Dry run for COVID-19 vaccination begins in Kolkata

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 2 : A dry run of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is being conducted at Primary Healthcare Centre under Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation in Kolkata on Saturday.
A dry run is being conducted across all states and Union Territories today.
The activity is proposed to be conducted in all state capitals in at least three 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 cities.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan also visited Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital in Delhi to review the dry run of administering the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the objective of the dry run for COVID-19 vaccine introduction is to "assess operational feasibility in the use of COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (Co-WIN) application in a field environment, to test the linkages between planning and implementation and to identify the challenges and guide the way forward prior to actual implementation".
The first round of the dry run was conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Punjab on December 28-29, 2020 in two districts each where five-session sites with 25 beneficiaries each were identified.
"Feedbacks received after the dry run in four states were included in guidelines for vaccination and today's dry run in all states and UTs is being conducted as per new guidelines. Except for giving the actual vaccine, every procedure is being followed during the drill," said the Union Health Minister.