Sikkim govt urges Centre to provide 5 Boleros for COVID-19 vaccine transportation

The Sikkim government recently urged the Centre to provide small refrigerated vehicles to transport COVID-19 vaccines. The government mentioned that the bigger vehicles won't be able to reach every nook and cranny of the Himalayan state.

Bhutia, who has been helming Sikkim’s fight against Covid-19, has said the state is adequately equipped to store and administer Covid vaccines, once available.

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“We had established storage facilities like ice-lined refrigerators during the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination drive that we can make use for Covid vaccination,” he said.

The health secretary said unlike the pulse polio drive where health workers used to administer drops at the homes of the recipients, the Covid vaccination drive would require setting up of booths at different places to administer the jabs. “Such booths are already in place and we are confident of starting the vaccination drive from very day the vaccines are made available to us,” he said.

According to the directive of the Centre, the inoculation drive would be carried out in a phase-wise manner. “The first to be covered will be the health workers, who number about 9,000 in our state, followed by between 14,000 and 15,000 frontline workers. Thereafter, those above 50 years of age and persons with comorbidities will be covered,” he added.