Thiruvananthapuram: The crisis in the second wave of COVID 19 contagion is entirely different from the first wave when COVID-19 had hit like a bolt from the blues. Even after one year of relentless fight against the pandemic and all possible mechanisms in place, COVID has become more dangerous and more contagious in the second wave, changing its form into mutant variants. The only relief is the vaccination drive in the states.
Covishield, Covaxin and Russia’s Sputnik V are the vaccines currently being used for the inoculation drive in India.
Even as the Centre declared to enter the third phase of COVID vaccination and opened registration procedure for citizens between the age of 18 to 45 years, severe vaccine shortage continues to pose a major challenge to COVID vaccination drive in most parts of the country.
Kerala has consumed 74,26,164 doses of COVID vaccines as per the official data on May 1, 2021, while it has received only 73,38,806 doses from the Central Government. Yes, the State has implemented 87,358 more doses of vaccines than it received, besides having a stock of 3,15,580 doses.
Is it possible to give more than what it received?
Well, Kerala has not done any magic during the vaccination drive to increase the number of people who get the jab. All the credit goes to the State’s health workers who administered vaccination with utmost care and caution so that there is absolutely no wastage of vaccine in each vial opened, and the State Government's strategy to ensure a zero vaccine wastage in the State.
If the amount of vaccine wasted by Kerala in storage, distribution and implementation can be numbered, it remains zero. But, the value of that zero is realised only when Kerala Chief Minister says the State still has 3,15,580 more doses pending in stock.
How could Kerala find those extra vaccine doses beyond what GoI provided?
One vaccine vial of 5 ml (millilitres) is to contain about ten doses excluding the wastage factor. However, an experienced nurse can administer 11 to 13 doses from one vial, by reducing the actual wastage in each administration.
Usually, 1.1 per cent of the vaccine is considered as wastage in each vial while administering the vaccine. In that case, one vial would be sufficient only for 8 to 9 doses (less than one or two from ten doses).
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The health workers in Kerala practising exactly what they were trained in before the vaccination drive has led the State to achieve a zero vaccine wastage status. The extra doses available in each vial as a wastage factor has also been administered by the nurses in Kerala, counting into tens of thousands of more vaccine doses than received.
There is also another hitch. One vial of vaccine can be optimally used in ten persons only if all the ten beneficiaries reach the vaccination centre at a time. The vial, once opened, must be used within four hours from opening. Else, the remaining doses in the vial will have to be discarded.
At many vaccination centres in most other States in India, the health workers begin administering the vaccine even before ten persons reach the Centre.
However, Kerala Government decided that one vaccine vial must be opened only if ten persons are waiting for the vaccine at the Centre. This planning and strategy helped the State in implementing vaccination drive in an exemplary manner without any wastage.
The State Health Department also ensures the number of people reaching for vaccination at different centres by making a list of registered beneficiaries and telephoning them, and through spot registration.
Kerala Chief Minister lauds health workers’ in the achievement
Kerala sets an example through its meticulous management of COVID and implementation of preventive measures, without letting the State go into chaos from a crisis. The CM lauded the nurses for achieving zero vaccine wastage.
In his tweet detailing the number of vaccine doses allotted to Kerala by the Centre, and the number of doses administered by Kerala, CM Pinarayi Vijayan says, “Kerala has received 73,38,806 doses of vaccine from GoI. We've provided 74,26,164 doses, even making use of the extra dose available as wastage factor in each vial. Our health workers, especially nurses have been super efficient and deserve our wholehearted appreciation!”
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Good to see our healthcare workers and nurses set an example in reducing vaccine wastage.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 5, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Reducing vaccine wastage is important in strengthening the fight against COVID-19. https://t.co/xod0lomGDb
">Good to see our healthcare workers and nurses set an example in reducing vaccine wastage.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 5, 2021
Reducing vaccine wastage is important in strengthening the fight against COVID-19. https://t.co/xod0lomGDbGood to see our healthcare workers and nurses set an example in reducing vaccine wastage.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 5, 2021
Reducing vaccine wastage is important in strengthening the fight against COVID-19. https://t.co/xod0lomGDb
Prime Minister retweets CM’s appreciation tweet
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi retweeted CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s tweet and appreciated the health workers of Kerala. The PM said, “Good to see our healthcare workers and nurses set an example in reducing vaccine wastage. Reducing vaccine wastage is important in strengthening the fight against COVID-19.”
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Kerala has received 73,38,806 doses of vaccine from GoI. We've provided 74,26,164 doses, even making use of the extra dose available as wastage factor in each vial. Our health workers, especially nurses have been super efficient and deserve our wholehearted appreciation!
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) May 4, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">Kerala has received 73,38,806 doses of vaccine from GoI. We've provided 74,26,164 doses, even making use of the extra dose available as wastage factor in each vial. Our health workers, especially nurses have been super efficient and deserve our wholehearted appreciation!
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) May 4, 2021Kerala has received 73,38,806 doses of vaccine from GoI. We've provided 74,26,164 doses, even making use of the extra dose available as wastage factor in each vial. Our health workers, especially nurses have been super efficient and deserve our wholehearted appreciation!
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) May 4, 2021
The vaccine doses wasted so far in India
As per official vaccination data from May first week, out of the 162.51 million doses distributed in India till then, only 31.54 million doses only have been administered. In Maharashtra, 16.78 million doses of the COVID vaccine were distributed. However, only 2.87 million doses have been implemented. In Rajasthan, only 2.85 million doses of the 13.6 million vaccine doses have been consumed. Gujarat, which received 13.23 million vaccine doses, could only administer 2.74 million doses.
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The official statistics from the month of April indicates that as many as 44.78 lakh doses of the COVID vaccine have been wasted in India due to a lack of planning and strategy.
Kerala’s neighbouring States Tamil Nadu and Telangana and Haryana, Punjab, and Manipur also waste COVID vaccine on a large scale.
In Tamil Nadu, 12.10 per cent of the vaccine has been lost. While the wastage in Telangana is at 7.55 per cent, in Haryana, it is 7.74 per cent. Punjab's vaccine wastage is calculated at 8.2 per cent and that in Manipur is 7.8 per cent.
Next to Kerala, the states of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Goa and the Union territories of Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar, Daman Diu have realised the value of each millilitre of the COVID vaccine and has carried out effective vaccine administration by reducing wastage as much as possible.
