Maharashtra and Kerala are likely to schedule the dry run in major cities other than their capital.
A dry run for COVID-19 vaccination will be conducted by all state and union territory administrations on January 2 to test the linkages between planning and implementation and to identify the challenges, the Centre said on Thursday. The activity is proposed to be conducted in all state capitals in at least three session sites and some states will also include districts that are situated in difficult terrain or have poor logistical support. Maharashtra and Kerala are likely to schedule the dry run in major cities other than their capital. The objective of the dry run for COVID-19 vaccine introduction is to assess operational feasibility, to test the linkages between planning and implementation, and to identify the challenges and guide way forward prior to actual implementation, the government has said. This is also expected to give confidence to programme managers at various levels. The central government has also asked all states and UTs to ensure effective preparedness for the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness at session sites for COVID-19 vaccination with principal secretaries (Health) and other health administrators of all states and UTs through video-conferencing. The states and Union Territories have been asked to ensure physical verification of all proposed sites for adequacy of space, logistical arrangements, internet connectivity, electricity, safety etc and prepare at least three model session sites in each State (at State capital) for demonstration. States must ensure that the model sites have separate entry and exit in a ‘three-room set-up’ with adequate space outside for awareness generation activities. States should ensure that all SOPs and protocols are being practiced at the identified sites in an ideal environment along with vaccination teams to be identified and trained in all aspects. The dry run will also equip the administration in states and UTs in management of vaccine supply, storage and logistics including cold chain management. The first round of the dry run was conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Punjab on December 28 and 29 in two districts each, where five session sites with 25 beneficiaries each were identified. No major issues were observed in the operational aspects during this dry run. All states expressed confidence in the operational guidelines and IT platform for large scale programme implementation, the government said.
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