Pune: Corona Vaccine COVISHIED In Shortage, Now People Will Get COVAXIN

Pune, 15th March 2021: Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is in a peculiar situation. There is a severe shortage of Covishield vaccine produced by Pune based Serum Institute of India. This has affected the vaccination programme across the city affecting over one lakh people.

People who had queued up for vaccine shots were in a rude shock when the medical officers at the inoculation centres had to send them back saying that there is no Covishield vaccine available.

Apparently, according to the medical experts, those who have taken the first shot of Covishield will have to take the second shot of the same vaccine. But now with the shortage, people are worried about their vaccine programme.

Initially, Covishield was provided to PMC for the vaccination programme, but now they have been given 50,000 Covaxin doses. But now the question before PMC is how to carry out the vaccination programme for the second shot. As many as 1.34 lakh people are eligible for the second shot of the vaccine.

PMC health department head Dr Ashish Bharati said, “Now PMC has to use the Covishield vaccine available with them only for people who will come for the second shot. Those coming for the first shot will be administered Covaxin.”

He also said that they were trying their best to continue with the vaccination programme. Research has shown that even if we conduct the second round of vaccination after six to eight weeks, it will not affect anyone.

A woman from Wanowrie whose parents had to return from a private hospital without getting the vaccine today, said, “If there is a shortage of Covishield, it is a matter of concern as I am apprehensive in taking a shot of Covaxin, especially for my parents who are senior citizens. When comparing these two vaccines, Covishield has more data as well as it has been administered on many people. This raised confidence in this vaccine. However, with Covaxin, there isn’t much information, therefore it raises concern regarding safety.”

Apparently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers have got the first shot of Covaxin which has been developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech.