Badnore announces free vaccine

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4

The UT Administrator on Tuesday announced that the Covid vaccine will be free for all beneficiaries, including those above 18 years of age. However, there is no clarity as to when the vaccine doses for the new group will be sent by the Central Government.

Adding to the UT disappointment, the Centre has approved 30,000 doses against an order of 1,00,000. The doses were expected to arrive in late May, said a senior official of the UT Administration.

The city has administered 2,18,017 doses so far, including 1,26,889 first doses given to beneficiaries aged 45 and above. Around 70 per cent of the registered frontline workers have been administered the vaccine, while the achievement rate for healthcare workers is 62 per cent.

Meanwhile, the private hospitals in the city have no stock of the vaccine available at the moment. The Serum Institute of India has informed private hospitals that it will take five-six months for the vaccine to be made available in the private market supply chain.

Dr Neeraj from Chaitanya Hospital said, “There is no stock available in private hospitals at the moment as the government hospitals have stopped supplying vaccines to us. Those who took the first jab at private hospitals can take their second dose at the government hospitals.”