Bengaluru, Jan 7 (IANS): Karnataka will conduct a Covid-19 vaccination dry run at 263 different places on Friday. This is part of the national programme to train and equip healthcare professionals to carry out the immunisation process whenever the vaccine is rolled out, Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Thursday.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday chaired a meeting via video conference with the health ministers of states and union territories, a day before the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination dry run.
After attending the meeting, Sudhakar said: "Vaccination should be a public movement with public participation. A detailed discussion was carried out with the central government regarding the preparation and distribution of Covid vaccine."
He added that earlier the dry run was planned at three locations in each district of the state, but now it will be conducted at seven locations in each district.
"This dry run will be held at 24 district hospitals, 20 medical colleges, 43 taluk hospitals, 31 community health centres, 87 primary health centres, 30 urban primary healthcare facilities and 28 private health centres across the state," Sudhakar said.
The Minister informed that the Centre has supplied 24 lakh syringes and Karnataka has 10 walk-in coolers, four walk-in freezers, 3,201 Ice Line Refrigerators (ILRs) 3,039 deep freezers, 3,312 cold boxes, 46,591 vaccine carriers and 2,25,749 ice packs.
He added that the Union government has also provided 64 large ILRs with a capacity of 225 litres each.
"Two more walk-in coolers and one walk-in freezer will be received from the central government," Sudhakar said.
He added that at present over 6.30 lakh healthcare workers serving in both the government and private sectors have registered for the vaccination and the window for the registration is still open.
"Union government will be providing one crore vaccines each to all states. Police, health workers, defence personnel and corona warriors will be administered the vaccine on priority basis," the Minister said.