LUCKNOW: A day after PM Narendra Modi expressed concern over vaccine wastage in some states, chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed health officials to explore the reasons behind the wastage and undertake effective steps to prevent the loss.
“Not even a single dose of the precious Covid-19 vaccine should be wasted,” the CM said in a review meeting with Team-11 on Thursday.
Data from the health department showed that UP’s vaccine wastage was about 8.5%, which was within the accepted range of 10%. However, on Wednesday, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said that UP’s vaccine wastage was higher than the national average of 6.5%. The CM convened the review meeting after the PM urged the state government to ensure that there is zero wastage of the vaccine.
Describing the Covid-19 vaccine as ‘precious’, the CM said: “We must ensure that not a single vial of vaccine goes to the bin. Good micro-planning can help achieve this, but exact reasons must be explored so that wastage in the state is below the national average,” he said. Officials said the wastage in UP is mainly linked to low turnout of people.
Yogi directed that at least 45% of all Covid-19 tests in a district must be conducted through RT PCR method. In districts with high burden – about 15 in number – 50% of coronavirus screening must be done through RT PCR. He told the health department to keep Covid-19 hospitals ready in wake of the surge and increase surveillance and awareness activities.