Vax drive for 18+ category lacks speed, 14 lakh jabs of 7 crore given so far in Rajasthan

JAIPUR: The state health department has administered the first dose of Covid vaccine to nearly 14.08 lakh people in the 18+ category till Monday since launching the drive on May 1.
The numbers translate to only 2 per cent of the target of 7 crore doses considering that the 18-44 age group population in the state is around 3.5 crore. Authorities have blamed the vaccine companies for the slow pace of vaccination as the companies have not been able to cater to the demand of the state health department.
TOI on Tuesday spoke to the authorities to find out the reasons why the vaccination is going at a snail’s pace and why many who have registered were still unable to get a slot.
“We have a capacity to vaccinate 7 lakh people per day in all categories including health workers, frontline workers, 18+, 45+ and 60 years and above, but till date we haven’t received adequate supply of vaccines. We paid money in advance to Serum Institute of India and even to Bharat Biotech. But we have been getting vaccines on alternate days and that too 1.5 lakh doses or even less,” said Dr Raghuraj Singh, nodal officer, vaccination, on Tuesday.
Singh added that while only 1 lakh or less vials are received, sending them to each and every district is a herculean task. “If we get a lot of almost 7 lakh vials, our transport mechanism and other logistics can have little rest. But right now the scenario is once a vehicle reaches at Sriganganagar with 5,000 vials, we need to send another vehicle a day later in another vehicle. We have been requesting the Serum Institute to send us adequate amount of vaccines,” he added.
Even health minister Raghu Sharma has been complaining of insufficient supply of vaccines. “We have even paid money in advance to Serum institute, but we are not getting the required lot. I believe for 18+ category, we definitely need momentum. Also for every other category, we need sufficient vaccines.”