India to begin vaccine dry runs across the country from January 2

After concluding similar dry runs in four states, the Health Ministry has decided to conduct a vaccine dry run across the country from January 2, 2021.

A two-day dry run was conducted by the government over December 28 and 29 in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Gujarat.

These drills are being conducted in an effort to ensure that the mega drive is carried out smoothly once a vaccine is approved for use.

The government plans to vaccinate 300 million people in the first round of its Covid-19 inoculation programme. State governments, district officials and municipal commissioners have been asked to get ground staff, logistics and IT systems in place to carry out the vaccination drive in a 148-page operational guidelines document drawn up by the health ministry and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19. The inoculation programme is expected to start in January 2021.

With the UK approving the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, India's regulator is expected to follow suit.

Vaccinations would start with Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) based on the Oxford-AZ technology. SII has manufactured close to 50 million doses in anticipation of emergency approval by the Indian regulator.

The vaccination drive in India will be restricted to priority groups at first. "In the first six months there will be a shortage of vaccines," SII CEO Adar Poonawalla had said earlier this week.

In the first phase, priority will be given to healthcare workers and frontline workers. Next will be the population of 50 years and above, followed by those below 50 with comorbidities. Within the priority age group, the health ministry document said those above 60 may be prioritised in the first phase.

The general population will be vaccinated based on disease epidemiology and vaccine availability, the health ministry said. Those seeking the vaccine will have to register themselves on the Co-Win19 website, the IT backbone that will keep track of the drive.

Storage preparation
On the storage front, India will use about 29,000 cold-chain points, 240 walk-in coolers, 70 walk-in freezers, 45,000 ice-lined refrigerators, 41,000 deep freezers and 300 solar refrigerators. Maharashtra has the maximum cold chain points, iced line freezers and deep freezers to store vaccines, followed by Gujarat.

The health ministry has also asked various departments involved in the vaccination programme to report any adverse events.

"Beneficiaries should be observed at the session site for at least 30 minutes post-vaccination to detect, manage and treat immediate adverse reactions," the health ministry advised.

Programme managers and implementers must plan to prevent and minimise preventable Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFIs), it said.