New Delhi (NVI): A dry run of the Covid-19 vaccination programme has begun in four states to test the planned operations and the laid-out mechanisms for the coronavirus inoculation drive.
The four states in which dry runs will be carried out are – Punjab, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
Two districts in each of these four states across India’s four zones will assess their preparedness in five different types of medical settings – district hospitals, Community and Public Healthcare Centres, urban and rural areas, and private facilities.
Five session sites in each district are likely to be established for the purpose of conducting the dry run.
The dry run will include testing for cold storage and transportation arrangements for the vaccine, managing crowds at session sites with proper physical distancing, and defining the role of vaccinators and other staff on vaccine-related duty.
In addition to this, it will be conducted to check the feasibility of the plan involving real-time monitoring via Co-WIN app and will not involve vaccine administration.
Co-WIN app is an online platform, which involves monitoring of vaccine delivery, testing receipt and allocation, deployment of team members, mock drill of session sites with test beneficiaries as well as reporting and evening meeting.
After the dry run, a report prepared will be reviewed by the State Task Force, which will be submitted to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The Centre plans to immunise 30 crore people in the first phase trials.
India, the second worst-hit country by the novel coronavirus pandemic, has been seeing a steady decline in its daily infections.
-CHK
