As the introduction of vaccinations brings with a ray of in this pandemic situation, the flip side is the common man flocking at vaccine centres to get their shot. This flocking or crowding at vaccine centres can actually prove to be a source of spreading the pandemic. Therefore, vaccination centres and the common crowd who are there to take the vaccination must follow some guidelines and protocols, to ensure that this process doesn’t turn into nurturing the pandemic.
Guidelines for vaccination centres:
Planning
Before we think of the people who would crowd it up, the vaccination centre must focus on keeping a tap on the in-house team. Therefore, the number of people required must be defined and only that many people must stay during the vaccination. In addition to planning the staff, the next thing to be planned is the time. Vaccination must be provided in batches and the vaccine time and post-vaccine time must be calculated to decide the batch size.
Following safety measures
In addition to the covid-19 safety precautions like social distancing, wearing of PPE kit and more, the vaccination centres must also follow the medical precautions i.e. safe disposal of injections, proper sterilization of vaccine equipment and proper storage of vaccinations.
Queue management
With a lot of people crowding up at the vaccination centres, it becomes imperative that an effective hospital queue management system is in place. Every individual up for vaccination must be duly registered, allotted slots, verified in terms of the required documents so that there is no waiting. An executive must be assigned to follow up and ensure that everyone arrives on time.
Logisticare
Despite all care and planning, it is a fact that there will be some amount of queuing up. Therefore, for these short queues, it is the responsibility of the vaccine centres to plan the logistics keeping all safety measures in place. In other words, marking the queue lines with social distancing, ensuring that everyone in the wait is taking all safety precautions and is maintaining distance. Keep posters all over to keep reminding people about the safety measures. Once a person registers for the vaccination, sending a message of the mandates and rules is suggested so that you don’t face any surprises on the vaccine day.
Overall hygiene
Lastly, the vaccine centres must focus on overall hygiene during the vaccination process. In other words, after every batch, the lobby, the vaccination room, the equipment and surroundings must be sterilized and refreshed for the next batch. Ideally, having sets of teams working in batches is better so that team is also constantly checked to avoid any pandemic spread.
The above being the guidelines for vaccination centres to follow to avoid long queues, there are some guidelines for the public as well who will be visiting these centres for vaccine:
Don’t rush
Yes, amidst the fear of the pandemic, the news of vaccination definitely makes you want to have the vaccine and protect yourself. However, do not be hasty, instead, act responsibly. Therefore, the first step is to find out the vaccine centres around you. Then get all the details of the vaccination procedure and slots each centre has. Lastly, enrol yourself.
Register properly
Getting a vaccination calls for a mandatory registering procedure. This includes giving details like Age proof, ID proof, Aadhar etc. To avoid any surprises and failures at the vaccination centres, understand the requirements thoroughly and submit the required documents well in advance. On the day of vaccination, carry these documents as a back up if needed. Confirm your registration with the centre before you actually arrive.
Stay safe
On the day of vaccination, as much as the centre, you as an individual are also responsible for your safety. As mentioned in the first point, don’t be hasty and arrive at the centre before the allotted time. As you know, vaccinations are done in batches, adhere to the same and reach the centre maybe 10-15 minutes before to avoid creating a crowd and also to avoid waiting time. Secondly, take all safety precautions i.e. wear a mask, a face shield and maintain social distancing while standing in the queue. Carry your water bottle as you would need water during the post-vaccine wait period. Follow the instructions given by the doctors/team at the centre.
Thus, with the above-mentioned pointers, it is loud and clear that care and safety during the vaccination is not just the responsibility of the vaccination centres but also of the people who come to take the jab. In addition to these queuing precautions, the people coming for the vaccination must take the health precautions as well.
Health Precausions to be Taken
- Ensure that you have a minimum of 6 hours of sleep every night for at least a week before the vaccination day.
- If you are already in to working out every day then great, but if you are not then, starting a basic workout regime that comprises some basic exercises and breathing exercises is a must.
- If you smoke and drink then avoiding it for at least 10 days before and a month post-vaccination is suggested. This is to ensure that your body immunity is raised and at the same, the ability to absorb and react to the vaccine is taken care of.
- Switch to a healthy diet. Having a healthy diet is imperative always, but if you have signed up for vaccination, then it’s time that you switch to a healthy diet. A diet that consists of a lot of proteins, zinc and citric acid to prepare and protect your body to embrace the potion of vaccine.
These are undoubtedly tough times, wherein all of us are engulfed in the fear of tomorrow. The vaccination is definitely a ray of hope. But it is to be remembered that vaccination protects you from covid but it cannot be denied that you need to continue taking the safety measures. Therefore, the only way to face these tough times is to stay strong, follow all safety and hygiene precautions, stay healthy and eat right.
