A dry run for COVID-19 vaccination began in Manipur on Saturday at 10 sites selected for the purpose, officials said.
The dry run to check the preparedness of the system for actual vaccination exercise was conducted in 10 sites, five each in Thoubal and Imphal West districts. It was a part of the nationwide programme, the officials further said.
“We are ready to begin the vaccination as soon as the vaccine arrives in the state,” director Dr K Rajo of the state Health department told reporters during a weekly press briefing on COVID-19 status of the state. Preparations like selection of beneficiaries of the first phase of the vaccination programme, imparting training to officials and health workers to be engaged in the programme have been completed, he said. The Health director added that his department made 126 government healthcare centres as cold-chain points.
For the remote hill areas where no electricity supply is available, the department is preparing to run the cold-chain at 26 centres with solar power, he said. However, for the time being which vaccine will be used in the programme was yet to be confirmed, he maintained.
State immunisation nodal officer, Dr Th Nandakishore who is also in-charge of dry run for COVID-19 vaccination said that the dry run programme conducted today was a rehearsal for vaccination that will start soon. The mock drill was conducted to healthcare providers, ASHAs, health services and frontline health workers, he said. The officer also said that the state is targeting to vaccinate a total of 46,000 people mostly healthcare and frontline workers during the first phase.
For the state so far a list of 42, 711 who would be the beneficiaries of the first phase have been uploaded to the Co-WIN portal. Of this, 39,052 were health workers, he said.
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