Third COVID vaccination dry run in all states on Jan 8

The third dry run for coronavirus vaccination will be conducted in all states on Friday (January 8), sources said. The first dry run was conducted on December 28 and 29 in four states — Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Punjab and the second one was held in all states and Union territories on January 2.

The dry run will involve registration, verification, mock vaccination and post-vaccine shot observation. All safety protocols shall be maintained during the mock drill. Like the previous dry run, the day-long third mock drill will also test the COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) application on the field.

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The ministry said preparations are in place to roll out nation-wide vaccination programme within 10 days. However, the final decision for the vaccination drive shall be taken by the Centre, it said.

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The Centre plans to rush a high-level team to Kerala amid a surge in the number of cases in the state. Kerala has been witnessing an increase in cases in the last seven days. The state recorded 35,038 new cases over a week. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday (January 6) that it will send the high-level team to support the state in its fight against COVID-19.