MADIKERI: While over one lakh vaccines doses said to have been wasted across Karnataka, Kodagu district recorded negative vaccine wastage, amid acute shortage of supplies to the district.With no supply coming in, the district will not inoculate citizens at any health centre on Thursday. The district health department has enabled 9,441 extra doses of Covishield (until Wednesday) and recorded 4.5 per cent of extra doses of Covishield. However, it recorded minimum wastage of 0.9 per cent of Covaxin doses.
Each vial of Covishield has 10ml vaccine and ideally enables vaccination of 10 doses. However, district health department officials and staff have judicially utilised the vials, as a maximum of 12 doses have been enabled from some vials. As per statistics, a total of 2,08,901 residents have been vaccinated with Covishield in Kodagu. However, these people have been vaccinated using 19,946 vials, that ideally contain 1,99,460 doses.
“The company fills some vials with extra 2ml vaccine and we have utilised these extra doses,” said a staffer. However, wastage of Covaxin vials stands at 0.9 per cent, with the health staff confirming that many 20ml vials of Covaxin had less than 20 doses, yet, this had to be calculated as wastage. Nevertheless, the district attained negative wastage of vaccines, and overall rate of extra doses enabled till date stands at 3.8 per cent.