SHILLONG, Jan 10 – The Meghalaya Government today stated that the State Health Department is ready to join the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive, scheduled to begin on January 16.
“The State is ready to administer the COVID-19 vaccines as and when they arrive,” officials here said.The Union Government has announced that the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive would begin from January 16. In the first phase, three crore health care workers would be inoculated. The vaccination drive will be held from January 16 due to ensuing festivals like Makar Sankranti, Magh Bihu, Lohri and Pongal. In the first phase, two vaccines have been approved – Covishield and Covaxin.
After approval was accorded to the vaccines, the Union Government laid the groundwork by asking the States to conduct a dry run for the proposed vaccination programme. Meghalaya, too, conducted a dry run on January 2.
The State conducted the dry run in 33 health care centres across all the 11 districts of the State. Private and Missionary-run health care facilities were also included in the dry run, besides government facilities.
More than 600 health care workers participated in the dry run across the State. Moreover, representatives from the World Health Organisation, John Hopkins Programme for International Education and United Nations Development Programme were involved in monitoring the exercise.
The dry run was later reviewed by Sampath Kumar, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department.
As of today, Meghalaya has 168 active COVID-19 cases and 143 people have died of the infection so far.
