This is the first time that the city civic authority has suspended the inoculation drive this month due to shortage of vaccines.
Tag: vaccine shortage
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India received just 5.45 crore doses of Covaxin till mid-July, reveals Health Ministry
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Less than 5.5 crore doses of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has been supplied for the Covid vaccination programme till mid-July. It shows that on average, the country may have received less than 1 crore doses per month of the indigenous vaccine, so far.In response to a question in Parliament on Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry said that till July 16, 5.45 crore doses of Covaxin, co-developed by the ICMR, had been available for public use as against 36.01 crore doses of Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
The low supply of Covaxin has remained a concern despite claims by the government earlier that nearly 10 crore doses of this vaccine may be produced from September, which will help it meet the target of vaccinating all the adult population by the year-end.
In response to a separate question, the ministry also informed the Rajya Sabha that the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker aims to increase the production capacity of Covaxin — from the existing 5.8 crore to 2.5 crore doses per month.
Despite an explanation offered by the company earlier on a 120-day production cycle, many experts have however pointed out that the vaccine released for consumption has been rather slow.
VK Paul, member, health (Niti Aayog) who also heads the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid, meanwhile, said in a press briefing that as part of the Bharat Biotech’s expansion plan for Covaxin production, it has added its facilities in Ankleshwar in Gujarat and Bengaluru, apart from their already functional Hyderabad facility that is producing Covaxin.
“The Ankleshwar plant is moving towards vaccine production as per the original schedule, but the Bengaluru facility faced some difficulties in operationalisation that led to the lag in Covaxin supplies,” he said.
Paul also added that the production fell slightly behind what was initially expected but now, the company has informed that the glitches have been sorted.
“These are unforeseen circumstances that crop up while executing such highly technical projects that involve tackling live viruses. But now they are on track,” he said.
Meanwhile, the three public sector undertakings—including two directly under the Centre and the one under the Maharashtra government—that were roped in for Covaxin production scale-up are also yet to start the actual manufacturing.
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India received just 5.546 crore doses of Covaxin till mid-July, reveals Health Ministry
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Less than 5.5 crore doses of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has been supplied for the Covid vaccination programme till mid-July. It shows that on average, the country may have received less than 1 crore doses per month of the indigenous vaccine, so far.In response to a question in Parliament on Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry said that till July, 16,5.45 crore doses of Covaxin, co-developed by the ICMR, had been available for public use as against 36.01 crore doses of Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
The low supply of Covaxin has remained a concern despite claims by the government earlier that nearly 10 crore doses of this vaccine may be produced from September, which will help it meet the target of vaccinating all the adult population by the year-end.
In response to a separate question, the ministry also informed the Rajya Sabha that the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker aims to increase the production capacity of Covaxin, 5.8 crore from the existing 2.5 crore doses per month.
Despite an explanation offered by the company earlier on a 120-day production cycle, many experts have however pointed out that the vaccine released for consumption has been rather slow.
VK Paul, member, health (Niti Aayog) who also heads the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid, meanwhile, said in a press briefing that as part of the Bharat Biotech’s expansion plan for Covaxin production, it has added its facilities in Ankleshwar in Gujarat and Bengaluru, apart from their already functional Hyderabad facility that is producing Covaxin.
“The Ankleshwar plant is moving towards vaccine production as per the original schedule, but the Bengaluru facility faced some difficulties in operationalisation that led to the lag in Covaxin supplies,” he said.
Paul also added that the production fell slightly behind what was initially expected but now, the company has informed that the glitches have been sorted.
“These are unforeseen circumstances that crop up while executing such highly technical projects that involve tackling live viruses. But now they are on track,” he said.
Meanwhile, the three public sector undertakings—including two directly under the Centre and the one under the Maharashtra government—that were roped in for Covaxin production scale-up are also yet to start the actual manufacturing.
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‘Most vaccines went to central quota’: Private hospitals say struggling to carry out Covid vaccination
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Private hospitals in most parts of the country, barring metropolitan cities, seem to be struggling to carry out Covid vaccination due to low supply by the vaccine manufacturers and coordination issues at the state level under the new inoculation regime.Days after criticism by the Centre on slow vaccination, their representatives have retorted in a letter to the government, which The New Indian Express has accessed, saying that the majority of the available vaccine this month has gone to the central quota.
The Association of Private Healthcare Providers of India, in a letter to the Union Health Ministry, has said that since vaccine manufacturing ramp-up is yet to materialise fully, most of the stock is picked up by the central government for distribution.
Not much is available for the private sector and only after July 15, there has been progress on procurement of vaccines by private hospitals. “It is therefore not correct to say that the private sector was not showing interest in vaccination,” said the letter.
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Of about 41 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India—it is not clear how many were given out in private hospitals but sources said it could be in the range of 7-8 crore — the majority of which may be concentrated only in a handful of cities.
From June 21, the Centre has taken over the responsibility of procuring 75% of the total available Covid vaccine in India while the rest is up for procurement by private hospitals.
