Karnataka: Covaxin shortage leaves those waiting for 2nd dose worried

DHARWAD: A shortage of Covaxin doses in Dharwad district has left those seeking the second dose in a quandary. For Covaxin, the second shot falls due after 28 days and many have already waited out the interval.
In June, as many as 26,420 people across the district were administered their first dose of Covaxin, and although they were scheduled to receive the second dose in July, nearly half of them could not take the shot on time due to the shortage.
Since it is inadvisable to delay the second dose beyond six weeks after the first, many fear they would have to repeat the entire process again. They also wonder whether the Co-Win portal would allow them to register afresh.
“I have been going to various vaccination centres seeking the second dose of Covaxin, but none has stock. We really do not know what is to be done,” said a citizen.
Many citizens have appealed to elected representatives, seeking their intervention to ensure vaccination centres are supplied with sufficient stock of doses, but their pleas have mostly gone unheeded.
Bharat BioTech’s Covaxin was made available in Dharwad only in the third week of March, and when the stock began running low in April, authorities decided to use whatever stock was available to administer the second dose. Consequently, only the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield was administered to those seeking the first dose.
Following the nationwide relaunch of the vaccination drive on June 22, over 26,000 people in the district opted for Covaxin. A majority of them were from Dharwad city. However, less than 50% of these have taken the second dose.
However, health department officials insisted all is well and that fresh stock would arrive “soon”.
“The district has enough stock to administer 2,880 doses of Covaxin, and these have been distributed to vaccination centres. There is no need for people to fear as fresh stock will arrive shortly,” an official said.