BENGALURU: With the decline of the second wave, there is poor demand for vaccines in Karnataka, especially in private hospitals, leading a huge pile-up of vaccine stocks.
At the recently held Technical Advisory Committee meeting, experts suggested that unused vaccines reaching expiry date, like November 30, need to be used immediately to prevent wastage.
“Due to good vaccination coverage, there is low demand for vaccines. To prevent wastage, mainly Covishield vaccines expiring by November 30, they should be used up immediately,” said a senior doctor.
Meanwhile, private hospitals heaved a sigh of relief after revalidation of the shelf life of Covaxin by another six months by manufacturer Bharat Biotech.
“The shelf life of the vaccine has been extended from November 2021 to May 2022. This has eased the situation a bit and we expect approval for booster doses and children’s vaccines will help us use up stocks,” said Dr HM Prasanna, President of Private Hospitals And Nursing Homes’ Association (PHANA).
Sources said TAC experts have given recommendations of how to use Covaxin. They have recommended that near-expiry vaccines are to be redistributed to centres where there is good attendance of people, so they can be used immediately.
“Another recommendation is to return the near-expiry vaccines to the manufacturer after prior negotiation,” sources said.
The experts have also recommended that the state health minister sends out a letter to the Union health minister, seeking to reduce the interval between two doses of Covishield to 4 to 6 weeks. The state government will also urge the Central government to commence vaccination of children soon.
“Children who are considered a priority, like those with comorbidities, can be vaccinated with Covaxin,” a senior doctor said.
No masks for under-5 kids
Based on WHO’s recommendation that children up to 5 years of age should not wear masks, TAC experts have advised that children in the 3-5 year age group, going to Anganwadis and schools to attend LKG & UKG classes for a few hours a day, need not use masks.
Experts said ensuring compliance in this age group will be difficult. Also, prolonged use of face masks may affect their general health, growth and development.
Considering the fact that the infection is generally mild and self-limiting, unlike in the elderly and older age groups, the TAC has recommended that children in the LKG, UKG and Anganwadis need not wear masks.