A month on, 17 distts yet to give a booster to 18-59
Jyoti Shelar
MUMBAI: A month after booster doses were allowed for the population in the 18-59 age bracket through the private sector, Maharashtra has not managed to find a solution in districts where none of the private centres is stocking the vaccine. As many as 17 districts have not administered a single booster shot in this age group.
At least three states - Haryana, Delhi and Bihar - have rolled out free boosters for this age category through their own funds.
Booster doses or precautionary doses for healthcare workers, frontline workers, and people above 60 years were started on January 10. This category continues to get the vaccine shots for free in the public sector. The boosters for people between 18 and 59 years, rolled out on April 10, are available only in the private sector and cost around ₹350 per dose. As of Wednesday, the state had administered 1,484,50 boosters in the 18-59 age group.
“We follow the government of India guidelines, and free precautionary doses at government centres are not being contemplated,” additional chief secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas said, adding, “There is sufficient and strong scientific reason behind this public health policy.”
Due to t he overall l ow demand for vaccines, the state has more than one crore doses in its regional depots and storage facilities. Last month, the state had written to the Centre asking for free doses for the 18-59 age category.
Private hospitals are reluctant to stock t he vaccine because of the low turnout and reduced costs. Low turnout often results in wastage of vaccines as it may become difficult to exhaust all doses once the vial is opened. Experts have said the drop in Covid-19 cases and cost obligation are also among the primary reasons for reluctance to take the booster shots.
“The state government should work on removing all barriers - be it cost, lack of awareness, logistical issues - in order to get more people to take the booster doses,” vaccination expert Dr Naveen Thacker said.
According to Thacker, the 18-59 population is highly mobile, and in case a spurt of infection arises, the burden will fall on the governments.