Covid-19 vaccine dry run in Chhattisgarh on January 7, 8

A dry run to assess the readiness for the Covid-19 vaccination drive will be held in 21 districts of Chhattisgarh over the next two days, a senior state health official said on Wednesday.

Last week, a similar mock drill was held in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur and six other districts out of the total 28 districts in the state.

Now, it will be held in the remaining 21 districts for the assessment of preparation for the imminent coronavirus vaccination drive, mission director for National Health Mission in Chhattisgarh, Priyanka Shukla, told PTI.

The dry run will be conducted in Balrampur, Bijapur, Dantewada, Jashpur, Kanker, Kondagaon, Korea, Narayanpur, Sukma and Surajpur districts on Thursday, and in Balod, Raigarh, Balodabazar, Bemetara, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Janjgir- Champa, Kawardha, Korba, Mahasamund and Mungeli on Friday, the official said.

The chief medical and health officers (CMHOs) of these districts have been directed to make necessary arrangements for the drill that will be held in one urban and one rural centre of each district from 10 am to 2 pm, she said.

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After 5 pm, the district task force concerned will review the entire process and submit its report by January 9, the official said.

All necessary preparations like the selection of place, sending and receiving of mock vaccines, preparation of session in the Co-WIN app, and appointment of invigilator at the centre will be completed before the drill, she added.

Prior to the dry run, a state-level monitoring team will inspect the vaccination centres, she added.

Chhattisgarh's Covid-19 caseload reached 2,84,536 on Tuesday. Of these, 2,71,988 people have so far recovered, while 3,437 patients have till now died due to the disease, as per official figures.

The Drugs Controller General of India on Sunday approved Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute, and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for a massive inoculation drive.