Gurgaon: The shortage of Covaxin supply for the 18-44 age group at government centres has sparked concern among recipients whose second dose is due in a few days.
Inoculations for this category haven’t happened at government facilities for the past seven days.
A total of 22,737 people in the 18-plus category were given the first shot of Covaxin in May.
Of these, 12,929 people took the jabs at government sites while 9,808 shots were given in private facilities.
The recommended interval for taking the second dose of Covaxin is 28-42 days.
Now that the due date for the second dose of Covaxin is nearing for those who took the first shot at government centres last month, many of them are worried over the lack of supply.
However, Covaxin for the 18-plus category is being given in private hospitals.
But getting a slot is difficult, considering the huge rush of recipients.
For the 18-44 category, Haryana has been procuring Covaxin directly from its makers, Bharat Biotech.
There has been no supply of Covaxin for this age group since June 1 and officials are not sure when the next consignment would arrive.
The health department has, however, said it would give priority to those waiting for the second Covaxin shot when the fresh stocks arrive.
If need be, first doses of the vaccine would be stopped in the 18-44 group to cover the other recipients, officials said.
“We have not been giving Covaxin doses to the 18-44 age group for the last seven days.
Gurgaon has exhausted all its doses of Covaxin for this category.
At present, we have been administering Covaxin only for the 45-plus population.
We will give priority to the 18-44 group for the second shots once we receive a fresh consignment,” said Virender Yadav, the chief medical officer.
The health department said first dose vaccinations for the others would continue with Covishield until all the recipients of last month awaiting second Covaxin doses are covered.
However, the uncertainty surrounding the second dose has led to apprehension among people.
“My second dose of Covaxin is due on June 12.
With just 5 days to go, I have still not been able to get an appointment yet,” said Tanya Mohan, a resident of Sector 63.
Ramesh Khurana, who lives in Sector 89, added, “Even though a dozen private hospitals are giving the vaccines now, getting a slot is still tough.” Senior health department officials expressed hope that Covaxin stocks would arrive by the middle of this month.
“By mid-June, the supply will improve.
Soon, we will be able to inoculate more people,” said Dr Virender Ahlawat, the state immunisation officer who is overseeing the vaccination drive.
“Till May 1, the pace of our vaccination drive was quite smooth.
But we have faced a few hurdles because of the erratic supply since then,” he added.
Dr Ahlawat also said the Haryana government would give priority to second dose recipients in case there are not enough stocks of Covaxin this month.
“We may halt first doses and administer second doses if required,” he added.