The Government on Monday launched a two-day dry run for coronavirus vaccine programme in Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Assam.
The focus of the dry run will be on management of possible adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) as well as on adherence and management of infection control practices at the session site to prevent disease transmission.
The mock drill is being carried out in Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh, in Rajkot and Gandhinagar in Gujarat, Ludhiana and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) in Punjab and Sonitpur and Nalbari districts in Assam.
The Centre had asked each of the four States to plan the dry run in two districts and preferably in five different session-type settings — district hospital, community health centre (CHC) or primary health care centre (PHC), urban site, private health facility and rural outreach.
At least 125 intended beneficiaries each in four States who had registered on the Co-WIN App were sent SMSes informing them about the time and place of their “Covid-19 vaccination” under a mock-drill and preparations made to administer the shots at designated centres.
It is being conducted to test the laid out mechanisms for Covid-19 vaccination in the States and provide insights into any gaps to be addressed before the commencement of the actual vaccination drive, according to officials.
They said the exercise tested the functionality of Co-WIN, which is an online platform for monitoring the delivery of Covid-19 vaccine, deployment of team members, checking cold storage, transportation arrangements and other arrangements while following all necessary protocols.
It will also include testing of cold storage and transportation arrangements for Covid-19 vaccine and management of crowds at session sites with proper physical distancing, the Ministry said.
As per the checklist shared with the States by the Union Health Ministry, beneficiaries will be pre-identified and an SMS will be sent to them in advance with the name of the vaccinator and the time of the immunisation.
After the vaccination, they will be under observation for the next 30 minutes to address any adverse event.
A report on the dry run listing the issues involved is to be submitted by the States to the Union Health Ministry besides the State Task Force for necessary action.
This will also provide hands-on experience to programme managers at various levels.
An important focus of the dry run will be on management of any possible adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) as well as on adherence and management of infection control practices at the session site to prevent disease transmission, it has said.
“The Central Government is gearing up for the rollout of Covid-19 vaccine across the country. As the vaccine administrators will play an important role in the immunisation process, training of trainers and those who shall administer the vaccine has been taken up across various States,” the Health Ministry had said, while announcing the mock drill.
To strengthen the human resource for the vaccine introduction and rollout, detailed training modules have been developed for different categories of vaccine handlers and administrators, including medical officers, vaccinators cold chain handlers, ASHA coordinators and all others involved in the implementation process at different levels.
To facilitate redressal of queries on Covid-19 vaccination and Co-WIN portal, national and State helpline capacity has also been strengthened.
The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration of Covid-19 (NEGVAC) has recommended three prioritised population groups including, healthcare workers (about 1 crore), frontline workers (about 2 crore), and prioritised age group (about 27 crore).
Tuesday, 29 December 2020 | PNS | New Delhi