Last week, in a review meeting of the vaccination at private centres, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan had termed the slow pace of vaccination through such hospitals as a “cause of serious worry”
In the letter, the AHPI, however, pointed out that many hospitals were not able to get the vaccine for a variety of reasons, which could be the absence of coordination at the state government level and the inability on part of manufacturers to supply the vaccine.
It also cited a recent survey carried out during the first two weeks of July among 70 private hospitals to gauge the status of the supply of vaccines to private hospitals.
About 77% of the hospitals said that they were not getting the vaccine on time and 41% of hospitals said that there were no nodal officers appointed by state governments in their localities.
“It shows that the new system which was to come in effect from 21st June, has still not been in full functionality and therefore it will not be correct to say that private hospitals were not showing interest in vaccination,” the association has said.
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‘Country knows who brought difficult times’: Rahul Gandhi slams Centre over various issues
By ANI
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took a dig at the Central government over the issues like vaccine shortage, situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), price hike, and farmers and claimed that the country knows who brought these difficult times.Taking to Twitter, the Wayanad MP said, “Built through centuries erased in seconds. The country knows who brought these difficult times.” #VaccineShortage #LAC #Unemployment #PriceHike #PSU #Farmers #OnlyPR.”
सदियों का बनायापलों में मिटायादेश जानता है कौनये कठिन दौर लाया।#VaccineShortage #LAC #Unemployment #PriceHike #PSU #Farmers #OnlyPR
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 15, 2021Earlier on Wednesday, despite the Indian Army’s rebuttal, Rahul Gandhi referred to a media report, which suggested there was an altercation between Indian and Chinese forces in the Galwan valley. There was a clash between Indian and Chinese Armies in Galwan Valley on June 15 last year, in which 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers lost their lives.
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Union Health Minister Mandaviya slams states over Covid vaccine shortage
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI, BENGALURU: Newly-appointed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya got into a collision mode with states on Wednesday, slamming them for “creating panic” among people over alleged shortage of vaccines.The Central Government also raised concerns over the slow pace of vaccination at private hospitals. It reviewed the situation in 15 states, including Karnataka, on Wednesday.Mandaviya, criticising the states for issuing “useless statements”, alleged that they have mismanaged the inoculation drive. “The states had been informed of available supplies in advance, but they failed to plan accordingly,” he said, denying that there is a shortage of vaccines.
However, officials from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarkahand and West Bengal confirmed to The New Indian Express that they were facing a shortage of vaccines on Wednesday.
Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal have shut many vaccination centres due to lack of vaccines over the last one week. In Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, there is a decline in average daily vaccinations since the high of June 21-26.Mandaviya said 11.46 crore doses were available in June and the numbers have increased to 13.5 crore this month. Of these, 1.5 crore doses are meant for private hospitals.
Terming the pace of vaccination at Private Covid Vaccination Cenres (PCVCs) a worry, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the issue should be addressed immediately. “Many have not placed any indent for the earmarked quantum of vaccines,” he added.But Dr Prasanna HM, president, Private Hospitals and Nursing Association, Karnataka, said they have sent an advisory to 6,000 private hospitals in the State to complete the indenting process by Thursday.Private hospitals in the State can indent up to 15 lakh doses. Prasanna said that frequent changes in vaccine procurement guidelines and no clarity on who to make the payments had led to delays in indenting.
“First, we were asked to indent on KPME and then on CoWIN. Also, they said the payment should go to NMH earlier, but now we are directed to pay manufacturers directly,” he added.Bhushan said, “State governments need to facilitate the vaccine procurement by PCVCs. They should review the status of vaccines on a daily basis and ensure indents for the earmarked quantum are quickly placed with the private vaccine manufacturers,” In some states, even though vaccines have been lifted, the administration has been slow, he pointed out.
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Useless statements being made to create panic: Health Minister Mandaviya on vaccine shortage charge
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Amid complains by some states about shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday said “useless”‘ statements are being made only to create panic among the people, and asserted that states know very well when and in what quantity they will get the doses.The Centre has informed states about the allocation of doses in advance, he said.
In a series of tweets, Mandaviya said the availability of vaccines can be better understood by an “actual analysis of the facts”.
“Regarding the availability of the vaccine, I have come to know from statements and letters of various state governments and leaders. This situation can be better understood by an actual analysis of the facts. Useless statements are being made only to create panic among the people,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.
To enable vaccination through government and private hospitals, Mandaviya said, 11.46 crore vaccine doses were made available to the state governments and union territories in June and this availability has been increased to 13.50 crore in July.
ALSO READ | ‘Jumle hai, vaccine nahi’: Rahul Gandhi slams Centre on alleged COVID jabs shortage
The Centre had informed the states on June 19 about how many doses of the vaccine would be made available to them in July, he said.
On June 27 and July 13, the states were informed about the availability of vaccines every day for the first and second fortnight of July.
