India to conduct Covid-19 vaccination dry run in all states on Jan 2

India today announced it would conduct a dry run of Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in all the states on January 2.

The first round of the dry run was successfully conducted in a limited area covering just eight districts of four states -- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Punjab -- on December 28-29 when no major issues were observed in the operational aspects, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

Buoyed by the success of the first dry run, Indian government expanded the scope of Saturday's mock drill covering all the states for the roll out of the vaccine and asked all the states and federally-ruled territories to ensure effective preparedness for the pan-India exercise.

Indian Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness for Covid-19 vaccination with senior officials of all states and federal territories through video conference today.

Saturday's dry run will be conducted in all state capitals in at least three sites and some states will also include districts that are situated in difficult terrains and have poor logistical support.

A key focus of the dry run, under which dummy vaccines will be given to 25 health workers in each state, will be on management of any possible adverse events following immunisation.

The objective of the new dry run for vaccine introduction is to assess operational feasibility in the use of digital platform Co-WIN in a field environment, to test the linkages between planning and implementation and to identify possible gaps prior to actual implementation.

Around 96,000 people have been trained as vaccine administrators for conducting the vaccination drive.