‘Use available vaccine stocks only for second dose’

Mysuru district administration issues diktat following complaints of some centres administering first dose despite many are for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Acting on the complaint of some government vaccination centres in the district administering the first dose of vaccine, differing the government’s guidelines, the Mysuru district administration on Friday issued a strict diktat to the people in charge of vaccination to confine the jabs only to those who are due for the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Despite knowing that several are due for their second dose, some centres, including the urban health centres here and the primary health centres in the taluks, administered the first dose in the offline mode.

From Saturday onwards, Covishield and Covaxin vaccines should be administered only to those who are due for their second dose. There should not be any deviation of any kind on this, the health authorities have been told.

New guidelines

The district administration has directed the Health Department to give top priority for administering the second dose of Covishield to those who have completed eight weeks since their first dose. Those who have completed 6 to 8 weeks should get second priority. Last in prioity will be those completing 45 days from their first dose.

In case of Covaxin, the beneficiaries completing six weeks must get top priority. “The names of those who have not completed 45 days since their first dose are not accepted in the CoWIN portal,” it said, in a release here.

The instruction should be communicated to the health workers and the ASHAs, who are supposed to inform the beneficiaries about the revised guidelines, according to the district administration.

Accountability

Also, the district administration has directed compulsory entry of vaccine doses administered on each day on the district and state sites. “This step has been taken to bring accountability and the doses have to be administered only after the beneficiaries’ complete details were entered in the CoWIN portal. The serial numbers of the beneficiaries, after the vaccination, must be entered in the records that are submitted to the State and district authorities.”

The unused vaccines that were mobilised for administering to those aged between 18 and 44 should be returned to the respective PHCs and CHCs and they should be used in administering the second dose.