JOIN US52 Covaxin doses wasted in 2 vaccination days in Karnataka
Unlike Covishield, which can be used within six hours of opening a vial as per information on the vial, Covaxin vials are to be used within four hours of being opened. Also, it has 20 doses as opposed to ten doses in Covishield.
This has posed operational challenges for the six vaccination sites in Karnataka administering Covaxin apart from vaccine hesitancy that the resident doctors of the medical colleges have expressed in their letters to the Health Minister.
In the six Covaxin vaccination sites in Karnataka, Davanagere has wasted 28 doses, Hassan 15 doses, Chikkamagalur seven doses, Ballari two doses, and Chamarajanagar, Shivamogga nil.
Dr Amit MN, in-charge of vaccination site in Chigateri District Hospital in Davanagere, told DH, "On Saturday, out of the two vials opened only 38 doses were given leading to wastage of two doses. On Monday, however, we had two sites and opened seven vials. While there were 140 doses, only 114 were administered. Twenty-six doses were wasted on Monday."
Dr Lakshmeesha Thammegowda, nodal officer for Covid-19, Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), said, "When we are supplied vials, as per technical calculation provided by the WHO for wastage of 1.1% we are supplied an extra vial of 20 doses. We've also been supplied 20 syringes of 20 ml each. While drawing 0.5 ml for each dose we may draw a little extra. But we haven't damaged any. We open the vials only after 20 people come, despite that 15 doses have been wasted."
Meanwhile, Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) wrote to Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar, demanding that only those vaccines be administered where at least phase 3 interim analysis is available and that they also be given a choice as both vaccines were yet to complete phase 3 trials.
In the letter, they said, "Before receiving Covaxin, we have been made to take the undertaking that clinical efficacy of Covaxin is yet to be established. The undertaking and the distribution of the vaccine sound very suspicious and the resident doctors are very guarded in getting vaccinated."
The doctors expressed concern that while other centres in Karnataka were getting Covishield, only medical colleges like SIMS (Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences), HIMS, CIMS (Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences), and VIMS (Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences) were being given Covaxin. The resident doctors of SIMS also expressed similar concerns in a separate letter to the health minister.