The dry run for COVID19 vaccination began at Neeruganti Street Urban Health Centre in the city and at 140 session sites identified in Anantapur district on Friday. It will cater to the needs of close to 40,000 primarily healthcare workers in government and private sector.
Anantapur Joint Collector (V&WS) A. Siri and District Medical and Health Officer Y. Kameswara Prasad oversaw the arrangements made for the dry run and preparedness of the identified staff for conducting the process either by the January-end or the first week of February.
In the second phase, all mandal level schools and offices would become the session sites for administering the vaccine.
Software glitch fixed
A glitch during the registration of the beneficiaries on the Co-WIN portal did not allow the officials in Anantapur, Kadapa and Nellore districts to conduct an online live ‘dry run’, but with the software bugs rectified on Friday, 70 names were registered by Friday morning and the beneficiaries at the UHS, were made to sit keeping a safe distance, show their identity proofs. A digital assistant matched the documents with the information on the app.
In the simulation exercise, a waiting room was arranged where people after the vaccination were made to wait for 30 minutes to observe any side-effects.
“A number of hospitals and CHCs were tied up with the 140 vaccination sites so that in case of any complications they could be treated. A team of experts such as pulmonologist, cardiologist and others has been constituted to refer the severe cases to them,” said Ms. Siri.
“The Government General Hospital has kept 20 beds ready for any eventuality to treat patients from the contraindications due to vaccination,” said GGH Superintendent M. Ramaswamy Naik.
