No mass vaccination camps will be held in Ernakulam district from Sunday onwards, till adequate stock of the two vaccines is available, said Dr. M.G. Sivadas, nodal officer for vaccination.
The fast depleting stock of the Covishield vaccine is being replenished, with the district receiving 10,000 doses on Saturday, and around 1,75,000 doses are expected to arrive on Sunday, Dr. Sivadas said. The supply that will arrive on Sunday will be for Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, and Kottayam.
On Saturday evening, Ernakulam had only 690 doses of Covishield remaining at vaccination centres. Around 12,880 doses of Covaxin are available at vaccination centres. On Saturday, 12,812 doses were administered as of 6 p.m.
A total of 7,02,422 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the district so far, making Ernakulam the first district in the State to administer over 7 lakh doses.
Since several people who have taken the first shot are now awaiting the second dose, people over 50 who have not taken the second dose will be prioritised for vaccination once additional stock is available, District Collector S. Suhas told the media earlier in the day. Most vaccination centres in the district have administered Covishield as the first dose so far.
The Collector has advised the public to contact the nearest public health facility and enquire about the availability of the vaccine before going to the vaccination centres.
When the shortage of vaccines hit, the district administration, in collaboration with local bodies, had planned to set up additional centres for mass vaccination drives to expand coverage and administer 30,000 doses daily.
