Directorate of Health & Family Welfare organized a media sensitization workshop on COVID-19 vaccination at Hotel Vivor, Kohima on 14th January 2021.
Principal Director, DoHFW, Dr. Vizolie Suokhrie informed that the State vaccination programme will be launched on 16th January, 2021 in all the districts except for Kiphire, Longleng and Noklak, where it will be launched subsequently. He said that the vaccination process will be in 4 (Four) where phases, where in the first phase, health workers in health units will be vaccinated. Front line workers and people above the age of 50 will be vaccinated in the second and third phase respectively. In the third phase, people between the age of 18 and 50 with co-morbidity issues will be vaccinated adding that vaccination in the first and second phase will be free of cost.
Suokhrie appealed to the public not to give in to the various misconceptions and myths regarding the vaccination. He said that the COVID vaccines are thoroughly tested, where safety and efficacy are the given the priority. Dr. Vizolie reiterated that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet and asked people to observe appropriate COVID behaviors even after they are vaccinated. He also expressed concern of spike in COVID cases after the festive season is over. However, he assured that the department is fully prepared if such case arises.
Dr Longri Kichu presenting a power point on the ‘role of media and vaccine confidence in the community’ said media will play a critical role in creating and influencing perception across the wider public during the COVID -19 vaccination roll out and post vaccine introduction. He highlighted the importance of providing correct, transparent and consistent information on COVID-19 vaccine and to forward correct and authentic news to the public only after validation with website like WHO, UNICEF, MOHFW, ICMR CDC, CMO, Health Department etc. He further urged the media to portray positive articles and news on COVID-19 vaccine so that vaccine confidence will increase among the general public.
Also on vaccine campaign strategy Dr Longri said that the overall COVID - 19 Vaccination Campaign will be monitored at the National level by NEGVAC (National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19). He also said that the States however will have three levels headed by the State Steering Committee, State Task force and State Control Room at the state Level, District Task Force, Urban Task Force and District Control Room at the District Level and lastly the Block Task Force and Block Control Room at the Block Level. The State Steering Committee will be chaired by the Chief Secretary of the State and the State Task Force by the Principal Secretary Health. He stated that the vaccine will be rolled out in a number of phases in Nagaland and in the first phase, plans to immunize 36845 people who are registered health care workers and frontline workers.
(Wepre APRO, Esuihangle (IA), Suzo (IA), Moro (IA))
