Amidst the shortage of Covid vaccine across India, some states seem to have wasted huge quantities of it. Reports suggest that states like Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Punjab have topped the list.
Government Shares Data of Covid 19 Vaccine Wastage
As per the data released by the Union Government in an RTI reply, till April 1, Tamil Nadu reported the highest vaccine wastage at 12.10 percent. The second state is Haryana at 9.74 percent, Punjab at 8.12 percent, Manipur at 7.80 percent, and Telangana at 7.55 percent. The list also included Assam with 7.69 percent wastage, Bihar at 6.99 percent, Chandigarh at 6.93 percent, Delhi at 6.15 percent, and Rajasthan at 6 percent.
At the same time, eight states reported: “zero wastage” for Covid 19 vaccines. It includes Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Daman and Diu, Mizoram, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
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Up till April 11, 2021, over 10 crore doses of Covid 19 vaccines have been administered across the States and Union Territories.
Union Government Will Decide Vaccine Allocation On State’s Performance
The Union government on multiple occasions has said that the allocation of Covid 19 vaccines will depend on the performance of the states. They said that the GoI will allocate vaccines based criteria of infection (number of active Covid cases) in States/UTs and the speed of administration. The vaccination wastage will also be considered in the criteria and will affect negatively.
The Union Government said that they will inform the states in advance.
Recently, the Union Government said that anyone above the age of 18 will be eligible for Covid 19 vaccination from May 1. However, the vaccines will not be sold in retails like pharmaceuticals and chemist shops.
A senior government official said that the Covid vaccination comes under the National Vaccination Programme which does not allow the vaccinations to be sold in retail.
