33 districts wasted more Covaxin vials than Maharashtra average of 2.36%

The data showed that Nandurbar has the lowest vaccine coverage in the state. As of June 3, 73.7 per cent of the eligible population above 18 years had taken the first dose and 51 per cent were administered with the second dose in the district.

Health officials attribute this poor turnout in the district as the reason behind the 5.38 per cent and 0.75 per cent wastage of Covaxin and Covishield vaccines, respectively.

“If only one or two persons turn up for vaccination at a particular centre, it may lead to wastage of the remaining doses in a vial. So, we wait to get adequate number of beneficiaries before opening a vial. But as the demand for vaccination has dropped, not many show up. As we can’t return the vials, we have to open them, leading to wastage,” said Dr Govind Chaudhari, District Health Officer of Nandurbar.

Nandurbar is followed by other rural districts – Satara (5.28 %), Jalna (4.61 %), Latur (4.25 %), Gondia (3.39 %) and Gadchiroli (3.73 %) – when it comes to wastage of Covaxin vials.

According to officials, vaccine wastage can occur due to various reasons. Once a vial is opened, it has to be used within six hours, else the doses get wasted. Similarly, lack of proper storage and exposure to heat can spoil a vaccine. Vaccine wastage can also occur when transportation and storage temperature is improper.

“With the limited number of vaccine centres administering Covaxin in rural districts, vaccinators struggle to get 20 beneficiaries together to use a 10 ml vial. This led to higher wastage of Covaxin compared to Covishield, which contains 5 ml of vaccine, comprising 10 doses of 0.5 ml each,” said an official from Gadchiroli, where 90.72 per cent of the adult population has taken the first dose and 71.21 per cent both the doses.

In fact, data provided by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) showed that till May, 28,995 doses of Covaxin were wasted in Mumbai, which has a vaccine coverage of 111 per cent.

However, the state has fared much better in the administration of Covishield, recording a negative wastage of -0.07 per cent. Among the districts, Nashik (2.67 %), Jalna (2.59 %), Satara (2.52 %), Gadchiroli (2.42 %) and Washim (2.42 %) top the chart when it comes to Covishield wastage. In all, 13 districts reported zero wastage with Mumbai being at the bottom list at -5.12 per cent.

Dr Sachin Desai, the state immunization officer, said that many vaccination centres have been able to inoculate 11 beneficiaries from a 5 ml vial of Covishield, which is meant for 10 people. “Sometimes, a vial has an excess dose called ‘overfill’. It is used to vaccinate the 11th person,” he added.

Moreover, the state’s average wastage of Corbevax – the vaccine administered to children between 12-14 age group – stands at 9.5 per cent. Sixteen districts, including Mumbai, have recorded over 10 per cent Corbevax wastage in Maharashtra.

“Corbevax comes in a 20-dose vial, which is the main reason for its wastage. We are trying to hold special vaccination camps in schools that will provide wider coverage and lessen vaccine wastage,” said a department official.