TIRUPATI: Safe disposal of biomedical waste that will be generated during the Covid-19 vaccination drive appears to have become a challenging job for the health care authorities in Andhra Pradesh.
The pandemic resulted in the rise of Covid-19 biomedical waste (CBMW) generation, including in Andhra Pradesh. This is causing concern as the authorities are worried about the safe disposal of CBMW during the vaccination drive as any mismanagement in tackling waste may snowball into a major crisis.
Medical waste will be in the form of syringes, vials, cotton swabs, gloves, among other such disposables. In the first phase while it be around 3.6 to 3.8 lakh healthcare workers, the second phase will include nearly 7 to 7.5 lakh frontline staff apart from 1 to 1.1 crore of those above 50 years will be vaccinated in the state. An equal number of disposable syringes and vials are required.
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reports, based on inputs provided by the…