2nd dry run of Covid-19 vaccine on 2 Jan in India; 83 crore syringes to be purchased

Jan. 2: India conducted a dry run for COVID-19 vaccination exercise in two districts each of four states at the four corners- Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab on 28 & 29 December. The pilot dry run project was run without any hitch. Now, the second dry run for COVID vaccine will be held in all states on Saturday, 2 January, 2021. The process, in which participants receive dummy COVID vaccines, is meant to test the mechanisms and reveal possible gaps in the system ahead of the actual vaccination drive.

An expert panel constituted by the Union health Ministry is examining applications from three firms – the Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech and Pfizer. Of these, the ‘Covishield’ — developed by Oxford University and Pharma major AstraZeneca – that’s being manufactured by Serum Institute is seen as a frontrunner. Meanwhile, as per reports, the centre has ordered to purchase 83 crore syringes.