Telangana becomes the first state to launch a program for transporting vaccines to healthcare centers in remote areas using drones.
On Friday, September 11, India’s first trial program using drones to distribute COVID vaccinations will begin. The trial will take hold in Vikarabad and will go through October 17.
It will be the first state to conduct experiments with Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones under the title ‘Medicine From The Sky.’
The trial run at the parade ground was officially launched by Vikarabad District Collector K Nikhila.
On September 8, the state’s IT Minister, KT Rama Rao, verified the news in a tweet. About eight consortia, include Dunzo and Flipkart, are conducting trials for the Telangana government’s initiative.
Due to covid-19-induced lockdowns and regulatory approval delays, the project’s launch was postponed for several months.
While the country aims for 100% immunization, the current scenario necessitates a considerably greater penetration of vaccinations, particularly in rural regions. Drone-delivered vaccinations would be the first step in achieving this goal.
A drone’s maximum load is 3 kg, which is enough to transport at least two units of blood and a large number of vaccination vials. The drone-based delivery concept for essential medications and vaccinations will be used commercially if the trials are effective.
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It will primarily be used in emergencies and operated in tough-to-reach locations such as northeast India’s mountainous regions, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, where transporting medication and vaccinations is challenging, particularly during the monsoon season.