Maha’s vax wastage dips to 3.2%; BMC plans 1L jabs/day

Mumbai: Vaccine wastage in the state has dropped to 3.2% since the second phase of senior citizens and people above 45 years with comorbidities began on March 1. Earlier, it was hovering around 5%, when only healthcare workers and frontliners were taking the shots.

Vaccine wastage in Mumbai, BMC’s executive health officer Dr Mangala Gomare said, was 1%-2%. “On-spot registration really helped to cut down wastage. It has fallen further since the drive for senior citizens started,” she added.

Mumbai is now clocking around 45,000 vaccinations a day, but additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani on Sunday told TOI that the BMC is now planning to vaccinate almost a lakh a day. “Our target is to finish vaccination before monsoon, which is by May-end,” he said. There are an estimated 30 lakh people from the prioritized groups in Mumbai of which only six lakh have got at least one dose.

According to state officials, an estimated 90,000 doses have been wasted in Maharashtra since the inoculation drive started on January 16. They said it was well within the limit of 10% that has been factored in by the Centre. Dr Dilip Patil, immunisation officer, said the vaccine performance of every district, which included wastage ratios, was taken into consideration at the time of handing out more doses. “Vaccine management is an equally important element and we are very mindful to keep it to minimum,” he said.

Typically, turnout plays an important role when it comes to vaccine management. In certain districts, an official said, the wastage was quite high initially. “It was as much as 1,000 doses in the first few days, but as soon as on-spot registrations started, the number reduced,” he said. “Covaxin saw more wastage in the beginning compared to Covishield,” a district health officer said.

At Byculla’s JJ Hospital, which so far has been the only centre to administer Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in the city, the wastage was significant in the initial days. Dr Lalit Sankhe, nodal officer of the centre, said unlike Covishield that contained 10 doses in a vial, Covaxin vials came with 20 doses. “So, when our turnout would be, say 48, we would be wasting up to 12 doses,” he said. But, since March, the firm has started sending vials with 10 doses. Dr Sankhe said this has brought down wastage in a big way. On Monday, five more centres, including BYL Nair Hospital, SevenHills Hospital, and BKC, Mulund and Dahisar jumbo facilities will start administering Covaxin alongside Covishield.

Meanwhile, vaccination numbers had dipped marginally across the state on Saturday. From a high of over 2.5 lakh on Friday, it dropped to 1.3 lakh on Saturday. A total of 28 lakh vaccine doses have been administered of which nearly 3.4 lakh have got the second doses too.