Bengaluru PHCs create 'microplans' to exhaust Covid doses

The BBMP’s primary healthcare centres (PHCs) are setting up Covid vaccination sites to use up their stocks, given that the number of people walking in for the shots are still low.

BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) Dr Trilok Chandra said that each PHC is supposed to create a microplan so that the current stocks are used up before expiry.

Last week, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had received around 94,000 doses of Covishield from the government. Doses allocated to each PHC varied — from a few hundreds to a few thousands — based on their due list of beneficiaries, Chandra says.

Chandra says that about 50,000 doses each of Covishield and Covaxin remain with the BBMP now. Covaxin doses have an earlier expiry date of January 31, whereas Covishield stocks will expire on February 9.

While the government held a statewide vaccination mela last Saturday, PHCs are now preparing microplans. “PHCs would have a list of people who are due for the second shot and precaution dose. Based on that, they need to identify places that have the maximum number of beneficiaries, reach out to them and set up vaccination camps there,” Chandra says.

Given the fewer beneficaries for Covaxin, some PHCs have more difficulty using up these even though they will expire sooner.

Jalahalli PHC, for example, had 860 doses of Covaxin and 100 doses of Covaxin as of Tuesday, according to PHC medical officer Dr Leelavathi.

Of the 730 doses the PHC had administered during the Saturday mela at a college and a company, only 100 were Covaxin. “There are not many takers for Covaxin as fewer people had taken it earlier,” says Dr Leelavathi. The PHC has been reaching out to colleges to organise vaccine camps, where they are hoping to give more Covaxin doses. Only 10 to 15 people walk in here for vaccination daily.

At the KR Puram PHC, too, the number of walk-ins are very few. But the PHC has only 200 doses of Covishield and Covaxin combined, and hence the staff believe these could be exhausted sooner. “We have planned camps at a government college and a layout tomorrow. PHCs like Doddanekkundi and Vibhutipura that have around 900 doses are conducting camps,” says PHC medical officer Dr Lakshmi.

At the MR Palya PHC, the focus is on administering Covaxin doses at schools for children in the 15-18 age group. “There doesn’t seem to be a need for Covishield camps for now since people are walking into the PHC to take it. We will hold a camp, if needed,” says medical officer Dr Melwin. The PHC now administers around 50 doses of both vaccines combined, per day.

Chandra says that 5,000 to 10,000 vaccine doses are administered in the city overall now, per day. “If the demand for Covaxin is less at a PHC, it’s being transferred to PHCs with a higher demand.” He says there’s no plan yet regarding doses that may expire or for placing a demand for fresh doses.