Tag: COVID vaccine stock

  • Millions of COVID vaccines unsold; stopped production since December 2021: Adar Poonawalla

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Serum Institute of India has stopped producing the COVID-19 vaccine since the last day of December 2021 as it has been sitting on millions of unsold vaccines after the vaccination momentum has ebbed, its chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla said on Friday.

    Poonawalla also warned against the return to “the business as usual” approach of the administration in the national capital, saying “we can’t afford to put a price tag on the life of a citizen” as the pandemic is “not behind us yet nor we know by when it will be”.

    He also called for speeding up the decision to vaccinate young kids and said if they can be given other immunisation vaccines why not for the COVID-19, the end of which nobody knows as of now.

    “Since the vaccine intake has been coming down, there has been a lot of unsold inventories with us. We stopped production on December 31, 2021. Currently, we are sitting on over 200 million doses. I have offered this to anyone willing to pick them up for free. But there hasn’t been a good response to that also. Seems there is vaccine fatigue among the people now as even after the price was slashed to Rs 225, there has been no major uptake,” Poonawalla said at the Times Network India Economic Conclave.

    Defending his call for lowering the gap between second and third doses to six months from nine months at present, he said it’s needed for one “we can’t put a price tag on the life of a person be it an adult or a child. Another important reason is that after six months the antibodies come down so it is better to go for the third dose within six months”.

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    “This is something many studies have verified and therefore many foreign governments have made the booster dose mandatory. Already, many counties have made booster doses mandatory for travel. This means those who were vaccinated by August or September last will not be able to travel outside the country. Therefore, my suggestion to the government for six months gap for the third dose,” he said.

    On the need for vaccinating kids in the 5-11 age bracket, he said, “My point is we can’t put a price tag on the life of a person. Also if an additional dose of vaccine can prevent a 1,000 hospitalisation, so let’s do that as was evident from the third wave.”

    On the delays in decision making, Poonawalla rued that it seems the urgency is no longer there. Unfortunately for the key people who are supposed to be taking decisions on time, the committees supposed to be meeting on time, it seems there is no urgency any longer.

    “The momentum of the past that brought us so far here is lost. As you said it seems for them, it’s business as usual. That’s why there is no decision on the emergency use of Covovax is coming in. What is more surprising is that the same vaccine has been approved by the regulator long ago and have also been in use in many European nations and in Australia,” he said.

    However, Poonawalla quickly added that the government at the highest level is fully seized of the matter, but “yes at the ground level there seems the urgency is lost”.

  • Advice to states to obtain nod before sharing Covid vaccine stock data intended to prevent misuse: Centre

    The government of India has been supporting the efforts of states and UTs for an effective vaccination drive under the #39;Whole of Government #39; approach since January 16 this year.

  • Over two crore COVID-19 vaccine doses available with states: Union Health Ministry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: More than two crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and Union territories, while nearly three lakh doses are in the pipeline and will be received by them within the next three days, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

    The Centre has so far provided over 20 crore (20,76,10,230) vaccine doses to the states and Union territories for free. Of this, the total consumption, calculated on the basis of average figures, up to May 16, including wastage, is 18,71,13,705 doses (according to data available at 8 am on Monday), it added.

    “More than two crore COVID-19 vaccine doses (2,04,96,525) are still available with the states and UTs to be administered,” the ministry said. Furthermore, 2,94,660 vaccine doses are in the pipeline and will be received by the states within the next three days, it said.

    As part of the nationwide vaccination drive against the viral disease, the Government of India has been supporting the states by providing them vaccine doses for free, in addition to several efforts to ramp up the production and supply of the vaccines.

    Vaccination is an integral pillar of the comprehensive strategy of the government for the containment and management of the pandemic, along with “Test, Track, Treat” and COVID-appropriate behaviour, the ministry said.

    The implementation of the Liberalised and Accelerated Phase 3 Strategy of COVID-19 Vaccination has started from May 1. Under the Strategy, every month, 50 per cent of the vaccine doses cleared by the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) of any manufacturer would be procured by the government.

    It would continue to make these doses available to the states for free, the ministry added.

  • May 1 COVID-19 vaccine rollout just not doable

    By Express News Service
    The proposed May 1 launch of the mass vaccination programme for all Indian adults looks doubtful with states not having enough vaccines and a Chief Minister moving the calendar as far ahead as September. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Assam, West Bengal, Punjab, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have said the inoculation drive may get delayed by weeks or even months.

    Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are trying hard to meet the launch target but there is confusion on availability of the jabs. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday said doses for the 18-45 years age group will be available only after the current inoculation drive for those above 45 years is completed. And, that will be in September.

    According to Jagan, it will take four months to complete vaccinating the youth population, which means they will be fully vaccinated only by the end of January. The situation is no different in other states though most prefer not to give a timeline as to when vaccination for 18- to 44-year-olds can start.

    For example, Kerala, which got 3.5 lakh doses this week and expects another 1 lakh soon, is focusing on inoculating those above 45 years.

    “In government facilities, a decision has been taken to vaccinate the elderly. If we receive more vaccine doses, then arrangements can be made to vaccinate the youth as well. But for now, it is hard,” said a core team member of COVID-19 Task Force. Telangana is also not sure if it can start the programme on Saturday.

    “We do not know how many vaccine doses we will get from the manufacturer. From our end, we expected 10 lakh vaccine doses a day. We will make a proper plan only based on what the manufacturers inform us that they can supply,” said health minister Eatala Rajender.

    The state has 2.5-3 crore people in the 18-44 years age group. BJP-ruled Karnataka has not officially postponed the May 1 rollout date but the state may be able to start only in May second or third week.

    Odisha and Bengal may buck the shortage trend

    “Orders have been placed, so as and when the stocks come, they will be distributed and vaccination will be done,” said Karnataka Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar. Tamil Nadu’s director of public health Dr TS Selvavinayakam said a high-level committee is working on formulating a plan for the vaccination drive on May 1.

    The state has issued orders to procure 1.5 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Dr Selvavinayakam said the state has 5.83 lakh doses of Covishield and 1.74 lakh doses of Covaxin.

    Flagging the shortage in doses, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said, “Vaccine for all may not start on May 1 as we are not getting adequate doses. On Wednesday, we got two lakh doses and earlier, we had received 1.5 lakh doses… If we get at least 10 lakh doses of vaccine, then we can start this programme.”

    Perhaps the only exceptions are Odisha and West Bengal. Odisha’s additional chief secretary (health) PK Mohapatra said the state expects at least one lakh doses from Bharat Biotech in the next few days. “Inoculation will remain suspended on May 1 and 2 due to weekly shutdown. We will roll out vaccination for 18 years plus at Bhubaneswar on May 3 if the expected doses arrive.”

    BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh also said it may roll out the programe on May 3 as it expects vaccine doses by then. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said vaccination for those above 18 years will start from May 5. “We will provide vaccines to eligible recipients according to supply from the manufacturers,” said an official of the state health department.

    Meanwhile, the Centre said 2.15 crore people in the 18- 44 age group have registered on the CoWIN portal.