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Cloud over vaccination drive as Chandigarh awaits fresh doses
Left with 40,000 vaccine doses, health dept is expecting restock by August 5, with no certainty; the Chandigarh health department aims to vaccinate the entire eligible population with at least the first dose by August 15
Left with just 40,000 doses, the Chandigarh health department is waiting for the fresh stock of Covid vaccines from the central government.
Usually, the vaccine stocks are replenished by the end of month, but uncertainty prevails over the arrival of next assignment. The health department is, however, expecting the first batch of vaccines for the next month on August 5.
The Centre has allocated 2,17,200 vaccine doses for Chandigarh to be utilised in August.
Of the total doses, at least 1,69,160 will be given to the government sector for free inoculation, while the private hospitals in the city can buy up to 48,040 doses next month.
According to the latest electoral list, around 7.2 lakh people are eligible to be vaccinated in Chandigarh, of which 84% have so far received the first dose. The percentage of those who have been fully vaccinated is 26%.
The UT health department aims to vaccinate the entire eligible population with at least the first dose by August 15.
On average, the city is inoculating 9,000 to 10,000 beneficiaries everyday.
The count, however, crosses the 10,000-mark on some days. In the highest-ever inoculations in a day, the health department had vaccinated 13,735 people on July 24.
On Friday, as many as 8,217 people were vaccinated in Chandigarh. If the vaccination will go on at the same pace, the UT health department may fall short of doses in the first couple of days in August.
“The health department sends 15 mobile van vaccination teams to different rural and urban areas of the UT. Besides, we have started door-to-door vaccination in many areas so as to inoculate the disabled and senior citizens at their doorsteps. Also, vaccination camps have been set up in public areas, including Sukhna Lake. We are not having adequate vaccines to run such initiatives as the supply from the central government has been delayed,” said a senior official of the health department, on the condition of anonymity.
Due to the delay in supply, the UT health department is likely to face challenges in meeting the target of vaccinating the eligible population by mid-August as many centres may soon run out of the vaccines completely.
“The stock hasn’t dried out and we would receive the fresh stock soon. At present, we have 40,000 vaccine doses available in the government centres. People can walk in and take their first and second dose,” said Dr Amandeep Kang, director health services (DHS), Chandigarh, adding that the health department is making all efforts to vaccinate the eligible population before August 15.
