To avoid wastage, docs advise people to come between 9 am & 1 pm

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 3

Amid massive Covid vaccination drive under way in the district, people who could not be inoculated complained about disorderliness at the government vaccination centres. Particularly patients who are turning up at the Civil Hospital in the afternoon are complaining about not being entertained.

However, despite considering the grievances, the doctors are forced to ask beneficiaries to return without being vaccinated in order to avoid wastage of the vaccine.

“A vial of Covid-19 vaccine once opened for inoculation needs to be completely administered within four hours else the remaining doses go waste and need to destroyed,” said District Immunisation Officer (DIO) Rakesh Chopra.

While a 5 ml Covishield vial contains maximum 10 doses, a 10 ml vial of Covaxin contains 20 doses. Each dose administered to any individual carries 0.5 ml vaccine. Chopra said, for all vaccination centres, including the private ones, the district only has Covishield.

“Therefore, in the absence of required number or beneficiaries, the vaccine can’t be administered to one or two persons. Most of the people are administered the vaccine by 1pm, leaving only a few people by the closing time arrives. Hence, at least eight people need to be present on the spot before opening a Covishield vile to ensure that it does not get wasted,” Doctor Indu at the Civil Hospital vaccination centre said.

As the inoculation time has been kept between 9am and 3pm on all seven days in a week, people who are visiting the vaccination centres after 1.30 pm or 2 pm remain unattended, even if they carry their registration numbers.

Ravinder Singh (49), a resident of New Jawahar Nagar, who had gone to the Civil Hospital to get the jab, said after completing his registration in advance, he visited the hospital for his first dose. However, he could not be vaccinated. He says, a system needs to be framed so that nobody has to return without being inoculated. “Patients should be given time slots for vaccination,” he said.

For the convenience of beneficiaries, the doctors said early visits should be preferred to avoid any delay in getting vaccinated.

Dr Atinder Pal Kaur, deployed at the Urban PHC vaccination centre, Garha Road, claimed that there was zero per cent wastage of vaccine at her centre. “We make sure there are 8-10 people present at one time. Asha workers and area councillors have also been roped in to inform and call people according to the time slots,” Kaur said.

A vial of Covid-19 vaccine once opened for inoculation needs to be completely administered within four hours else the remaining doses go waste and need to destroyed, said District Immunisation Officer (DIO) Rakesh Chopra.