Amid concerns, State receives 2 lakh doses of Covid vaccine

Amaravati: The state received two lakh doses of Covishield vaccine from Serum Institute of India, Pune, on Wednesday. The vaccine arrived at Vijayawada airport.

The officials shifted the vaccines from airport to state Vaccine preservative centre at Gannavaram. They will be shifted to various districts as per the direction of State Covid Command Control Centre basing on the requirements.

It may be noted that the state received two lakh doses of Covid vaccine on April 13 during Tika Utsav and five lakh doses earlier. Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking 25 lakh doses of vaccine to take up massive vaccination programme in the state.

With the steep increase in Covid cases, demand for vaccination has also increased and more number of people are seen waiting for their turn at different vaccine centres. Those who are waiting for second dose of vaccine are also eager to get vaccination immediately amidst the present Covid pandemic.

However, some people who got Covaxin first dose are complaining that they are facing difficulty in getting the second dose as the private and public vaccination centres are turning them away citing no stock of vaccine. The beneficiaries, particularly those who received Covaxin, are concerned over the situation as prescribed gap between the two doses of the indigenous vaccine is only four weeks as against 6 to 12 weeks being recommended for Covishield.