Rajasthan: Health personnel asked to prevent wastage of doses

JAIPUR: The health department issued a direction to all chief medical health officers across the state asking them to ensure that Covid vaccines should not be wasted.
The department has also clarified that individuals having lab test proven Covid illness should defer vaccination by three months after recovery.
A video conference of the health department was held on Thursday in which officials discussed the issue of wastage of the vaccine.
Officials said individuals who have received the 1st dose and contracted the infection should defer the second dose by three months from the date of recovery.
Persons with any other serious general illness requiring hospitalization for ICU care, must wait 4-8 weeks before getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
“The issue of wastage of vaccine doses was discussed at the meeting. Some of the districts claimed that the wastage shown in CoWin App was not accurate as there is some error in feeding the figures. Such districts have been asked to conduct error correction,” reproduction and child health (director) Dr Laxman Singh Ola said.
The wastage rate shown in Churu district is 26% and state’s average wastage of vaccines stood at 5%. Besides, Jaipur’s vaccine wastage shown is 15% in the CoWin app.
For vaccination of 18 to 44 years age group, wastage is negligible. The health department officials said the companies give one dose extra in a vial of 10 doses, keeping in mind that one can go waste while administering it to beneficiaries. But the health department is now making efforts to use the extra dose to prevent wastage.