Employment card etc. Beneficiaries between 45 and 59 years of age with specified comorbidities will also have to provide their Comorbidity Certificate from a Registered Medical Practitioner at the time of vaccination. Two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, minimum 28 days apart, need to be taken by a beneficiary to complete the vaccination schedule. Protective levels of antibodies against COVID-19 are expected to develop after receiving the second dose of the vaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccination for third-phase beneficiaries will be provided on March 1, 2021 in the Gauhati Medical College & Hospital, Assam Medical College & Hospital, Dibrugarh; Silchar Medical College & Hospital, Jorhat Medical College & Hospita, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College & Hospital, Barpeta; Tezpur Medical College & Hospital, Tezpur; and Diphu Medical College & Hospital, Diphu.

Along with the Government Health Facilities, COVID-19 vaccination will also be provided at the Private Hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY) scheme, Central Government Health Scheme and Atal Amrit Abhiyan in Assam. The private hospitals providing COVID-19 vaccination are – Apollo Hospital, Downtown Hospital, GNRC Hospital, Health City Hospital, Nemcare Hospital and Marwari Nursing Home in Guwahati.

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