Is Assam on the verge of facing COVID-19 vaccine shortage?
According to a senior official of the Health & Family Welfare Department Assam has a stock of 2.5 lakh doses of covid vaccine available as of now and has sought for 18 lakh vaccines from the centre at the earliest. If not received by Monday, Assam will run out of vaccines and the vaccination drive will halt.
In Assam's vaccination drive, which started on January 16, mostly the frontline warriors and the government employees have been vaccinated.
Assam administered a total of 12,14,820 first dose of vaccination and 2,38,490 received the second dose of vaccination. But the recent surge in COVID positive cases has everyone worried as Assam has more than 1000 active cases at present. It has to lead to a sudden rush in people for vaccination.
It has been reported by a senior official of the Health & Family Welfare department on Saturday that in Assam only a stock of 2.5 lakh COVID vaccines are left, which according to him would be exhausted by Monday.
In the sharp rise of COVID-19 positive cases in the state has increased the demand of vaccination in various districts. The COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) across the state are only capable of vaccinating 120 people on daily basis. These CVCs are now receiving over 300 people and that is causing chaos as well as tension in the administration of the Health and Family Welfare department.
In view of such critical circumstances, the Joint Director of Health Services of Dibrugarh has prohibited the private hospitals of the districts from inoculating the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines but asked to continue inoculating the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines.
The State Health and Family Welfare Department have already drafted its demand for 18 lakh COVID-19 vaccines to the centre on the 7th of April. On 10th April, the department sent out a reminder to the centre explaining the urgency of receiving the doses of vaccines before Monday.
Assam is indeed facing an acute shortage of vaccines as it has been reported that if the state does not receive the vaccines within Monday then the vaccination drive will halt.
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