Covaxin crunch: No new beneficiary administered vaccine in two days

Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, April 16

For the past two days no new beneficiary has been administered the dose of Covaxin due to limited stock. Only those who had their first dose of Covaxin were given the second dose. There are 14 session sites where Covaxin is being administered. At these sites those coming to get their first jab had to return without vaccination on Thursday and Friday.

Majorly Covishield is being administered at session sites across the city. “Ludhiana has stock of 40,000 Covishield doses, while Covaxin is limited in stock. It was last month that we had received 17,000 doses of Covaxin and for the past two days it has been administered to only those beneficiaries who had received the first dose of Covaxin. No new beneficiary was administered Covaxin,” said District Immunisation Officer Dr Puneet Juneja.

City resident Aakash Singla said he wanted to get vaccinated and wished to get a shot of Covaxin. “I came to know about a few centres where it is being administered but I was told that they have run out of stock and it is given to only those who had their first dose. I will wait till it is administered again,” he said.

According to the experts there is no difference between both the vaccines.

Another city resident from Dugri said she went to get herself vaccinated but was told to come on Saturday as they had no stock of vaccine but a few people were administered the shot. “When I enquired, I came to know that they were getting their second jab and since the stock was limited, they are not giving it to new beneficiaries,” she said.

In the evening, Dr Juneja confirmed receiving the stock of Covaxin and said from tomorrow Covaxin would be administered and even those coming for the first jab would be given the dose.

Today 16,163 persons were vaccinated in the district.

Pvt hospitals unable to buy jab after new guidelines

The private hospitals who are not empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme and are the Covid Vaccination Centers (CVC) are unable to buy vaccine. Recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued new guidelines for Covid vaccine payment. Now only those private hospitals who are empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme are able to purchase the vaccine from the government and run the vaccination process at their hospitals.

Now all the payments are made through the Pardhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (also known as Ayushman Bharat Yojana) website to the National Health Authority. Earlier private hospitals who were not empanelled under the scheme were given a direct link of payment to the National Health Authority. Hospitals which have run out of stock and are unable to buy more are left with no other option but to discontinue the vaccination on their premises. It is beneficiaries who are at the receiving end as they have to visit another centre for vaccination.

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