The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday started a dry run of the coronavirus vaccination drive in four states -  Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Punjab -  in order to assess the preparation for it. It will be continued on Tuesday.

Focus on management of possible adverse events after immunisation, and dry runs that include checks on cold storage and transportation arrangements will be part of program that will be carried out in the selected districts in each state.

All the four states will report their observations to the centre recorded during the program. The government plans to cover 30-crore people in the first phase when it rolls out a vaccine for coronavirus. A total of 2,360 training sessions have been held so far, and 7,000 officials have been trained, including medical officers and vaccinators.

In Andhra Pradesh, the dry run that will take place in Krishna district is aimed at testing the planned operations and the laid-out mechanisms in the state, Health Commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar told before media on Sunday. Across the four states, five sessions will be held at identified locations with 25 test pre-identified beneficiaries - healthcare workers - for each session. 

Feasibility of Co-WIN, an electronic application that identifies beneficiaries, and prerequisites for vaccine introduction as per operational guidelines will be assessed.

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