Covid vaccine dry run in India: Take a look at pivotal task going on in Assam, Andhra, Gujarat, Punjab

Covid vaccine dry run in India: Beneficiaries in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Punjab were selected after they registered through the CoWIN App. (Reuters image)Covid vaccine dry run in India: India has begun the Covid-19 vaccine dry run as we all are waiting for the commencement of the Coronavirus vaccination drive, likely to be held in January. The crucial exercise can be seen as a curtain-raiser before the big task of vaccinating crores of people against the highly contagious Coronavirus. The two-day dry run process has begun in four states— Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Punjab. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had shared a checklist with the state authorities. Beneficiaries in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Punjab were selected after they registered through the CoWIN App. They were informed via SMSes about the timer and sites of mock-drill of vaccination or the dry-run, according to a report by The Indian Express (IE).

In Andhra Pradesh, the dry-run process is being conducted in the Krishna district. The sites of vaccine dry run are Government General Hospital at Vijayawada; Uppuluru PHC, Penmaluru and Prakash Nagar rural PHCs; and Purna Health Institute, Vijayawada. Around 25 healthcare workers were identified for each site for the vaccine dry run, the IE report says.

In Assam, the mock drill has been going on in Sonitpur and Nalbari districts. As many as five hospitals in each of Nalbari and Sonitpur districts were selected for the Covid-19 vaccine dry run exercise, according to a PTI report.

In Punjab, Ludhiana and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar are witnessing the pivotal task of a vaccine dry run. In Ludhiana, seven places such as Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Civil Hospital Ludhiana, and civil hospitals in Payal, Jagraon, Khanna, Riakot, and Macchiwara subdivisions have been selected for the exercise. A total of 175 health workers are part of the dry run in Ludhiana and Additional 125 health workers are taking part in Nawanshahr in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district taking the number of participants to 300, Civil Surgeon in Ludhiana Dr. Rajesh Kumar Bagga was quoted as saying by IE.

In Gujarat, four places in Gandhinagar district have been selected for the exercise. In Gandhinagar, the Vaccine dry run was held at Adalaj PHC, Adalaj CHC, Tarapur sub-center, and Aashka hospital. The sites include both private and government facilities. In Rajkot, five booths – Padmakunvarba Hospital and Shyamnagar Arogya Kendra, both run by Rajkot Municipal Corporation, Sheth High School, municipal school No. 23, and Sterling Hospital, a private hospital – have been identified.