HYDERABAD: The State’s Covid vaccination drive is taking a hit due to uncertainty over the availability of doses. In the last one week, lakhs of individuals who were due for their second dose of vaccine were turned back, citing lack of availability of vaccine.
Several people complained that even after booking their slots for second shots several times, they were being cancelled.
“The first dose was given to my mother in March first week. But the government recommended to delay the second dose by 6 to 8 weeks. Now, we are entering the eighth week. Every time we book on Cowin, the appointment is cancelled automatically asking us to reschedule. We enquired with the local PHC and they inform us that Covishield vaccine is not in stock for a week and maybe for another few days. What do we do now?” Achyuth Jagirdar, a city resident, wondered.
Several others are concerned over the cancellation of their vaccination slots only after arriving at the hospital.
“We are worried because we are unnecessarily getting repeatedly exposed to the conditions at the hospital. So far, I have been forced to bring my 80-year-old mother to the hospital three times,” said another resident from Ameerpet.
Hospitals are also helpless. “We had a robust vaccination programme going on. But now both first and second dose are not available,” informed an official of a hospital in Banjara Hills.
An analysis of the data given on the Cowin dashboard shows that between April 10 and April 15, only 50,557 doses were administered as the second shot. While 6,40,458 doses were given as the first dose.
It was only three days ago that the State received 4.6 lakh doses of the vaccine as against the 30 lakh it had demanded. It is learnt that only about four lakh doses are currently available.
Meanwhile, state health officials note that the State has received 32 lakh doses until now and is due to receive 2.7 lakh doses on Saturday.
With this, around six lakh doses will be available to vaccinate the individuals, informed Dr G Srinivasa Rao, Director of Public Health.
Gandhi again turned into exclusive Covid-19 hospital
As the State continues to see a massive surge in Covid-19 cases, Gandhi Hospital has once again been declared as an exclusive hospital for critical and terminally ill Covid patients.
An order to this effect was issued on Friday evening by Director of Medical Education Dr K Ramesh Reddy. It is learnt that the decision was taken after nearly 150 serious cases came to the hospital late on Thursday night.
The non-Covid patients who are currently undergoing treatment in Gandhi Hospital will now be shifted to Osmania and other hospitals.