Taking steps to ensure implementation of Covid-19 vaccine roll out in the State, Haryana Health Department on Saturday conducted a dry run in the Panchkula district as planned by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW).
Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Rajeev Arora, said, “To ensure the smooth implementation of the Covid-19 Vaccine roll out, dry run had been planned by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) in Haryana on January 2, 2021. The primary aim to conduct the dry run was to exercise end to end testing of Covid-19 vaccination rollout so as to identify the challenges which will further help in formulating detailed plans for actual implementation of the vaccine roll out and also to provide confidence to programme managers at various levels. The dry run will also help to monitor and review the preparedness at the district and block levels and gather empirical data,” he added. Besides this, to ensure successful implementation of Covid-19 vaccine roll out a dry run has been planned across the state of Haryana on January 7, as well.
Arora said three session sites will be selected on January 7 in each district. Elaborating on the sites where dry run was conducted in Panchkula district on Saturday, he said the dry run was conducted at 4 identified sites with 2 sites in urban and rural settings each. The sites in urban areas are in Sector 4 Dispensary and Sector 8 Dispensary while in rural areas are in Primary Health Centre-Kot and Primary Health Centre-Raipur Rani.
The Platform of existing Universal immunization programme of State with enhanced capacity will be used for providing Covid-19 vaccine, specified Arora. As per guidelines given by GOI, the Covid-19 vaccine introduction will span over a year with multiple groups being included sequentially starting from Health Care Workers (HCWs). Category 1: Health care workers will be vaccinated. Category 2: Front line workers like Municipal and sanitary worker, State and Central Police force, Civil Defence, Armed forces will be vaccinated. Category 3: Population above 50 years of Age. Category 4: Population below 50 years with co-morbidities will be given vaccine”.
Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Haryana, Prabhjot Singh, said, “In total around over a span of a year, 67 lakhs Beneficiaries will be vaccinated in Haryana. These include Health Care Workers (HCW) approx. (2 lakh), Front line workers (4.5 lakhs), Population above 50 years (58 lakhs), Population below 50 years with co morbidities (2.25 lakhs). This activity is being supervised at all levels and state level observers have been deployed at each session site to oversee the overall implementation and identify any concerns for further interventions”.
Prabhjot Singh added a high level meeting was conducted in Panchkula to review the preparations of the dry run attended by Director NHM, State Extended Programme Immunization Officer, World Health Organization (WHO), United National Development Programme (UNDP), Civil Surgeon and District Immunization Officer, Panchkula apart from field teams of identified vaccination sites.
Hands on training on operationalisation and use of CoWIN platform for vaccine and beneficiary management was also given to the participants.