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.