Limited jabs affect Covid vaccination drive

Amid the limited availability of Covid-19 vaccines, many private hospitals in Gurugram did not conduct a vaccination drive as they failed to procure vials from the manufacturers

Amid the limited availability of Covid-19 vaccines, many private hospitals in Gurugram did not conduct a vaccination drive as they failed to procure vials from the manufacturers. Only 1,898 people above 18 years took their first jab on Monday, at 20 government sites and only two private hospitals.

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“There is no clarity on the vaccination drive now. Our hospital has to close its vaccination centre as there is no stock . We have also approached the Serum Institute of India (SII) for procurement of Covishield, but the private hospitals have to wait for at least three to four months,” said Dr Devlina Chakravarty, managing director, Artemis Hospital, adding that the limited availability of vaccines has impacted the second dose inoculation too.

“Since there is no vaccine available, people who require a second dose will have to go to government facilities,” Chakravarty added.

Anil Khatana, head of operations, W Pratiksha Hospital, confirmed that the vaccination centre was shut. “The hospital has approached Bharat Biotech for the procurement of Covaxin. But we didn’t yet get a response from the vaccine manufacturer. Many corporates have been approaching us to set up vaccination booths, but there is no clarity when the hospitals are likely to get the vaccines.”

Earlier this week, the state government had directed private hospitals to directly procure vials from the vaccine manufacturers. Currently, only two private hospitals, Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) and Max Super Speciality Hospital (MSSH), have been giving the jab to those above 18 years. These facilities vaccinated only 514 people above 18 years on Monday, while at least 1,384 took the jab at government sites.

Arpita Mukherjee, vice president operations and head, MSSH, Gurugram, said, “The hospital administered the jab to 500 people from across the district and nearby areas by 6 pm on Monday.”

“The health department no longer provides vaccines to private hospitals. They have to directly coordinate with the manufacturers,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer (CMO). Yadav, however, said that the department has roughly about 18,000 doses for the population above 18 years. “It is expected that the state government will allocate more vaccines,” he added.

Data shows that at least 1,502 took the second shot on Monday, of which private hospitals covered only 52 people above 45 years of age.

Even the Gurugram health department has limited the number of doses. “At present, the department has 2,000 doses for second shots. Over 13,000 additional doses were to come on Monday night. Vaccination for 18+ people will be now held at 20 vaccination centres. For people aged 45, who require the second dose, vaccination will take place at 37 sites,” said Dr Amandeep, urban nodal officer, refusing to comment on the vaccine stock for inoculation of the 18+ population.

Amandeep also said that the health department will continue giving jabs at the 20 vaccination centres for the time being. These centres will be reflected on the CoWin portal during the self-registration process, which is mandatory for people in the age group of 18-44 years, to receive the shot. The list includes Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) Tigra, Nathupur, Mullahera, Rajiv Nagar, Firoj Gandhi, Fazilpur, Gandhi Nagar and Patel Nagar. In rural areas, the listed centres are Community Health Centres (CHCs) Farrukhnagar, Pataudi, Ghanghola, and health centres at Daulatabad, Bhondsi, Bhangrola, Garhi, Mandpura and Bhora Kalan, among others. The other sites are government polyclinic in Sector 31, Civil Hospital in Sector 10, and sub-divisional hospital in Sohna.

In the previous vaccination drive, the Gurugram health department and private hospitals in the district had jointly covered more than 30,000 people a day. Now, the health department is likely to utilise the limited doses gradually, due to the constrained supply of vaccines.