NEW DELHI: Around 96,000 vaccinators have been trained for the Covid vaccination program that the government plans to implement in January once a vaccine is approved.
State governments, district officials and municipal commissioners have been asked to set up ground staff, logistics and IT systems to carry out the campaign that aims to cover 30 million million priority residents by July.
At a high-level meeting with all states and UT on Thursday, the Center asked them to ensure effective preparation. All states and UT will conduct a drill on January 2. “It is proposed that the activity take place in all state capitals in at least three session locations. Some states will also include districts that are located on difficult terrain or have poor logistics support,” said an official. Maharashtra and Kerala are likely to schedule the drill in major cities other than their capital.
TOI had reported on Thursday that the Health Ministry plans to conduct a nationwide drill prior to the implementation of the vaccination program.
The drug regulator’s panel of subject matter experts on the Covid vaccine will meet on January 1 to consider emergency use authorization for Covishield from the Serum Institute of India and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech.
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