“So the states know very well when and in what quantity they will get the vaccine doses. The central government has done this so that the state governments can do the work of vaccination up to the district level by planning properly and people do not face any problem,” he said, “If the Centre is already giving this information in advance on its behalf and yet we see mismanagement and long queues of vaccine takers, then it is very clear what the problem is and who is the reason for it,” he said.
Hitting out at leaders who make statements that create confusion and concern in the media, he said they need to introspect whether they are so far removed from the governance process and related information that they are not even aware of the information already being given in the context of vaccine supply.
Some states like Rajasthan, West Bengal and Maharashtra, which recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases on Monday, have raised the need for more vaccine doses.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the state needed a minimum of three crore vaccine doses per month to inoculate the entire eligible population against coronavirus at the earliest.
COVID-19 inoculation sessions were not conducted in at least 25 of Rajasthan’s 33 districts on Monday due to vaccine shortage, a state official said.
A senior West Bengal health department official also said that the state government was finding it difficult to evenly distribute the doses among its 23 districts.
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‘Will there will be no vaccine shortage?’: Rahul Gandhi takes potshots at new health minister
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Soon after the new health minister assumed charge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked whether it will change anything and there will be no vaccine shortage. “Does this mean no more vaccine shortage,” he asked on Twitter, using the hashtag “#Change”.Does this mean no more vaccine shortage?#Change
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 8, 2021The Congress has been criticising the government’s vaccination policy, alleging that it is moving at a slow pace and needs to be accelerated. However, the BJP hit back at Gandhi with its spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleging that the former Congress chief is “irresponsible” and is criticising for the sake of doing so. “We would, however, welcome his constructive criticism,” Bhatia said.
The Congress has earlier said that the dropping of former Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is an admission of the government’s failure in handling of the pandemic. Earlier Congress leader P Chidambaram said the first task of the new Health Minister Mansukh Mandavia is to remove vaccine shortage as some states are facing acute shortages.
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‘Will supply 12 crore vaccines this month’: Centre asks states to achieve high vaccination rate
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Clarifying on the major fall in daily Covid vaccination over the past week, the Centre on Wednesday urged the states to pronounce their specific needs to achieve a high vaccination rate.The Centre also said that it will supply states with over 12 crore vaccine doses this month, nearly 2.2 crore of which have already reached states.
The daily Covid vaccination in the country has come down by 32% in the last week as compared to the week preceding it. On this, the Union Health Ministry said that it is informing states much in advance about the doses that will be available during the month including the supply to private hospitals.
“The states have been advised to plan their Covid Vaccination sessions based on the availability of the Covid vaccines,” said the ministry in a statement.
Based on the discussion with the manufacturers, the government had communicated to all states that they will receive more than 12 crore doses of the Covid vaccine in July and till Wednesday morning, over 2.19 crore doses have already been supplied from this month’s quota, it added.
The states are also being informed adequately in advance of the supply of Covid vaccines being sent to them, the ministry also said, adding that all states have also been requested to share likely indicative demand in case more doses of vaccine are required by them in view of the increased coverage.
The daily Covid vaccinations in India, so far, have remained rather erratic and the numbers, instead of showing upward trends, have been fluctuating.
For instance, on June 21, when the Centre took over the 25% quota from states and started supplying 75% of the total vaccines to government hospitals, the daily vaccination crossed the 85 lakh mark but has come down since then.
On Tuesday just about 42 lakh Covid19 vaccine doses were administered in the country while the experts have pointed out that the daily vaccinations should be 90 lakh if India has to vaccinate all its 94 crore adult population by the year-end.
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No shortage, Covid vaccines given as per population density of states: Nirmala Sitharaman
By Express News Service
BENGALURU: Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced that she would allocate Rs 1 crore from her MPLAD funds for the setting up of a neonatal and paediatric ICU at Jayanagar government hospital.The Union Minister, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, visited the vaccination centre at the hospital. Earlier in the day, Sitharaman said that vaccine supply will be managed well and assured that everybody will be vaccinated. On Thursday afternoon, she visited the 100-bed oxygenated Covid-19 facility set up by Boeing India and the SELCO Foundation at Yelahanka as her first pitstop during her two-day visit to the city.
She assured that there was no shortage of vaccines in the country and needs of all the states are being addressed. “Every state gets its allocation as per the intensity of the attack, density of the population and the number of vulnerable populations. The Union Government supplies it well in advance so that they (states) can announce as to how much is being given some seven days prior,” she said.
Later, she visited the Jayanagar government hospital where she allocated funds from her MPLAD for a project that would involve setting up a 20-bed paediatric ICU, upgrading the physical infrastructure, adding medical oxygen facilities, and upgrading the electrical infrastructure. Canara Bank would also contribute funds for this as part of its CSR activity.
On Friday, Sitharaman will visit the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology and Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre where a demonstration of various innovative products will be held. The Union Mnister will also participate as a chief guest in the interaction with biotechnology industry leaders and start-ups organised by the Department of Electronics, IT/BT and S&T.