AMN / WEB DESK
The second nationwide mock drill on the COVID-19 vaccination will be held tomorrow at three session sites of 736 districts across 33 States and Union Territories. The objective of the mock drill is to simulate the actual vaccine administration event. The entire planning of the vaccination drive, including beneficiary registration, microplanning and vaccination at the planned session site, will be tested under the leadership of District Collector or District Magistrate. The dry run will also familiarize the state, district, block and hospital level officers on all aspects of COVID-19 roll out.
While reviewing the preparedness before the dry run with Health Ministers and Principal Secretaries of the States and UTs, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan appreciated the tireless efforts being made by the multiple stakeholders including the Central and State government officials and the medical community. He also expressed gratitude to the scientific community who have worked tirelessly for the two vaccines which have recently received the Emergency Use Authorization.
The Health Minister highlighted the unique digital platform, Co-WIN, repurposed from the e-VIN platform that will provide real time information of vaccine stocks, their storage temperature and individualized tracking of beneficiaries of the COVID-19 vaccine. He stated that more than 78 lakh beneficiaries have been already registered on the platform. He said, India has strongly fought against the COVID-19 pandemic during the one year and the country discovered indigenous vaccines. The Minister said COVID cases have also significantly reduced.
The Minister reassured all his State counterparts that the country’s cold chain infrastructure has been sufficiently upgraded to ensure last mile delivery and that adequate supplies of syringes and other logistics have also been provided for. Dr Harsh Vardhan requested the Health Ministers to be vigilant against rumours and disinformation campaigns regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. He rubbished the rumours being propagated on social media which are raising doubts in the mind of the public regarding the vaccine side-effects.
Dr Harsh Vardhan will be visiting Tamil Nadu tomorrow to personally review the preparedness and oversee the dry run operations at the scheduled sites. He will visit the sessions site at Government General Hospital, Chennai followed by the one at Government Omandurar Hospital, Chennai. In the afternoon Dr Harsh Vardhan will visit the private vaccination centre in Apollo Hospital, Chennai after a brief visit to the General Medical Store Depot (GMSD) in Periamedu.
The Health Minister will also visit the vaccination Centre at Chengalpattu. He will also be visiting the Hindustan Bio-Tech Ltd. Campus at Chengalpattu after concluding his supervision at these sites.
COVID vaccination dry run will also be conducted at 263 places in Karnataka tomorrow. Instead of three locations in each district, seven locations are chosen for the dry run in Karnataka.
In Kerala, dry run will take place across all the 14 districts in the State in 46 centres from 9am to 11am.
Maharashtra will join tomorrow’s countrywide COVID vaccination dry run by checking the preparedness of its systems in over thirty districts and 25 municipal corporations.