As the Coronavirus cases continue to rise exponentially across the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced that COVID-19 vaccination for all employees aged 45 years or above will be open at their workplaces, both private and government from Sunday. The Union Health Ministry said that this move aims at increasing the pace of the immunisation drive across the country. Health Ministry: 'COVID-19 vaccination allowed at offices' The Health Ministry in a statement said that organising vaccination at the workplace will not only be convenient to the working staff but will also help to avoid travel and hence reduce the risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus. The Health Ministry in a letter addressed to all the states and Union territories said that the Coronavirus inoculation sessions can be organised at offices that have about 100 eligible and willing beneficiaries. MoHFW also informed that vaccination can be conducted by tagging workplaces with an existing Covid Vaccination Center (CVC). Everything you need to know about Covid vaccination process at offices Speaking about gettings started with the vaccination process, the District Task Force (DTF) chaired by the district magistrate and Urban Task Force (UTF) chaired by the municipal commissioner will identify government and private workplaces where COVID-19 vaccination sessions can be conducted. Meanwhile, the company's management will designate one of their senior staff to work as a "nodal officer" to coordinate with district health authorities or private Covid Vaccination Centres (CVC) and support inoculation activities. The nodal officer appointed by every workplace will oversee and facilitate all aspects of vaccination at "Work Place CVC" such as registration, availability of physical and IT infrastructure and oversight to vaccination etc, the letter added. The Health Ministry said, "Once identified, all such office vaccination centres will be registered in the CoWin portal as government or private COVID-19 Vaccination Centre (CVC) at Work Place. In-charges of government or private CVCs with which the ‘Work Place CVCs’ are tagged for Covid-19 vaccination will be responsible to provide vaccine and ensure reporting in CoWin from these offices." Who is eligible? As per eligibility rules of the current phase of the inoculations drive, only employees who are aged 45 years or more will be eligible to take the COVID-19 vaccine shit at the office. As per the instructions by the Health Ministry, no outsiders including eligible family members will be allowed for vaccination at "CVC at work place". As per MoHFW, the employees, who wish to get the jab must be registered in CoWin portal prior to vaccination. The CVC Nodal Officer will ensure registration of all targeted beneficiaries and the facility of on-spot registration will also be available but only to employees of the workplace, the government has stated. Which vaccines will be administered? The Union government has clarified that only one type of vaccine will be provided for inoculation sessions at workplaces to avoid mixing vaccine types in the first and second dose of a beneficiary. Beneficiaries at offices, who have already received one dose of a vaccine different from the one being administered at the Work Place CVC shall not be vaccinated at a session in the Work Place CVC and they are expected to get the second dose of the same vaccine at an appropriate COVID vaccination centre. “However, those who have received the same vaccine as the first dose may be provided the second dose at the Work Place CVC,” the health ministry said. How much will the Covid-19 vaccine cost? MoHFW informed that the COVID-19 vaccination programme organised at government offices by the district health authorities will be free of cost, while those organised at private CVCs will be on a payment basis. The cost will be the same as that of vaccination at a private health facility. The Health Ministry said, "They are allowed to take service charge subject to a ceiling of ₹100 /- per person per dose and a vaccine cost of ₹150/- per person per dose. “Hence, the financial ceiling of the total amount recoverable by private health facility is INR 250/- per person per dose." (Image: PTI, Twitter-@MoHFW_INDIA)