Industry looks for interest in COVID-19 immunization program: CII

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• Source: PTI


• Date: 18 Feb,2021

Indian industry has sought involvement from the continuing COVID-19 vaccination programme in order to help the government reach its identified target priority groups quicker, which is crucial for getting the workforce back to work and the economy back on track, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said on Thursday.

To action the successful roll out of vaccines, the CII has constituted a high-level taskforce on Covid-19 vaccines with the purpose of galvanising industry support for distribution and inoculation of the employees of member companies and also in the larger community where members have a role to play through CSR interventions.

“Industry can supplement and add to the government”s programme with appropriate checks and balances, throughout the envisaged three stages, in order to further reach out the vaccine to those segments of the population who can contribute to the economic revival of the nation,” the chairman of CII’s Vaccine Task Force, TV Narendran, said in a statement.

Taking cognisance of the fact that the second phase of inoculating those over 50 years will be a particularly challenging task, together with requirements for significantly increased vaccinating websites and vaccinators, the CII has come out with three important recommendations.

“It is suggested that for ensuring quicker rollout and for providing confidence to workers at the workplace, business enterprises could be allowed to vaccinate their employees and immediate family members,” CII said. It is estimated that this type of programme could benefit an additional 100 million employees in the formal sector and local communities by providing access to the vaccine, it mentioned.

“Second, CII suggests that private providers, with appropriate checks and balances, be allowed to vaccinate and encourage the Government to both utilise the available vaccines as well as amplify the amount of vaccinations with all essential norms and compliances,” the industry body said.

The exercise will enable the Government to reach its identified target priority classes faster, which will be crucial for getting the workforce back to work and the economy back on track, it added. By opening the vaccination process to the private sector, the large cohort of those willing to take the vaccines would allow full utilisation of these vaccines within the expiry period, CII noted.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday declared that coronavirus vaccination for those over 50 years will begin in the next 2-3 weeks.