Health Minister K K Shailaja said that the registration of health workers for COVID-19 vaccination had reached the final stage. The district-level registration of health workers in all government institutions and in 81 per cent private institutions have been complete.

The health workers in all private institutions in Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kannur district have registered. The minister said that health workers in private institutions in other districts, too, should complete the registration process as early as possible.

In the first phase, vaccination will be done on all kinds of health workers in government and private sectors, and also medical students. This will include permanent and temporary health staff in modern medicine, AYUSH and Homeo departments, and students of medicine, dental, nursing and paramedicine. Over 27,000 ASHA workers have also been included.

Beside health workers, anganwadi workers and ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) officials also have been included in the priority list drawn up for the first phase of the vaccination. Over 33,000 anganwadi workers have been included.

The Union The Health Ministry had earlier said the COVID-19 vaccine will be offered first to healthcare workers, frontline workers and to persons above 50, followed by persons younger than 50 with associated co-morbidities, and finally to the remaining population.

The state government had set up a steering committee and a three-tier task force to coordinate the vaccine introduction and formulate strategies for the vaccination programme. There are state and district-level nodal officers, too.

On the eve of the last phase of the local body polls, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had kicked up a political controversy when he declared that the COVID-19 vaccination would be carried out free for everyone in the state.