Government prepares for pan-India dry run ahead of the COVID-19 vaccination drive

NEW DELHI: As part of the preparations for a vaccination drive, the Government of India has directed all states and union territories to conduct a dry run for the COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 2.  The first dry run was conducted only in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, and Punjab on December 28 and 29. This second dry run aims to test the linkages between planning and implementation to identify the challenges system might face during the process. An important focus of the programme is to be on the management of any possible adverse events following immunization.

The Centre has directed all the state capitals to conduct a dry run in at least three session sites on January 2. Some states have also decided to include districts that are situated in difficult terrain or have poor logistical support. The dry run for vaccine introduction will involve the entire process of transporting the vaccines from storage to the site, administering them to candidates, feeding data on Co-WIN app, only without a real vaccine. This mock drill will also have vaccination officers practice managing crowd and maintaining social distancing guidelines inside the booth.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfares mentioned that the objective of the dry run for COVID-19 vaccination drive is to assess operational feasibility in the use of Co-WIN application in the field environment. The statement from the Ministry added, “The dry run is expected to give confidence to programme managers at various levels as well.”