Health dept to use only Covaxin to inoculate 18-44 age group

The district health department said on Tuesday that it was holding back Covishield doses for people in the 18-44 age group due to limited allocation of the vaccine by the state

The district health department said on Tuesday that it was holding back Covishield doses for people in the 18-44 age group due to limited allocation of the vaccine by the state. Instead, roughly about 4,500 doses of Covaxin will be administered to those above 18 years at 37 government health centres on Wednesday.

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“Over 13,000 doses of Covishield were received by the state administration on Tuesday. These doses will be used for the second dose for people aged above 45 years at various vaccination centres. There has been no additional supply of Covishield doses for 18 to 44 years. The vaccination for those above 18 years will not halt, as over 4,500 doses of Covaxin have been allocated for them,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer.

Fewer than 2,000 doses of Covishield are currently available for the 18-44 group, which, according to the district immunisation officer, Dr MP Singh, will be given at the Polyclinic in Sector 31 on Wednesday. “Only some doses of Covishield are left, therefore, it can be given to only one centre. It is likely to be utilised within a day. The remaining 36 centres will be given Covaxin for inoculation on Wednesday,” he said.

The inoculation of residents aged above 18 years started on May 1. The vaccination pace, however, declined due to limited availability of the vaccine stock and shutting down of vaccination centres at most private hospitals, as they were unable to procure the stock from manufacturers.

The vaccine stock that was to be used only for the prioritised population group has been now allocated in two categories, for the 18-44 year group and 45 years and above group. Many vaccine beneficiaries have also been facing difficulties getting their shot due to low stock.

On Tuesday, the union ministry of health and family welfare in a meeting with the states stressed the urgent need to inoculate the large number of beneficiaries who are waiting for the second dose. States have been directed to reserve 70% of the allocated stock for second dose vaccinations and the remaining 30% for those taking the first dose.

For the 45 and above group, the district has a stock of over 23,000 doses. On Tuesday, at least 11,049 people took the first vaccine shot, including 4,224 (3,597 in government health centres and 627 in private hospitals) in the 18-44 category. As many as 5,226 took their second vaccine shot at government sites and 152 at private facilities.

The next allocation of the vaccine doses from the centre to states for May 15 to 31 is likely to be conveyed on May 14. Based on that, states will have to plan their vaccination sessions. “It is expected that Covishield inoculation for 18 and above will be on halt for some time now,” said Yadav.

The vaccination process was drastically impacted after private hospitals were asked to procure vaccines directly from the manufacturers from May 1. Many shut down their centres, while only two private hospitals, Fortis and Max, are inoculating those aged 18 to 44 years. The state has now been directed to coordinate with private hospitals to facilitate procurement directly from the manufacturers to accelerate the vaccination process.

Time slot for booking appointments on Co-WIN

Addressing the problem faced by vaccine beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group to book online appointments for their shots, the district health department has fixed 6pm to 7pm as the time slot for residents to book their slots on the Co-WIN platform.

“Only people above 45 years scheduled for the second dose can directly walk in, for they are already registered on Co-WIN. Even those above 45 years, who are yet to take their first shot, have to register on Co-WIN and book the slot,” said Dr MP Singh, district immunisation officer.