BENGALURU: The state government has received 3,56,340 doses of Covaxin, of which just 8,468 (2.3%) have been used so far. The unused vials are at the state’s vaccine storage unit here.
The Made-in-India vaccine dispatched during the first phase of vaccination in January has been given to only six institutions in the state. The vials have expiry dates in May.
After PM Narendra Modi took Covaxin on Monday morning at AIIMS, Delhi, several senior citizens here asked why Covaxin can’t be given to them in Bengaluru’s hospitals.
“There’s no choice of vaccine as of now, even when senior citizens pay for it. We need to answer these questions patiently and explain to them the benefits of Covishield,” said a doctor heading a private hospital in Bengaluru.
The state has seen 21 serious adverse events following vaccination so far, all were post-Covishield vaccination. No AEFIs have been reported post-Covaxin administration.
Meanwhile, Dr Arundhathi Chandrashekar, mission director, National Health Mission, Karnataka said Covaxin will be distributed to some districts by mid-March.