DELHI PROCURES ADDITIONAL 20K COVAXIN DOSES FOR 18-45 GROUP

NEW DELHI: The state government on Friday informed the Delhi high court that it has got an additional 20,000 doses of Covaxin for the 18-45 age group to administer to those awaiting the second shot.

The Delhi government’s additional standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal submitted that 29,800 doses have also been received on June 10 as part of the scheduled supply for June, and the total Covaxin stock received this month (till June 10) for 18-45 age group is 89,800 doses.

The submission came on pleas filed by three people, who said that they were unable to get the second dose of Covaxin within the stipulated time due to paucity of stock. They lleged that they were forced to travel to far-off places such as Meerut and Chandigarh to avail of the second vaccine dose.

Though the time interval between two doses of the Covishield vaccine has been extended from four-six weeks to 12-16 weeks, the second dose of Covaxin should be taken four to six weeks after the first.

Aggarwal also submitted that the number of slots available has already increased from 150 to 200 per day per vaccination site in schools. He said that between June 7 and June 10, a total of 49,206 beneficiaries were given the second dose of Covaxin at government vaccination centres, according to the CO-WIN portal.

He also told the court that 150,000 people in the 18-45 age group have been inoculated, and earlier, there was a shortfall of 60,000 vaccines even after receiving vaccine maker Bharat Biotech’s supply of 90,000 doses in June.

Noting these submissions, justice Rekha Palli disposed of the three pleas. The court observed that the grievances of people in the age group of 18-45 years, with respect to the unavailability of the second dose of Covaxin, has been addressed to a large extent.