Bhubaneswar: A dry run for COVID-19 vaccination began at Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar, Saturday.
Health Department Additional Secretary Pradipta Mohapatra inaugurated the vaccination drive.
On this occasion, Mohapatra said that the vaccine is expected at any time in the state. “For this, the state has kept all the necessary arrangements in place. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gave clearance to the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) yesterday. We expect this vaccine to reach Odisha any day of this month,” he added.
Elaborating on the dry run, he said, “Ours is the only state where dry run is being conducted at 31 places that is 30 district headquarters hospitals (DHHs) and the Capital Hospital.”
He also informed that those administered with dummy vaccine Saturday will be registered as partially vaccinated and their records will be updated on the Co-WIN web portal.
Later when the vaccine reaches Odisha, physical verification of those to be vaccinated is to be carried and all the details will be updated on the Co-WIN web portal.
Once these processes completed, they will be administered with the vaccine. After vaccination, they will be discharged but not before 30 minutes of observation period.
Earlier Health and Family Welfare Department Director and Vaccine in-charge Bijay Panigrahi had said that the vaccines will be kept in the state vaccine store.
Later, the same will be sent to two regional vaccine stores and later district level vaccine stores. From there, the vaccines will be transported to 1,222 distribution centres.
PNN