Amid scarcity of vaccine supplies, many States have suspended vaccination drives for the 18-44 age group so as to prioritise those due for the second jab in the 45-plus age group. People who had registered to get Covid jab through the Cowin app returned disappointed from vaccination centres in some parts including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Patna, Bendil and other places as they were closed due to unavailability of the Covid-19 vaccine. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh have rescheduled appointments for the first time vaccine beneficiaries. Delhi and Andhra Pradesh have demanded to share the formula with other companies to manufacture the two Covid vaccines.
The shortage of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in many states is posing a problem for those who need to get a second jab. Covaxin has to be taken at an interval of 28 days.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday said the State Government has suspended the Covid-19 vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group due to a shortage of jabs. “There is a dearth of vaccines, hence we're considering holding off vaccination drive temporarily for 18-44 age group. 2.75 lakh vaccine doses are left for this age group that'll be now used for 45 years and above group. Administering the second dose is a priority,” Tope said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow other companies the right to manufacture the two Covid-19 vaccines administered in the country - Covishield and Covaxin. In his letter, Kejriwal said that the current supply of vaccine doses is not sustainable to meet the whole country's demand, which will in turn be an arsenal in India's fight against the deadly virus. "Only two companies are producing vaccines so far. They produce only 6-7 crore vaccines a month. This way, it will take over two years to vaccinate everyone. Many waves would have come by then,” he said.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have decided to restrict the vaccination process only to the second dose. States like Kerala, Karnataka have increased the second dose share given the large numbers involved. Some have stopped walk in appoints.
In some States such as Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, vax centres has been shut to restrict crowds and manage the vaccination driver better.
In Madhya Pradesh, online appointments in some areas including Datia, Damoh, Jhabua have been restricted.
In states like Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Governments have restricting the slots for appointments.
Serum Institute of India's current production capacity is 60-70 million doses; the company indicated that it may not hit the 100-million-dose capacity until July. Bharat Biotech is producing about 10 million doses. Only 1,50,000 doses of Sputnik V have arrived from Russia, but it would take a few weeks for its roll-out.
To meet the demand, several states such as Karnataka, Odisha, Delhi, UP, Maharashtra and Kerala have decided to invite global tender to procure the Covid vaccine.