Co-WIN resulting in Covid-19 vaccine loss, say hospitals

The government’s Co-WIN software was intended to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines were given to those who were supposed to get it. Now hospitals say the app has created an unintended side-problem: vaccine waste.

On January 10, the central government described Co-WIN as being the foundation of the country’s vaccination programme. The software was intended to give the government real-time data about how many people were receiving the vaccine, and through its requisite pre-registrations of vaccine recipients, prevent “proxies” from getting it.

However, doctors and administrators of several major hospitals in Bengaluru described the app as glitchy and said the regimented rollout of Covishield and Covaxin through the app means that it prevents vaccinators from using leftover doses to inoculate willing members of the general public.

One expert pointed that this is not the method used in India's previously successful vaccination efforts.

“With opened Covishield vials set to expire within four hours, there have been reports that unused doses have had to be discarded because the requisite number of healthcare workers did not turn up for the jab. A better option would have been to use them to vaccinate willing members of the public,” said Dr Prasanna H M, president of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes' Association (Phana).

According to Dr Naresh Shetty, president of Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, his centre is seeing an average vaccine wastage of 6-8%.

He described this as unfortunate. “Patients who come to the hospital for various treatments are constantly asking when they will get the vaccine. However, the government has not said anything about the general public being vaccinated,” he said.

'Better Planning Needed'

Dr Arundhati Chandrashekar, Mission Director (State), National Health Mission, said self-registrations by the public could start by the end of February. She added that the existing problems of waste can be sorted out through better planning.

"Hospitals have to ensure that their registered healthcare workers turn out to receive the vaccine. Hospitals also have the option to transfer their partly used vials to the nearest government health centre. They have a timeframe of four hours to do so,” she said.

Some hospitals said they have already found ways to ensure opened vials do not end up in the trash. At St John’s Memorial Hospital, which has nine sites and has vaccinated 4,200 healthcare workers (comprising about 70% of the target population), administrators have moved to immediately transfer partly used vials to sites which need them.

“This has significantly cut down on waste. However, this is our own initiative. Not all other hospitals can do this,” said Dr B Ramakrishna Goud, Professor, Community Health, who is in-charge of vaccinations.

'Follow US method'

A better option is to follow the US method wherein the general public is allowed to get vaccinated whenever they are willing, added Dr Shetty.

Dr Prasanna H M, president of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes' Association (Phana), said that Phana will write to the government asking for a provision to allow unused doses to go towards inoculating unregistered and willing members of the public.