Picture used for representational purpose only
UDHAGAMANDALAM: The dry run to check the best way to administer Covid-19 vaccine and address loopholes in logistics and training was held at three hospitals - Ooty Medical College Hospital, Coonoor Government Hospital and Nilakottai primary health centre in Gudalur taluk - in the Nilgiris on Saturday.
While inaugurating the drive at the Sait hospital, the maternity wing at the Ooty Medical College Hospital, collector J Innocent Divya said the vaccine would be administered on the health workers in the district in the first phase. “Their names have already been registered on the COVID-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) app. People aged above 50 years and those with comorbidities will also be included in the first phase.”
An identity check at the gate, a placebo injection in the vaccination room and a 30-minute wait in the observation room to note any adverse effect these were three crucial steps of the dry run for Covid-19 vaccines conducted in three places of Bengal on Saturday.
Seventy-five front line workers volunteered as recipients of the placebo during the dry run conducted at an urban primary health centre of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation at Salt Lake’s Duttabad, at the Amdanga Rural Hospital in North 24-Parganas and another urban primary health centre of Madhyamgram municipality. There were 25 volunteers at each of the sites.
COVID-19 vaccine- Serum Institute of India
In a major hope to battle the global pandemic, India has now granted approval to Covishield, Serum Institute of India’s vaccine candidate, as per sources. Gearing up for to begin the process of immunisation, a high-level meeting was also convened today today. Post which, it was announced that a dry vaccine drive that will be starting tomorrow, January 2. UK has already given its nod to the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use.
Covishield vaccine is likely to cost Rs 440 per person. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad recently announced the launch of the Covid-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) system to manage and keep track of the country-wide immunisation programme.