COVID-19 vaccination: Strict vigilance to keep troublemakers at bay

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: With the COVID-19 vaccination drive approaching near, the State Home and Health departments have geared themselves up to keep rumourmongers, troublemakers, hoarders, fake suppliers and cybercriminals at bay.

The departments have alerted all district police forces and asked them to act immediately against troublemakers of all hues as and when they raise their ugly heads. All district police forces have also been asked to keep a watchful eye on the cyberspace and sales of COVID-19 vaccines in open/black markets until approved by the government. The intelligence machinery has been activated to act as a deterrent to any move to sabotage in the vaccine delivery system, sources said.

According to sources, the status for storage facilities of COVID-19 vaccine in the State is – a regional store each at Guwahati, Goalpara, Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Silchar. Apart from these, there will be 27 district storing facilities and 723 cold chain points at field level.

The sources also said that the State government has built up a capacity of storing 374 lakh dosages i.e. 1.25 lakh litres of the vaccine. While the State and district-level facilities are to store around 60,000 litre vaccine, the 723 cold chain points together will store around 65,000 litres. There is also a back-up plan for more capacity building if the need arises.

For hassle-free transportation of the vaccine from the regional storing facilities to the district-level facilities and cold chain points insulated or refrigerator vans have been kept ready.

It's anticipated that a section of unscrupulous suppliers may be out to mint money as and when the vaccination drive gets started. The Home department doesn't want to leave any lapse on its part that may spell disaster during the vaccination drive in the State. Besides rigorous publicity campaign to bring awareness among the masses on the drive, the Home and Health departments have taken utmost precautionary measures to ensure that no law-and-order situation is created at the vaccine delivery points. 

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