NEW DELHI:
Security has been stepped up at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital from where the first consignment of Covishield vaccines from Pune will be transported to different parts of the city on Tuesday, police said.
Companies, logistics firms, governments and hospitals are already ramping up infrastructure to safeguard vials of Covid vaccine against the looming risk of theft, burglary and pilferage. That’s not all — both vaccine makers and governments need to be alert to the possibility of counterfeiting and a potential grey market.
A SpiceJet flight carrying the vaccines landed at the Delhi airport around 10 am on Tuesday, four days ahead of the launch of a nationwide drive against the coronavirus.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said four airlines will operate nine flights to transport 56.5 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Pune to 13 cities across the country on Tuesday
Vaccine movement has started, he said on Twitter, adding that first two flights operated by "SpiceJet and GoAir from Pune to Delhi and Chennai have taken off"
Three temperature-controlled trucks rolled out of the Serum Institute gates shortly before 5 am and left for Pune airport, from where the vaccines will be flown across India
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Rajeev Ranjan said PCR vans along with local police will escort the vehicles carrying vaccines to its designated places. He said sufficient security arrangements have been put in place to facilitate the transportation of vaccines.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Manish Agarwal said, "If any schedule and movement of vaccine is shared with us and if facilitation is asked for, we will provide it."
The Delhi Traffic Police said it will ensure smooth movement of the vehicles carrying the vaccines.
Adequate police arrangements have been made at the storage sites, and PCR vans will also cover these units in their patrolling plans, police said.
The police control room has also been directed to respond promptly to calls from cold storage points, vaccination sites, and immediately pass on the information to PCR vans, local police, traffic police and any other agency, they said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahadra) Amit Sharma said, "We have deployed the personnel at the storage area of the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital.
Spicejet will transport bulk vaccine consignments to several cities as state authorities prepare to launch the distribution process.
“Today marks the beginning of a long and decisive phase in India’s fight against the pandemic and SpiceJet is proud to assist in the biggest vaccination drive in the history of mankind,” the airline’s chairman and managing director, Ajay Singh, said.