The vaccination programme in the five private hospitals in Kurnool and Anantapur districts has seen little activity for the past three months as there were no takers for the paid ones as the vaccine is available free-of-cost in government facilities.
Three of the five hospitals have stopped vaccination and have no stocks left.
In Anantapur district, the two private hospitals have so far administered 45,000 first doses and 1,500 second doses.
Explaining the wide gap between the two figures, District Immunisation Officer P. Yugandhar said now that the vaccine is available free-of-cost without any restrictions for all aged above 18, some of those who took the first dose of Covishield or Covaxin in a private facility would have taken the second one in the government hospital.
Now, while KIMS Saveera Hospital has stopped the vaccination process, Akbar Eye Hospital continues conducting the programme.
Here, Covaxin is administered even if only one person goes, but those wanting to have Covishield administered need to come in a group of 10 as a single vial contains ten doses, the hospital staff explained.
Anantapur district was originally given a target of administering vaccine to 28 lakh eligible population, but was later revised to 32 lakh. The district has vaccinated close to 87% of the new target with one dose and above 45% with both doses.
Vaccine hesitancy
“We are campaigning in rural areas for people to take the second dose, but vaccine hesitancy is hampering the process,” explains Dr. Yugandhar.
The health department personnel are now going from door-to-door to vaccinate people in both Kurnool and Anantapur districts to reach 100% of the target.
In Kurnool district, while KIMS Hospital, Gowri Gopal, and Medicover Hospital were given permission to hold vaccination programme, KIMS and Medicover hospitals had stopped vaccination as there were no stocks, according to District Immunisation Officer K. Visveswara Reddy.
Kurnool, however, as a whole had achieved a 97% target of administering first dose and 57% of the second dose.
