‘1 day of Covaxin jabs in stock for city’s 45+ group’: Delhi govt

Centres offering Covaxin to those aged between 18 and 44 have already run out of stocks of the jab, and around 140 centres had to temporarily shut down last week because of this.

State government-run vaccine centres inoculating health care workers, frontline workers and those aged 45 and above only have Covaxin doses left for another day, the Delhi government said in its vaccine bulletin on Sunday.

Covishield is produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), while Covaxin is manufactured by Bharat Biotech. (HT_PRINT)

Centres offering Covaxin to those aged between 18 and 44 have already run out of stocks of the jab, and around 140 centres had to temporarily shut down last week because of this.

“We are facing difficulties getting Covaxin, and it has become a hurdle to widen the vaccination drive. The matter is more concerning for beneficiaries who have their second dose scheduled now. We request the central government to intervene in this regard at the earliest,” said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Atishi, during an online briefing.

However, the government-run centres have five days’ Covishield left for those aged above 45, and six days of the jab left for the 18-44 age group, the government’s vaccine bulletin said.

There are 470 government-run vaccine centres in the city for the former group and 353 for the latter.

Covishield is produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), while Covaxin is manufactured by Bharat Biotech.

To be sure, the above mentioned stocks exclude those centres under the Centre as well private facilities, which have their independent stocks.

While vaccine doses are free for the public in all government sites, private facilities charge ₹250 a dose for either vaccine for the 45-plus age group. For the 18-44 age group, private hospitals in Delhi charge ₹1,250 for Covaxin and ₹900 for Covishield.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said the central government was capping the number of vaccine doses even though states are allowed to procure vaccines on their own for the 18-44 age group beneficiaries, citing a letter by Bharat Biotech’s chairman and managing director Krishna Ella, who wrote back to Delhi’s principal secretary (health) expressing the company’s inability to send more doses since the supplies were capped by the Centre.