23% of vaccines wasted by states till April 11: RTI

Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Manipur and Telangana report the most wastage. 

A Right to Information query, as reported by NDTV, has revealed that 23 per cent of the total number of Covid vaccine doses used in states till April 11 was wasted. 

The RTI reveals that a total of 44.78 lakh vaccine doses were wasted out of the 10.34 crore dose used by states till Aprill 11, with Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Manipur and Telangana reporting the most wastage. 

The RTI also revealed that Kerala, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Goa, Daman and Diu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep reported zero wastage of doses. 

The following comes at a time when vaccine supplies have reportedly dried up on the ground, with at least five states reporting severe shortages and urging the Centre to act. 

In the face of crisis, the government and Serum Institute of India have shifted focus from supplying vaccines to COVAX to prioritising their own citizens at home. 

According to official data, India has administered more than 12.69 crore coronavirus vaccine doses to eligible beneficiaries till Monday evening. 

The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 12,69,56,032, according to a provisional report till 8 pm on Monday. 

Phase-I of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive was launched on January 16, prioritising protection for healthcare workers and frontline workers.               

The phase-II was initiated from March 1, focusing on protecting most vulnerable -- all people above 45 years of age.               

Everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 from May 1, the central government said on Monday as it liberalised the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals and industrial establishments to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.