Easing the restriction over immunisation by Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin, the central government has now allowed the vaccination centres to administer the vaccine’s first dose to all the age group although with a cap of 20 per cent.
As per the officials, the capping of 20 per cent is in place considering the limited supply of Covaxin. “The government vaccination centres may restart administration of the first dose of Covaxin. However, considering the limited vaccine supply, to begin with, the first dose slots may be limited to up to 20% of the total session capacity,” the order read.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has now asked the government Covid Vaccination Centres to allow all the age groups for the first shot of Covaxin. The registration for the first dose of Covaxin can only be done via CoWIN as the government has closed spot/walk-in registration for it. Meanwhile, the second dose of Covaxin will continue to be for all age groups as is presently being followed.
“No approach is an ideal approach. However, the government must have a concrete plan to take forward the vaccination drive. It starts with acknowledging the problem that India indeed have a demand for vaccine way higher than the supply. Such measures are not effective until we address the core issue,” said Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, epidemiologist, public policy and health system expert.