Nagpur: In a remarkable initiative, city’s Alexis Hospital has started to utilize extra doses available in the vials of Covid-19 vaccine, allowing it to vaccinate 14 additional health care workers in two days.
As per state government guidelines, also highlighted on the vials, each vial of Covishield comprises of 5ml vaccine, with each beneficiary to be administered 0.5ml. Thus, each vial is supposed to have 10 doses.
Infectious diseases specialist from Alexis Hospital Dr Nitin Shinde told TOI, “Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) permitted vaccination centre at our hospital on January 29. The team at vaccination centre is highly experienced and found some quantity of vaccine remains in the vial after administering 0.5ml to 10 beneficiaries. Director (medical) Dr Tushar Gawad took the initiative and asked the team to utilize the extra dose too. Thus, our team went on to administer vaccine to 141 health care workers from 13 vials on February 1. We also vaccinated 153 using 15 vials on February 3.”
Dr Shinde said Alexis Hospital will continue to save extra doses through out the vaccination drive. “This vaccine is very important as all have witnessed the severity of the pandemic. Therefore, our motive is to ensure vaccination to more and more people,” he said.
Director of Orange City Hospital and Research Institute (OCHRI) Dr Anup Marar also confirmed that extra dose is available in the vial of Covishield. “Sometimes air enters the syringe when dose is being filled. There are chances of some vaccine being wasted while removing the air. Therefore, there might be extra vaccine in all vials. Experienced staff ensure no air enters syringe, allowing usage of extra doses,” he said.
Alexis had vaccinated 100 on first day on January 29. Thus, the hospital also ensured no wastage of doses in three days.
OCHRI has maintained its record by ensuring no wastage of doses on fifth consecutive day. On Wednesday, 180 took the jab at the centre situated in this hospital for which 18 vials were utilized.
The government had allowed up to 10% wastage. It is estimated that wastage is around 6% in 11 districts of Vidarbha. The experts had time and again opined that wastage can be minimized through proper planning, which the two private hospitals proved.
Also, the hospital has broken its own record of covering highest health care staff in a centre in a single day. On February 1, the hospital had covered 170, which was a record.
Dr Marar said, “NMC scheduled 200 at the centre of which 70 turned up. We ensured vaccination of 110 registered health care workers by availing on-the-spot scheduling with due permission from NMC and following all government guidelines.”
Many centres have been unable to achieve even target of 100%.
OCHRI has covered 670 as against target of 500 for a turnout of 134%. Alexis is at second spot in the city with achievement of 131.33% (394/300) followed by NMC’s Isolation Centre at 113% (678/600) and Kingsway Hospital at 110.6% (553/500). Centre started at Mure Memorial Hospital on Wednesday and covered 135 as against target of 100. Remaining 13 centres have achieved below 100%.
Every drop counts
* Each vial of Covishield has 5ml vaccine as per government and label on it
* 0.5ml is to be administered to each beneficiary
* Alexis Hospital’s team found some vaccine remaining after giving jabs to 10 from one vial
* Hospital started to utilize extra dose and covered 14 health care workers using it in two days
* Hospital also ensured no wastage of doses for third consecutive day
* OCHRI too ensured zero wastage for fifth consecutive day
* OCHRI broke its own record of highest vaccination at a centre in single day
* OCHRI covered 180 as against its earlier record of 170