COIMBATORE: A controversy broke out after the Tirupur Corporation administered around 800 doses of Covaxin to employees of three garment factories.
The stock was initially allotted to four urban primary health centres (UPHCs).
There were media reports of the civic body taking away vaccines meant for the public and selling it to private garment factories.
However, the health department and the corporation denied the accusation.
Health officers said it was the corporation’s prerogative on who they decide to vaccinate first.
Officials said garment factories were Covid-19 clusters once.
It is a high-risk sector and thus their employees must be vaccinated on priority, according to them.
Ruling out any chances of vaccines being “sold”, officials said the issue seems to have arisen from the corporation conducting the three camps using staff nurses and failing to inform the PHCs’ medical officers on their decision to divert the allotted vaccine doses.
The issue arose after an internal communication from the health department surfaced showing 728 doses of vaccines remaining unutilized in four primary health centres — Sundamedu UPHC had 205 doses, Anna Nesavalar Colony UPHC had 99 doses, Kovilvali UPHC had 174 doses and Periyandipalayam UPHC had 261 doses.
“Many residents who gathered in front of these urban PHCs, even those in the above 45 age group, were turned away stating that there was no stock,” said a corporation official.
“So, people misunderstood that the remaining 728 doses were sold off to three garment factories,” he said.
Health department officials said the corporation held vaccination camps on Saturday at three garment factories — MS Garments, Prisma Garments and Network Clothing Company — and administered 770 doses in total.
“It was a case of miscommunication because the corporation took the decision to divert vaccine stocks without informing the UPHCs’ medical staff, which the public got wind off and misunderstood,” said an official.