Dry run for COVID-19 vaccine administration to be held in AP, Assam, Gujarat, Punjab

A dry run has been planned for COVID-19 vaccine administration in four states in the country next week, as per a statement released by the Union government on Friday. The four states include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Punjab, and this is a preparatory step before the actual distribution takes off. According to the Union Health Ministry, each state will plan the dry run in two districts and preferably in different session type settings, for example, district hospitals, urban sites, private health facilities etc.

The dry run will also provide a hands-on experience to programme managers at various levels. The two-day activity is planned on December 28 and 29, and will include testing for cold storage and transportation arrangements for the COVID-19 vaccine and management of crowds at the session sites with proper physical distancing.

"This exercise will enable end-to-end mobilisation and testing of COVID-19 vaccination process and check the usage of the COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) system in the field environment," the ministry said in a statement. The government hopes that the dry run would identify challenges and guide the way forward prior to actual implementation.

An important focus of the dry run will be on management of any possible Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI). "The mock drill will include concurrent monitoring and review at the block and district levels and preparation of feedback to be shared with the state and Union Health Ministry. Detailed checklist has been prepared by the Union Health Ministry and shared with the four states to guide them in the dry run," added the ministry.

India has eight COVID-19 vaccine candidates, including three indigenous vaccines, under different stages of clinical trials which could be ready for authorisation in the near future. It includes AstraZeneca and Oxford University-developed and Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactured Covishield, Covaxin by Bharat Biotech Limited, ZyCoV-D by Zydus Cadila and Russian vaccine candidate Sputnik-V.

The Union government is gearing up for the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine across the country. As the vaccine administrators will play an important role in the vaccination process, training of those who shall administer the vaccine has been taken up across various states.

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