Here’s how India’s second nationwide Covid vaccination dry run unfolded

A second dry run for the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out was conducted in select hospitals across the country on Friday, five days after the first mock drill was held. The nationwide exercise was done to understand the best way to administer the vaccine and plug loopholes in logistics and training.

India, which has more than one crore four lakh cases of infection so far, will soon conduct the largest vaccination drive in the world. In the national capital, the exercise took place in South Delhi, South-East Delhi, North-West Delhi and New Delhi.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had earlier said the COVID-19 vaccine will be provided to the people of Delhi for free once it arrives and asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had made all preparations for the vaccination drive.

In Kolkata too, second dry run of Covid-19 vaccine was carried out in a couple of hospitals, including SSKM hospital.

Addressing a press conference in Chennai, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the vaccines will be given to the citizens of india very soon.

Harsh Vardhan said the central government had started planning for the vaccination drive nearly five months ago, and was using the mock drills to learn more and ensure states are prepared for the vaccination drive.

Vaccination dry run in progress at a primary school in Mohammedpura, Ahmedabad.

The second dry run of Covid vaccine at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Yerwada, Pune, on Friday.

In Mumbai, as many as 15 vaccination units have been set up and 25 healthcare workers were selected for Friday’s dry-run for vaccine administration.

In Kerala, the dry run took place from 9 am to 11 am at 46 centres across 14 districts which included medical college hospitals, district and taluk hospitals, private hospitals and primary health centres.

In Karnataka, the trial run was carried out in six centres in each of the state’s 30 districts, and covered district hospitals, medical college hospitals (government and private), urban primary health centres, taluk hospitals, primary health centres, community health centres, and private hospitals.