Pune’s vaccine wastage percentage stays below 1%

PUNE The wastages of vaccines in Pune district is less than one per cent, this due to the multiple efforts of the district administration and the smooth supply of vaccines

PUNE The wastages of vaccines in Pune district is less than one per cent, this due to the multiple efforts of the district administration and the smooth supply of vaccines. In the past two days, the vaccination drive in the district crossed the 0.1 million mark for the first time, since the drive began on January 16.

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As per the district’s information office, as of June 25, a total of 3,452,967 vaccine doses have been administered, of which the overall vaccine wastage is 0.9%. Of the total 3.4 million doses administered, 31,076 have been wasted. Of the 3.4 million vaccines administered, 2,648,080 were of Covishield and 3,39,312 were of Covaxin.

Dr Sachin Edake, district immunisation officer, said, “We have instructed at all sites to ensure that the vaccine wastage is kept to a minimum. If a vial is reserved with 10 doses for 10 beneficiaries, then it has to be used within the 34 hours of its opening. However, if the vial is not used then its efficacy is compromised.”

Vaccine wastage is bifurcated into two - unopened vials beyond the expiry date, or because of exposure to heat, being frozen, breakage, missing inventory or theft; the second is discarding unused vaccines returned from the site. Discarding opened vials at the end of the session can be because the number of doses have not been used, or there is a dilution with water, suspected contamination and poor vaccine practices.

On Sunday, Pune district saw a drop in the number of vaccinations, as 26,722 vaccinations were recorded at 136 sites - 40 government and 96 private.

In the past two days, as supply of vaccines resumed, the drive has been boosted, however, on Sunday, many government centres were shut