In a letter, the Union Health Ministry told states and Union Territories (UTs) to be prepared to receive the first supply of COVID-19 vaccine. “All the states and UTs are likely to receive the first supply of COVID-19 vaccine shortly,” Dr Pradeep Halder, advisor, Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) in the Health Ministry, said in the release, PTI reported.

“In this regard, you are requested to ensure the advance preparation and readiness for the acceptance of forthcoming supply of the vaccine,” he said.

The vaccine will be supplied to the identified consignee points of 19 states and UTs by the supplier, as per a communique issued by the Health Ministry.

These states and UTs are: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The vaccine for remaining 18 states and UTs will be received from their respective government medical store depots.

These states and UTs are:  Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Daman and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

The further distribution of vaccine to the districts will be done as per the registered beneficiaries, for which a separate communication will be done shortly, Halder said in his letter.

The country’s drug regulator, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, has granted approval to the two vaccines for their use in India.

One of them, Covishield, was developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca in collaboration with the University of Oxford. 

The other, Covaxin, is an indigenous shot developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat BioTech. The company on Thursday said it has enrolled volunteers for the phase III clinical trials of its vaccine.

The Health Ministry on Tuesday said it is prepared for COVID-19 vaccine roll-out within ten days of the vaccines getting approved for restricted emergency use on January 3, but a final decision on the launch date would be taken by the government.

Also read: Covishield, Covaxin will be available in India soon: Health Minister

Meanwhile, as a simulation of actual execution of COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, another round of dry run will be conducted in all districts of all states and union territories, except Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, on January 8 to ensure efficient planning and management for vaccine delivery in each district.