About 6.5% COVID-19 vaccine doses in India have gone to waste, but what is causing this vaccine waste and how can it be fixed? The question comes at a time of India’s effort to inoculate as many people as it can amid the rising COVID-19 cases in the country.
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On Wednesday, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan gave some data about the vaccination efforts and the vaccination wastage incurred by the country so far. According to Mr. Bhushan 3.51 crore vaccine doses have already been administered. Although the number is a pleasing one amid the worrying news of increasing COVID cases, Mr. Bhushan also said that COVID-19 vaccine wastage in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Jammu and Kashmir is higher than the national average of 6.5%. Mr. Bhushan also asked state authorities to manage their vaccination drives to make better use of “the elixir like precious commodity”.
According to reports, the health ministry has distributed some 75.4 million vaccine doses to states out of which 36 million doses have been used. Although the government has not given the exact figure as to how many doses have been wasted, the percentage suggests that the number is more than 2 million.
“Wastage of this elixir-like precious commodity, the most important thing now for an individual or the country as a whole, is absolutely wrong,” top health official Vinod Kumar Paul told a news conference.
According to the government data, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh have reported a wastage of 9%-18%. Thankfully, there are some states where wastage is quite less than the national average. These states include Rajasthan, Assam, Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu with reported wastage of 5.6%, 5.5%, 5.3%, 4.8%, 4%, 3.7% respectively.
What is causing COVID-19 Vaccine Wastage?
As of now, each Covishield vaccine vial has 10 doses in total while Covaxin vial contains 20 doses, each dose being 0.5ml for one person. Now, once a vaccine vial is opened, all the doses have to be administered within 4 hours of the opening. If they are not, they go to waste and have to be destroyed.
The wastage can be hence attributed to the fact that there are some vaccination sites with low beneficiaries turn out. While the urban populous is making its way to the vaccination centers, rural sites have been seeing low turn outs with healthcare workers nudging people to get their shots.
Another reason according to reports is a lack of proper roadmap at vaccination sites. According to the SOPs laid by the government, each vaccination session is expected to cater to a maximum 100 beneficiaries. However, due to lack of awareness at rural areas, the states have been not able to organize planned vaccination sessions where an appropriate turn out can lessen the vaccination doses.
How the COVID-19 vaccine wastage can be fixed?
According to Dileep Mavlankar, the vaccination centers should have a backup data of people that are around 1 km radius so that when there is low turnout, they can be called to get vaccinated. Thus, the
vaccines won’t be wasted after the vial is opened. “The list could include non-eligible people, better to have administered a dose than to throw it, “said Mr. Mavlankar.
He is also of the opinion that a better vaccination strategy at this point is to have provide concentration doses in the regions where the active cases are rising. “Fifty districts have 60% of active Covid cases in the country. Giving vaccine to everybody in these districts would help to control the spread of the virus.,” added Mr. Mavlankar.
Meanwhile the Indian Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in his press briefing told reporters that the ministry has shared the message that the vaccines are invaluable. Due to the fact that they are public health goods, they ought to be better used and optimally utilized. He also added, “Any reduction in wastage means that you end up inoculating more people and therefore the chances of disrupting the chain of infection grow that much more.”
The news of vaccine wastage came when the Indian Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday took a meeting with state Chief Ministers and directed them to identify reasons of vaccine wastage. “By wasting the doses of vaccine, we are denying another beneficiary the right to get vaccinated. The states have to immediately correct the drawbacks of planning and governance at the local level to reduce vaccine waste. The states have to target zero per cent wastage,” Prime Minister Modi said.
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