Scores of people opting for immunisation against COVID-19 have been asking for Covaxin, but vaccination centres set up at government and corporate hospitals are running short of the stock.
Senior officials in the Health department said that stocks of the city-based Bharat Biotech-developed vaccine are comparatively lower than that of Covishield, and appealed to beneficiaries not to differentiate between the two.
Initial demand
After the COVID-19 immunisation programme was launched on January 16, demand for Covishield was high. Gradually, however, the demand for Covaxin has spiked. Sources in the Health department also confirmed that vaccine beneficiaries have been insisting on the later.
“A lot of people, including top officials, ask for Covaxin. First and second dose administered to a person should be of the same brand. As per norms, second dose of vaccine of one company has to be reserved after giving first dose of it so that we do not run out of stock,” sources in the department said.
No new stock
Sources in corporate hospitals said that they too have run out of Covaxin doses for the new set of beneficiaries. The type of vaccine available on a particular day is displayed at the vaccination sites in a few corporate hospitals here.
“Out of every three doses, one is Covaxin and two are Covishield. The ratio is decided by the Central government. The availability of Covaxin is less across the country,” said a senior Health official, who added that the State has nine lakh doses of the two vaccines put together.
