The dry run or mock drill for COVID-19 vaccine roll out in Kerala will begin on Saturday, state Health Minister KK Shailaja teacher confirmed on Friday. The dry run will take place in four districts. In Thiruvananthapuram, the drill will be held at the Puzhanad Primary Health Centre, Peroorkada District Hospital and KIMS hospital. In Idukki district, the Vazhathoppu Primary Health Centre will carry out the dry run. In Palakkad district, the dry run will be held in the Nenmara Community Health Centre, and the Kurkkamoola Primary Health Centre in Wayanad will have the dry runs.
The drill will be conducted from 9 am to 11 am and around 25 health workers will participate in each centre. The mock drill will be conducted sticking to all procedures that will precede a real COVID-19 vaccination drive, including pre-registering of people. All arrangements including vaccine carriers (cold-storage boxes) have been made ready, the Health Minister confirmed.
A total of 3.13 lakh people have registered so far in Kerala for COVID-19 vaccination. The state has arranged 1800 units of the large MLR 20 vaccine carrier, 50 big cold boxes, 50 small cold boxes etc. Kerala has also bought 14 lakh one-time use syringes.
In the first phase, all health workers from private and government institutions, medical students, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, ICCS workers etc will get vaccinated.
Meanwhile the state has reduced the price of COVID-19 tests at private labs.
According to a statement from KK Shailaja the revised rate for RT-PCR test will be Rs 1500, Rs 2500 for the NAAT test, Rs 1500 for TrueNAT, Rs 1150 for RT-LAMP and Rs 300 for rapid antigen test. The Minister has made it clear that the revised rate comprises all the charges in the lab and labs are prohibited from charging a higher rate. "COVID-19 tests are allowed only at these rates at the labs recognised by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and by the state government," the statement read. This is the second time that the rate for COVID-19 tests has been reduced in the state.