PM Modi to interact with CMs on Monday over Covid situation, vaccine roll-out

New Delhi: As India is gearing up to receive the first shipment of Covid-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with chief ministers of all states on January 11 to discuss the COVID-19 situation and the vaccination roll-out in the country.

This will be Modi's first interaction with chief ministers following the recent approval of two coronavirus vaccines for restricted emergency use by India's drug regulator.

The second phase of the nationwide Coronavirus vaccination dry run to check the best way to vaccinate people against COVID-19 and plug loopholes in logistics and training was conducted on Friday in 737 districts across 33 states/UTs.

As per the Health Ministry communiqué, the states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh didn't participate in the second dry run as they have already gone through it in the first phase, which was conducted on January 2.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who is on a visit to Tamil Nadu to oversee the dry run campaign, said that the vaccines will be given to the citizens very soon.

"In a short time, India has done well by developing vaccines. In the next few days, in the near future, we should be able to give these vaccines to our countrymen. It will be given to our healthcare professional followed by frontline workers," Vardhan said, adding that all state health ministers have been asked to submit their inputs about the dry run.

During the dry run, over 25 health workers got dummy vaccines at each site, which is meant to test the mechanisms and check possible gaps in the system ahead of the actual vaccination drive, which is set to begin in the next week.

The second dry run was conducted in the states of Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, etc.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on the other hand, issued guidelines to all aircraft operators who plan to transport COVID-19 vaccines packed in dry ice to various parts of the country.

If vaccines packed in dry ice is being transported in the passenger cabin of an aircraft, then the flight crew should be properly trained on the hazards and risks of its transportation, the aviation regulator noted. Dry ice transforms into carbon dioxide gas at temperatures higher than -78 degrees Celsius under normal atmospheric pressure and, therefore, it is classified as "dangerous goods" by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it said.

The health ministry said the objective of the mock drill was to simulate the actual vaccine administration event. The entire planning of the vaccination drive including beneficiary registration, microplanning and vaccination at the planned session sites was tested under the leadership of district collector or district magistrate.

Commenting on the successful completion of dry run Bihar's Chapra district, District Magistrate Dr Nilesh Deore said, "There are about 17,000 people belonging to high priority group in the district. The dry run was held in the district hospital and all protocols were followed during the dummy vaccination campaign. The district is also ready for vaccination drive at panchayat level too."

"All health workers have been trained for the vaccination drive. The individuals would have to stay for 30 minutes at the vaccination centre after the vaccination," Deore said.