Pune: The expiration date of the vaccine stock available for government sites in Maharashtra is the third quarter of this year and is suitable for use in a new vaccination program for category 15-18 years from January 3, the health department official said on Saturday.
“The vaccine stock available for government sites can be used until mid 2022 and there is no problem about expiration,” said a senior health department official.
Opening stock available with the country on January 1 is 1.8 doses of crore.
Of them, 1.4 crore is a dose of covishield with August-September expiration date.
Covaxin stock has 40 doses of lakh with the October expiration date.
However, the vaccine expiration date is concern for many private hospitals.
“Some private hospitals say that their vaccine stocks will soon be expired.
But there is no policy from the center to take over their stock and use it on government sites,” said senior health officials.
This center instructs the state government to direct all private hospitals that vaccines should not be used outside the expiration date mentioned on the label of each VIAL.
The Maharashtra government has notified private health facilities about it.
Dr.
Sanjay Patil, Chairperson, the Indian Hospital Board, Ima, Pune, told Ti that many private hospital vaccination sites were abandoned with delayed vaccine stocks, which would expire within two months.
“This center must develop a policy, where this vaccine can be used at the government location or exchanged among personal sites so that the bottle is used before the expiration date.
Two months ago, a private site had nearly four Lakh shares which would expire in February.
There is a mechanism for utilizing this dose and preventing waste, “he said.