Only 11 out of 56 vaccination sites in Patna will be operational on Thursday to serve the 18-44 years age group as the state is low on Covid vaccines. As a result, many vaccination sites have been shut down in remote areas of other districts. The extent of the vaccination squeeze is evident as the state managed to vaccinate only 25, 037 people on Wednesday against its daily target of 2.50 lakh people.
Officers associated with the vaccination programme said the state capital has received 14,000 doses of vaccine to be used over the next two days. Ever since the state began vaccinating the 18-44 years age group from May 9, Patna received two tranches of 38,000 and 25,000 doses. The quantity received on Wednesday, with the instruction to use it over the next two days, was the lowest so far.
This is well below the number Bihar’s additional chief secretary (health) Pratyaya Amrit suggested will be made available by the Centre. On Tuesday, he said 200,000 doses of Covishield vaccine were expected on May 20 and 23 and another batch of 289,250 doses was expected on May 24.
He, however, parried away a question on current vaccine availability in the state and on the closure of many vaccination sites.
Manoj Kumar, executive director, state health society, Bihar, too did not respond to phone calls or text messages on availability of vaccines and curtailment of vaccination sites.
Among the bigger centres, which would operate on Thursday, are the Patna Women’s College, the three Kendriya Vidyalayas at Danapur, Sheikhpura and Kankarbagh, the ITI at Digha, Aryabhatta Knowledge University and the Sri Krishna Memorial Hall.
Most states are going through the problem of vaccine shortage as the Central government promises to make 2.16 billion vaccine doses available in the country in five months. This will include 750 million doses of Covishield and 550 million doses of Covaxin between August to December. India has stopped the exports of Covid-19 vaccines–blamed for the shortage in the country during the second wave of Covid-19.
