Dry run for COVID-19 vaccine rollout in four states next week: Centre

NEW DELHI:  In another indication that a Covid-19 vaccination drive could soon begin in India, the Centre has planned a dry-run of the inoculation process in four states — Punjab, Gujarat, Assam and Andhra Pradesh — next week.

According to the plan, two districts in each of these states will check their preparedness in five types of medical settings — district hospitals, community and public healthcare centres, urban and rural areas, and private facilities on December 28 and 29.

Significantly, the exercise —  a precursor to the actual programme — will focus on management of any possible adverse events following immunisation besides conducting mock drills, checking usage of Co-WIN vaccine registration app, storage and transport preparedness, and crowd management.

Also, adherence and management of infection control practices at the site will be checked to ensure that the drive does not lead to disease transmission. 

Meanwhile a statement by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry said the dry run is meant “to strengthen the capacity of our human resource for  introduction and roll-out, detailed training modules have been developed for different categories of vaccine handlers and administrators including medical officers, vaccinators, alternate vaccinators, cold chain handlers, supervisors, data managers, ASHA coordinators and all others involved in the implementation process at different levels.”

Overall, 2,360 participants were trained during national-level training of trainers which comprised state immunisation officers, cold chain officers, IEC officials and development partners among others.