A dry run will be conducted by all the State and Union Territory governments on January 2 with the objective of preparing for the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine across the country, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.
“The activity is proposed to be conducted in all State Capitals in at least three session sites; some States will also include districts that are situated in difficult terrain/have poor logistical support; Maharashtra and Kerala are likely to schedule the dry run in major cities other than their Capital,” noted the Ministry.
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Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness at session sites and noted that the objective of the dry run for COVID-19 vaccine introduction is to assess operational feasibility in the use of Co-WIN application in 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,” he said.
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The Ministry added that the planning for the vaccine introduction would be as per the Operational Guidelines issued by the Ministry on December 20.
For each of the three session sites the medical officer in-charge concerned will identify 25 test beneficiaries (healthcare workers).
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“The States/UTs have been asked to ensure that the data of these beneficiaries is uploaded in Co-WIN. These beneficiaries will also be available at the session site for the dry run. The States and UTs shall prepare the facilities and users to be created on Co-WIN application, including uploading the data of Health Care Worker (HCW) beneficiaries,” added the Ministry.
Physical verification of sites
It added that the States/UTs had been asked to ensure physical verification of all proposed sites for adequacy of space, logistical arrangements, internet connectivity, electricity and safety.
They have also been asked to prepare at least three model session sites in each State (at State capital) for demonstration.
The dry run will also equip the State and UT administrations in management of vaccine supply, storage and logistics, including cold chain management.
“An important focus of the dry run will be on management of any possible adverse events following immunisation (AEFI). The mock drill will include concurrent monitoring a review at the block and district levels, and preparation of feedback. The State Task Force shall review the feedback and share with the Union Health Ministry,” noted the Ministry.
The States/UTs were also asked to address the communication challenges by taking in confidence all the stakeholders concerned and by augmenting the community engagement ‘Jan bhagidari’ through innovative strategies.
A detailed checklist has been prepared by the Union Health Ministry and shared with the States/UTs to guide them in the dry run.
The first round of the dry run was conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Punjab on December 28-29 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 largescale programme implementation,” said the Ministry.
