For the second day in a row, the district has gone without the vaccination drive. The stock for both the variants of vaccines — Covishield and Covaxin — is learnt to have dried out and there will be no vaccination on Tuesday, primarily due to ‘no stock’ and secondly being a holiday on the occasion of Ugadi (Telugu New Year).
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It is learnt that the State might receive about three lakh vials by Tuesday, and each district may get around 30,000 vials.
But health experts say that it will not be sufficient. If the State is planning six lakh inoculation per day across the State in tune with the Tika Utsav, then we must have sufficient number of vials for 10 to 18 lakh vaccinations, over a period of three days.
“And when it concerns the district, if 30,000 inoculation per day is the target, then we should have at least sufficient number of vials for one lakh jabs, over a period of three days,” said District COVID Special Officer and Principal of Andhra Medical College P.V. Sudhakar.
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Each 5 ml vial of the vaccine has 10 doses in total. And, once opened, all 10 doses have to be consumed within four hours.
Health experts say that the second wave is on and the variants appear to spread much faster than the earlier one. This is the time we need to vaccinate more number of people and the manufacturers need to rise to the occasion. Doctors in the Health Department and KGH say that the Union government should speed up the distribution of Russia’s Sputnik V and also fastrack Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine trial.
Cases cross the 400-mark
For the second day in a row, the COVID-19 cases crossed the 400-mark.
In the last 24 hours, the district recorded 404 new cases taking the total tally to 65,674. The active cases have also gone up to 2,846.
With one more death, the total toll has gone up to 559.
Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, 200 persons affected with the virus were discharged or declared negative after tests, taking the tally of discharges to 62,269.