CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Health Department will conduct a COVID-19 vaccination dry run in all districts of the state on Friday (January 8). The state had conducted the first rehearsal at 17 sites in five districts on Saturday and submitted its report to the Union government.
Health secretary J Radhakrishnan told reporters on Wednesday that the district collectors are making arrangements to ensure the vaccine is rolled out without any hassles. All the districts have already been trained on the vaccination drive ahead of the rehearsal on Friday.
"The Union government has also allotted 33 lakh syringes to the state in the first phase, of which 28 lakh syringes were received and these will be distributed to Chennai and also to all the health unit districts. Already we have 17 lakh syringes in the state," Radhakrishnan said.
During the rehearsal, the vaccinators and other health workers will be trained on various aspects including waiting, monitoring and maintaining the vaccine administration rooms. They will also see if there is physical distancing and how much time it takes to administer the vaccine to 100 people in one centre, apart from checking if the entry point is fine, the health secretary said.
Exclusive walk-in coolers are ready to preserve the vaccine. Though 47,000 session sites are ready, in the first phase, the vaccine will be administered to six lakh health workers in 3,000 session sites,
Radhakrishnan said.
Radhakrishnan said that the state is waiting for the transportation of vaccines and other details from the Union government. On January 7, the Union Health Secretary will have a meeting with all the state
Health Secretaries through video conferencing and more details will be sought then.
The health secretary also said that a separate team of officials has been appointed to oversee vaccine arrival work and its schedule.