| 02 JANUARY 2021 COVID-19 VACCINE DRY RUN STARTED A nationwide dry run for Covid -19 vaccination has started. The mock drill will ensure the phase 1 of the vaccine without any glitch and will also test a Co-WIN application developed specifically for the Covid-19 vaccination drive. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan reviewed the preparedness of the dry run. A two-day trial run was already conducted on December 28 and December 29 in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat. Meanwhile COVISHIELD, the vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII) was approved by a Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Drugs Controller General of India (DGGI) on 1 January 2021. Covishield is equivalent to the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which was approved by the health regulator in the UK under emergency use conditions. As part of the nationwide dry run, Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Palakkad and Wayanad have been selected for the vaccine administration in the state. Six sites were chosen in the four districts and at each site, 25 health-care workers who will be the immediate beneficiaries of the vaccine participated in the dry run on 2 January, 2021. All preparations for the vaccine and primarily testing of the electronic application, CoWIN (Covid-19 vaccine Intelligence Network) were made for the smooth and seamless facilitation of the entire vaccine process in the state. The Health Ministry has decided to take immediate steps to take up elaborate communication strategy to counter issues arising out of vaccine hesitancy and alleviate apprehensions of the vaccine. The strategy also seeks to build trust and confidence in the vaccine, making propaganda through media, community groups and celebrities in the country. The Call Centre/Helpline Nos. 104/1075 is also kept ready for redressal of any queries. |
