Gangtok, January 3: The Health Department of Sikkim on January 2, 2020, conducted a dry run of a COVID-19 vaccination at the old STNM premises at the capital. The session was conducted with the direction of the Union Health Ministry to ensure readiness in future COVID-19 vaccination and to find loopholes or challenges so that the authorities could tackle it beforehand.
A total of 25 candidates participated in the mock drill, following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) throughout the process. Dr Phumzay Denzongpa, State Immunization Officer while interacting with the media stated that, “due to calendar holidays unlike other states, we had requested the Union ministry to postpone the drill but then since it was a nationwide program we had to move according to the directives”.
Concerning the vaccine storage, the SIO mentioned that there will not be any kind of problems for the storage of vaccine in future at any level of the state and that the upgradation of the storage was done during the HPV vaccination earlier.
She further informed, “According to the plans of the centre and state health ministry the hospital workers including doctors, sisters and other related individuals will be the first one to receive the COVID-19 vaccine”.
Clarifying the process for the COVID-19 vaccination, he also mentioned that the recipient has to first complete an online procedure in which they have to be registered in the CO-WIN software, post which further directives will be given to the recipient.