The Centre has chosen Punjab to conduct a dry run of COVID-19 vaccine on December 28 and 29, state Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said on Thursday.
In an official statement in Chandigarh, he said, “The districts of Ludhiana; and Saheed Bhagat Singh Nagar have been selected for the dry run.”
Mr. Sidhu said the dry run is aimed at testing the laid out mechanisms; for the vaccination roll-out in the health systems.
He said, “It will provide insights on any gaps or bottlenecks so that those could be addressed before the commencement of the COVID-19 drive. The run is to be conducted in one or two districts under the overall leadership of the district collector/magistrate.”
The minister said immunisation partners the UNDP and the WHO at the state-level would support the dry run.
He said the drive is proposed to be conducted in four states i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, and Punjab.
