Even as the government and local governing bodies are not able to decide about the number of Covishield vaccine doses piling up in private hospitals, doctors said that these doses were mainly bought for Front Line Workers (FLWs), Health Care Workers (HCWs), and senior citizens aged 60 years and above, who have received two doses of vaccine.
“ It is fact huge stocks of Covishield are pending with private hospitals in Pune. Hospitals ordered these vaccines after the union government announced the policy of booster doses. However, during and post-omicron wave, many senior citizens turned their back to booster dose saying that already they suffered from Omicron and have developed anti-bodies” said a senior doctor working in one of the biggest private hospitals in Pune.
She added that the hospitals are unaware of what to do with the stock which will face an expiry date next month. Many hospitals in the city have already told the Pune Municipal Corporation that they will not be able to use the stock of vaccines.
“ There is a lack of coordination and communication when it comes to vaccination. The waste of vaccines is painful” said another doctor.
Meanwhile, the local governing bodies in the State are awaiting State and union government’s directives on what to do with the vaccine stock facing expiry date.