India's Covid vaccination mock drill: planning, logistics to be in focus

96,000 vaccinators trained for world's largest immunisation exercise so far. A helpline is being started by states for any vaccine-related queries

Barely days away from the roll-out of a Covid-19 vaccine in India, the Centre has directed all the states and Union Territories (UTs) to conduct a dry run of the immunisation drive on Saturday to check the preparedness of the healthcare ecosystem. The drill will also test the health authorities’ abilities to manage vaccine supply, storage and logistics, including cold chain management. 

The government has trained 96,000 vaccinators so far for the world’s largest immunisation exercise. A helpline, 104, is also being augmented by states for any vaccine-related queries. 

“The objective of the dry run is to assess operational feasibility in the