Health Minister K K Shailaja said the preparation for the dry run or mock drill of COVID-19 vaccination in Kerala on January 3 had been completed.
The dry run would be held in four districts in Kerala. Thiruvananthapuram: Poozhanad Primary Health Centre, Peroorkada District Model Hospital, KIMS Hospital. Idukki: Vazhathope Primary Health Centre. Palakkad: Nenmara Community Health Centre. Wayanad: Kurukkamoola Primary Health Centre.
The dry run would be held for two hours, from 9am to 11am. The health minister said that 25 health officials each would be posted in the six centres where the dry run would be held. The exercise would be carried out just like the original and the minister said basic infrastructure including vaccine carriers had been kept ready.
"Kerala is ready for COVID-19 vaccination. Till now, 3.13 lakh health care workers have registered," Shailaja said. The health minister said 20 large ice-lined refrigerators, 1,800 vaccine carriers, 50 big cold boxes, 50 small cold boxes, and 12,000 ice packs had reached the state. The minister said 14 lakh one-time-use syringes would soon arrive.
This is in addition to the storage facility Kerala already has. The three regional vaccine stores in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode and the district vaccine stores together have three walk-in coolers and 521 ice-lined refrigerators (ILRs).
The primary health centres together have 1,589 ILRs. Sources said the vaccines, which will arrive in cold boxes in flights, will be stored in walk-in coolers at the 2-6 degree celsius. These will be transported in cold boxes to districts.
In the first stage of the programme, vaccination will be done on all health workers in the government and private sector, medical students, ASHA workers, ICDS and anganwadi workers.
Kerala expects 3.5 lakh healthcare workers and support staff in both public and private sector hospitals and dental clinics to be registered in the first phase.
