Civic authority is all set for the COVID-19 vaccine dry run to be conducted at its urban primary healthcare centre (UPHC) in KT Nagar on today between 9 am and 11 am. As per information, besides NMC’s UPHC, the vaccine dry run will be conducted at two more places in the district by other departments — at Daga Hospital in Nagpur city, and at Rural Hospital in Kamptee. Radhakrishnan B, Municipal Commissioner, said that the dry run is an important phase in war against COVID-19. It will be simulation of vaccination day, except for administering of real vaccine. The dry run is being conducted to check preparations for administration of vaccine, when it becomes available in future. The aim of the dry run is to assess preparations, identify issues and challenges so that those could be removed in days to come.
For the dry run, 25 healthcare workers have been identified as beneficiaries. Four vaccinating officers at KT Nagar UPHC will ascertain identity of the beneficiary; enter the data in a specially prepared computer application. After due process, the beneficiary participating in the dry run will be shifted to observation room where his parameters will be checked to record if there is any reaction. NMC, the district administration/Zilla Parishad, and Public Health Department will share their experiences of vaccination dry run conducted at KT Nagar UPHC, Rural Hospital at Kamptee, and Daga Hospital respectively. When COVID-19 vaccine becomes available in future, it will be administered in three phases.
In the first phase of the vaccination drive, vaccine will be given to healthcare workers. Frontline workers and vulnerable sections will get the vaccine in the second and the third phase of vaccination drive. As far as Nagpur city is concerned, data of 98 per cent of the healthcare workers had been entered into the system. So far, total 31,014 healthcare sector workers have enrolled including more than 11,000 from private hospitals in the city. The total number of healthcare workers includes doctors, paramedical staff, and non-medical staff of public and private hospitals both. Municipal Commissioner also said that extensive cold storage facilities were available in Nagpur for safe and proper transport and storage of the vaccine.
