MUMBAI: The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (Negvac) has unanimously decided shots cannot be given to the elderly or specially abled at home “at this time in India’’ due to risks cited by an expert panel, the Centre told the Bombay high court through an affidavit.
Opposing door-to-door vaccination on the basis of “scientific facts” like difficulty in timely and effective management of possible adverse reactions and maintaining the cold chain for the vaccines, Negvac has, however, approved a “near to home” policy since May 27.
It is “flexible, people-centric and follows a community-based approach’’ keeping in mind the mobility concerns of the elderly and bed-ridden.
So vaccines will be given at school premises, old age homes, housing complexes and community centres, panchayat ghar, etc, the affidavit said.
“If you give reasons based on scientific basis, we will not interfere,” said a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni, hearing a PIL by two advocates seeking home vaccination for the house-bound, and said the authorities could find a “workable” way to ensure no one is left out.
It posted the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.
The bench, however, questioned the Centre’s reliance in its opposition to home vaccination on two grounds: “exposure to healthcare and frontline health workers to undue pressure from community and security issues in the community’’ and “risk of getting Covid infection among vaccinators and mobilisers”.
“These concerns raised by the expert committee…
can be overcome if the government wishes to,” it said.
Advocate Dhruti Kapadia, one of the petitioners, pointed out that the percentage of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) was very low compared to the delivery of 24 crore jabs.
The Union health ministry said there were 25,309 AEFI cases till May 28, of which 1,186 were serious and there were 475 deaths following vaccination.
“Which other country has been able to do so with so much population? The government can do this too.
You need to find your own way,” the CJ-led bench said.
It asked “where will you find societies in slums or as said earlier by us, there are narrow bylanes (where even a stretcher cannot fit)”? Additional solicitor general Anil Singh said: “We are practically reaching the doorstep.
We are vaccinating in residential societies as well.
The policy is for the time being and may be changed later.” On May 20, the HC had given Negvac time till June 2 to examine the possibility of a doorstep policy.
The Centre had sought time till June 8, saying as a policy, it has to be uniform, but added that with the situation being “dynamic”, changes would be made with expert advice.
It sought to assure the HC that “no stone is being left unturned to vaccinate as many people as possible and to reach out to as many of them, being conscious of the fact that time is of essence”.