Mysore/Mysuru: Utmost care has been taken for the safe disposal of bio-medical waste collected at all Taluk Hospitals and Health and Wellness Centres during COVID-19 vaccination drive which commenced yesterday.

Every vaccination booth has been provided with four coloured plastic bins for disposing bio-medical waste as per specifications given by the Union Health Ministry. Every Taluk Hospital has been strictly told to adhere to the guidelines considering risk factor in it. District Health officers, who inspected Taluk Hospitals before the vaccination drive began, had supplied the coloured plastic bins for the storage of bio-medical waste and handover the same to the agency concerned for its safe disposal.

Dr.L. Ravi, Reproductive and Child Health Care Officer and COVID-19 Vaccination Officer, told SOM that the health staff had been sensitised about the same during several rounds of training programme held much before the vaccination drive began. A Mysuru-based company has bagged the contract for the collection and safe disposal of bio-medical waste from all major Government and Private Hospitals, Taluk Hospitals and important Primary Health Centres. 

The personnel come every day evening after the completion of the day-long vaccination drive and take away the bio-medical waste. The waste is disposed off at its Centre in Mysuru, he added.

He said that the health staff at session sites have been directed to store empty vials in the blue puncture-proof bin, used syringe in the red bin and used cotton swabs in the yellow bin. 

All other non-infectious waste must be collected as municipal waste in a separate bag and  immunisation waste must be collected by designated person for safe disposal at the end of the day.

Dr. Ravi said that the District Health Department was not taking any chance especially in dealing with COVID-19 vaccine bio-medical waste both in urban and rural areas considering its seriousness. So, a lot of stress had been given on handling bio-medical waste of Covishield Vaccine in district.

Ready with ICU

A well-equipped Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has been set up at Periyapatna General Hospital in Mysuru District to manage Adverse Effect Following Immunisation (AEFI) in beneficiaries, he noted.