If you have managed to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with both doses completed, consider yourself lucky. For, it appears to be taking forever for those awaiting that elusive jab. It has been almost a week since Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao announced a temporary suspension in the vaccination drive due to insufficient supply of doses, and there is no word on when it will resume. Citizens are desperately checking the Co-WIN app, some even calling up hospitals, doctors, officials, police, newspaper offices and others seeking help.
With the Centre increasing the time interval for two Covishield doses to 12-16 weeks from the earlier 6-8 weeks, the Telangana government has stated that there are no eligible beneficiaries for the second jab. For Covaxin, the demand stands at 3 lakh doses, but only 50,000 vials are available. Then, there are those in the 45-plus category waiting for their first dose.
Sputnik’s arrival
The launch of Russian vaccine, Sputnik, raised hopes. However, informed sources made it clear that the shots would be available only after June 15.
“The parameters of this vaccine are totally different from the other two (Covishield and Covaxin) in terms of refrigeration and transport. Moreover, both shots are said to be identical so the plan is to dose up entire staff of the pharma firm to test the mechanism before allowing the general public to get it through the Co-WIN app,” they said.
These doses are directly imported, and indigenously-produced Sputnik doses are likely to be available after two months. Telangana government has 1.90 crore citizens in the 18-44 years age group, but could manage to procure 4.90 lakh only. Like several other States, it had raised a global tender for procuring 10 million (1 crore) doses.
‘Challenging task’
However, highly placed sources in the vaccine industry say the task is quite challenging and cumbersome.
It could easily take up to three months or more before the first supplies of Pfizer or Moderna could be imported or made here, they affirm.
“Vaccines are not available to be purchased off the shelf. The only hope is to secure vaccines bought and stockpiled in United States, Canada and countries in Europe due to hesitancy or because of having procured in advance more than the required numbers, etc. Focused approach with right lobbying could get these within a month, but with many States raising global tenders, it is going to be messy. Ideally, the Centre should have taken the lead and worked out payments with respective States,” the sources say.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy, also Secunderabad MP, wrote to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao urging him to vaccinate the railway staff as they are “frontline workers”. The Chief Minister’s Office, already racking their heads over procurement of sufficient vaccine supplies, surely must have been taken aback at the buck being passed, again.