States grapple with vaccine paucity: Changing vaccine norms a need of the hour
12 May, 2021 | Priyanka Sharma
Several states in India have put their vaccine drive on halt for 18-45 age group while many have been stockpiling vaccines for the second dose due to the vaccine shortage.
Amid the brutal second wave of Covid-19 in India, vaccine has emerged as the only ray of hope. The more the people get inoculated; the severity rate of the infection at large gets reduced. While India has opened its vaccination drive to every adult, vaccine paucity remains one of the biggest causes of concern. Be it the struggle of citizens to get a vaccination slot on CoWin app to vaccine centers running out of vaccines, the situation on ground is quite intense.
Addressing the situation of vaccine shortage in Delhi, Dy CM Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said that they have demanded 1.34 cr doses, 67 lakh each of Covaxin and Covishield. However, Bharat Biotech has allegedly refused to provide more vaccines citing that they are making dispatches as per directives of concerned government officials. Claiming that their reserve stock of vaccine is exhausted and have to close the some of the centres, he added that the centre should act the government of the country and carry out their responsibility.
Due to the vaccine shortage, several states in India have put their vaccine drive on halt for 18-45 age group while many have been stockpiling vaccines for the second dose. Such a situation has called for a revision in vaccine norms.
As per trends observed worldwide, the severity of Covid-19 infection can only be reduced on a mass scale when each and every section of the population is vaccinated at the earliest. This requires diverting Centre’s earlier directive of giving 2 jabs to everyone and prioritising giving the first dose to everyone. Meanwhile, a booster shot can be given to Covid positive.