Telangana: Vaccination drives into uncertain phase

Hyderabad: It is still not clear as to from when the government would be able to resume the vaccination programme for all above 18, which was suspended from Tuesday in view of the shortage of vaccines. A clear picture would emerge only after the manufacturing companies respond to the global tenders that were floated recently.

Official sources indicate that the programme for those who are due for the second dose may be resumed in the next two or three days but still there is no clarity on the issue. There are many who are waiting for the second dose of Covaxin.

With complaints mounting about non-availability of Covaxin for the second shot, the government has begun procurement of Covaxin. More than 40 lakh people were given the first dose of vaccine while only 10 lakh people were covered under the second dose vaccination programme due to the lack of adequate supply from the Union government.

State Health Director G Srinivasa Rao said the government was also pursuing the issue of the supply of Covaxin from the Hyderabad-based manufacturing unit, Bharat Biotech. The company is likely to make available some quantum of vaccine doses to the state in a week to address the shortage of vaccines for the second dose administration. The authorities ruled out the launch of second dose Covishield vaccination programme as the Centre already declared a gap of 12 to16 weeks between the first and second dose recently. "Unless the government procured huge stocks of Covishield , the government will not open the second dose camps," officials add.