Four States to Conduct Dry Run for Corona Virus Vaccine in India

Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, and Punjab are all set to commence a two-day dry run for the corona virus vaccination program, underlining a significant milestone in the fight against coronavirus for the country. During the course of the dry run, the focus will be on the identification and management of the possible contingencies during the course of the inoculation drive.

Checks on the cold storage of the vaccine, transportation infrastructure, communications, coordination amongst various organizations involved will be some of the key aspects to be ascertained during the course of the dry run.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, “As the vaccine administrators will play an important role in the coronavirus vaccination process, training of trainers and those who shall administer the vaccine has been taken up across various States.”

“The training includes all operational aspects of training like organization of vaccination sessions, use of Co-WIN IT platform for the management of the entire vaccination process, deployment of HR cold chain preparedness, management of adverse events, communications and intersectoral coordination, biomedical waste management, infection prevention protocols etc.,” the ministry added.

Detailed training modules have been prepared for various categories of vaccine handlers and administrators to augment the required expertise amongst personnel, who will be involved in the vaccination drive. These include – medical officers, vaccinators, alternate vaccinators, storage specialists, data managers, ASHA coordinators and others.

Each of the states involved have identified two districts each to undertake the dry run and will report their findings back to the centre, which will help hone the plan for the eventual roll-out of the vaccine.

The state of Andhra Pradesh will undertake the dry run in Krishna District, informed Health Commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar. The dry run will test the planning, operations, and protocols that the state has developed for the vaccination.
“It will provide insights into any gaps or bottlenecks so that those could be addressed before the commencement of the actual drive,” he told the news agency PTI.