Vaccination slows down as demand outpaces supply
Some states still unclear about when they can start drive for people below 45
The Covid-19 vaccination drive has slowed down across the country over the past week — amid lockdowns and surging cases — as demand has spiked and the focus has shifted to starting the inoculation drive for those in the 18- 44 age group, according to several district and state health officials.
Because of a shortage of vaccines, states such as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu are unclear on when they can start the vaccination for those below 45 years of age, and states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand expect to start that exercise (referred to as Phase 3 of India’s vaccination drive) later this week.
In Maharashtra, where a drive-in vaccination centre started on Tuesday in the Dadar area of the capital Mumbai, vaccination has slowed down, according to government data. Since May 1, the state has inoculated 304,574 beneficiaries,
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including some in the 18-44 age group, as compared to 242,000 vaccinations per day in the last 15 days of April. On April 26, the state inoculated a record 534,228 people in a day.
“On Monday, we were left with only 25,000 to 30,000 doses from the Centre for people 45 years and above, and most vaccination centres had to be shut. Maharashtra has a capacity to vaccinate 800,000 beneficiaries a day. This afternoon, we have got around 900,000 doses of Covishield from the Centre, which will now be distributed across districts to resume the drive again,” said state health minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday.
The Bihar government on Monday placed an order for 1.18 million doses of Covishield and 412,000 doses of Covaxin before starting inoculation for roughly 55 million people between 18 and 44 years of age, an official said.
The Centre has set a purchase rate of ₹315 per dose for Covishield and ₹420 per dose for Covaxin for states and Union territories. The vaccines are available for ₹150 per dose to the Centre. “We are pursuing with the Serum Institute for the immediate dispatch of the vaccines, and it has assured us that the shipment will move on Wednesday,” said a Bihar government official who asked not to be named.
Jharkhand, too, is yet to start vaccination for the 18-44 age group even as the state has gone slower on vaccination for people above 45 because it is getting fewer doses from the Centre. Jharkhand has an inoculation target of 15.7 million people who are below 45.
Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the state will start a symbolic drive for the 18-44 age group from Wednesday now that it has received 150,000 doses of Covaxin from Bharat Biotech.
Both Haryana and Punjab reported a drop in vaccination in the past few days as compared to the last fortnight of April due to supply constraints.
According to government data from Rajasthan, vaccination slowed from 297,000 doses on April 20 to 225,000 doses on May 3, including people in 18-44 age group whose vaccination started from May 1.
States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala are yet to start vaccination for people below 45.