With the objective of gearing up for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine across the country, the Central Government has asked all States and UTs to ensure effective preparedness for the vaccine rollout.

Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary, chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness at session sites for COVID-19 vaccination with Pr Secretaries (Health), NHM MDs and other health administrators of all States/UTs through video conference on 31 December.

The dry run will be conducted by all the State and UT governments on January 2, 2021. The activity is proposed to be conducted in all State Capitals in at least 3 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.

The planning for the vaccine introduction will be as per the Operational Guidelines issued by the Ministry on December 20, 2020.

The dry run will also equip the State and UT administration in management of vaccine supply, storage and logistics including cold chain management.

Around 96,000 vaccinators have been trained for this purpose. 2,360 participants have been trained in National Training of Trainers and over 57,000 participants trained in District level training in 719 districts.

An important focus of the dry run will be on the management of any possible adverse events following immunisation (AEFI). In addition, adherence and management of infection control practices at the session site, to prevent disease transmission.