Dry run makes India vaccine-ready: No operational issues detected |

In preparation towards covid vaccination, a dry run was conducted in all the States and UTs on Saturday. The dry run was a mock exercise involving all the logistics
and the operative part, except the actual vaccine. No glitches were
detected.
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NEW DELHI, Jan 2: India conducted a dry run of the covid vaccination on Saturday
in all the States and Union Territories to ensure foolproof arrangements when
the vaccine arrives. Earlier it was done in the four States of Assam, Andhra
Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat on 28-29 December in two districts with 25 'beneficiaries',
each.
A dry run is a mock exercise involving all the logistics to check the readiness
and find out the glitches, if any, so that the actual rollout goes on smoothly
when it really happens. It is similar to a rehearsal - only that the vaccine
is not there.
During the dry run, each designated vaccine centre conducted all the stages
like registering test beneficiaries in Co-Win App database, verifying their
ID cards, mock vaccination and post-vaccination observation. Here the participants
were the health workers and other staff deployed at the centre.
The logistics being tested included prompt transportation of the vaccine at
the required temperature to the airports and onward to the vaccination centres
as well as the arrangements at the centres. Each centre had three compartments
for registration, vaccination and observation. A health centre was also linked
to the centre to handle any emergencies in case anyone develops any adverse
events. There was separate entry and exit in the 'three-room set-up' as part
of the elaborate guidelines being implemented to prevent covid infection at
the sites.
India has had tremendous experience of vaccination in the last over 50 years
with universal inoculation of BCG, polio etc. The knowledge and experience
acquired from these exercises helped the Government to streamline the infra
for the covid vaccination.
The actual rollout is expected to begin in a week or two as one of the vaccines
being manufactured in India, Covishield, developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca,
and tested and manufactured in the country on lease by the Serum Institute of
India in Pune, has received the expert committee recommendation for the final
DCGI approval of marketing authorisation.
All the States and UTs conducted the dry run at a minimum of three sites in
the Capitals as well as inaccessible places which have poor logistical support
with 25 'beneficiaries' each.
Free vaccine for healthcare workers
One crore health workers and two crore frontline workers will be given free
vaccine in the first phase. Details of next 27 crore priority beneficiaries
are being finalised.
"The objective of the dry run for Covid-19 vaccine introduction is to assess
operational feasibility in the use of Co-WIN application in a field environment,
to test the linkages between planning and implementation and to identify the
challenges and guide way forward prior to actual implementation. This is also
expected to give confidence to programme managers at various levels," the Health
Ministry said.
The focus of the dry run was management of vaccine supply, storage and other
logistics including cold chain management, according to the Ministry.
There were no major issues in the first trial run in the four States held earlier.
All the States are now well-equipped to handle the gigantic operation ahead.
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