BENGALURU: A few private hospitals started providing booster doses at the reduced rate of Rs 386 on Tuesday, to the relief of those aged 18 and above, while a few hospitals continued to charge higher rates. Some hospitals had dropped their rates on Monday itself.
According to Dr Rajashekar Y L, secretary of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA), many private hospitals have not accepted free additional doses offered by vaccine companies to compensate for the excess money private hospitals paid them when they purchased vaccine stocks at the older price, fearing wastage of doses due to lack of demand. They prefer a refund, he said.
Ever since the drive began on Sunday, only 2,218 people between 18 and 59 years of age were vaccinated with the precautionary dose, while 4,07,88,909 people are vaccinated with the first dose and 3,88,77,844 with the second dose. Although the cost of Covaxin and Covishield was reduced by vaccine companies on Saturday to Rs 225, private hospitals which had already purchased the vaccines at the old cost, continued to charge the old rates on Sunday.
But after the government and vaccine companies agreed to compensate hospitals for the excess money paid for the vaccines at the older price, in the form of free doses, they reduced the prices on Monday. “Since many private hospitals are awaiting refund instead of additional vaccines, they have no choice but to pass on the cost to patients,” Rajashekar said.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said, “We could handle the third wave well only because of vaccination. Though Covid-19 cases have come down, with new variants including XE, ME surfacing, it is better to get vaccinated with precautionary doses.”
‘Vaccination only way to stave off fourth wave’
Bengaluru: Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Tuesday said that vaccination was the only way to beat the potential fourth wave of Covid-19. Referring to the issue that many are yet to the take their second dose of the vaccine, and pointing to studies, Sudhakar said: “Predictive studies opine that the fourth wave will start in June-July and last till September. Karnataka is prepared to face it,” he said.
He told the media, “There is no need to worry as of now. Masks are still essential and there will be no relaxation. Over 5,000 children aged 6-12 years who are not yet eligible for the vaccine will be tested. The new XE variant is prominent in eight countries and all those coming from there are being screened.”