Vaccine wastage in minus as Chandigarh scoops out extra doses

CHANDIGARH: In the initial batches of Covishield, some vials had more than 10 doses of 0.5ml vaccine. This enabled the health care workers in the UT health department and PGI to use 11 doses of the prescribed vaccine dose in a vial. Consequently, this added to the reduction in vaccine wastage.
Dr S S Pandav, nodal officer of the vaccination in PGI said, “While filing there is not exactly 10cc of the dose in each vial. There would be some margin of error That is why there is a bit of extra in each vial.”
Vaccine wastage in Chandigarh is in minus, which is attributed to taking out 11 doses out of each vial at times. “This depends on the batches and is not possible in all cases. We have instructed our staff to use 0.5ml in each dose and if it is less than it, it must be discarded,” said UT director health services Dr Amandeep Kang.
According to a reply following a query by RK Garg, a city-based RTI activist, the Serum Institute of India mentioned, “It is recommended that after administration of 10 doses as per our label claim, if additional one dose equivalent to 0.5ml is available, it can be used for administration. However, if remaining volume is not sufficient for additional dose, it should be discarded.”
However, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, is strictly adhering to 10cc doses only in a vial. “We have vaccine wastage of 0.7% and follow the practice of 10 doses only in a vial,” said directorprincipal Dr Jasbinder Kaur.
Till date, 6,20,290 beneficiaries have been vaccinated in the city. As per the data of the health department, 94.43% of the health care workers and 95.17% of the frontline workers in the city have been covered under the vaccination.