Coronavirus

India Tests Delivery System In Preparation Of COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

India plans to administer the vaccine to 300 million people in the first phase, including health care workers, police and military troops.

India Tests Delivery System In Preparation Of COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Altaf Qadri / AP

India tested its COVID-19 vaccine delivery system with a nationwide trial on Saturday as it waits for a vaccine to be approved. 

"As per the Government of India guidelines, we are doing the dry run today. Our arrangements are satisfactory," Arava Gopi Krishna from the District Magistrate Central in New Delhi said. "We have a waiting room, our vaccination room and monitoring area."

This comes a day after a panel of experts reviewed two potential vaccines, including one by Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca. 

India's health ministry said the trial included entering data into an online platform, testing cold storage and transportation arrangements for the vaccine. 

India plans to administer the vaccine to 300 million people in the first phase. Health care workers, police, military troops and people who are over the age of 50 will be first in line to receive the vaccine. 

The country's vaccination program is expected to start in a few days, once a vaccine is approved. 

India has the second most confirmed coronavirus cases in the world with more than 10.3 million cases. More than 149,000 people have died of the virus there.