Bengal hospitals to vaccinate those under 45 years only after more stocks arrive

After having returned all unused doses to the Centre on Friday evening, private healthcare cite shortage of jabs

Sources at government hospitals and corporation clinics, which are continuing to vaccinate those aged 45 and above, too said they were unsure when the jabs would start for the younger group at their facilities.: PTI

Subhajoy Roy   |  TT  | Calcutta   | 02.05.21: Bengal’s currently vaccine-less private hospitals will inoculate only those above 45 years in the initial days after stocks arrive and the jabs resume there, and will wait till more doses are available before vaccinating people aged between 18 and 45, private hospital executives have said.

Sources at government hospitals and corporation clinics, which are continuing to vaccinate those aged 45 and above, too said they were unsure when the jabs would start for the younger group at their facilities.

Private hospital executives, who met Bengal health department officials on Saturday, said the state government had promised to tell them within “two to three days” when Covid vaccines may become available for their facilities.

“We are yet not sure when we would be able to begin vaccination again,” a private hospital executive said.

“After we get the initial stocks, we will be vaccinating only those aged 45 or above. People aged between 18 and 45 will be vaccinated only when enough stocks are available.”

He said that among people aged 45 and above, those scheduled to get their second dose will be given priority.

All private healthcare facilities have frozen vaccinations indefinitely from Saturday as they have no vaccine stocks left, having had to return to the Centre all their unused doses on Friday evening.

This is because the Centre has started a new regime from Saturday under which private hospitals have to buy their vaccines directly from the manufacturers, who have raised the prices. Till April 30, the Centre provided vaccines to the state governments, which handed a portion of the consignment to private facilities.

Several private hospitals say the manufactures have either been silent about when they might be able to supply to the private facilities, or quoted dates as late as July. Many private hospitals want the state government to procure vaccines on their behalf from the manufacturers.

An official from a private hospital said: “No private hospital will open the booking through Co-Win for under-45 adults until the state government says that enough vaccine stocks will be available.”

He said this meant that those among the under-45 who have registered themselves with Co-Win for vaccination will not be able to book slots for the jabs now.

The Centre has ruled out spot registration for adults aged below 45: only those among them who have registered themselves with Co-Win and booked slots with a particular hospital will get the jabs.

Govt hospitals

The vaccination of people aged 45 and above will continue at government hospitals and Calcutta Municipal Corporation clinics on Monday. Most government facilities, which vaccinated the 45-plus on Saturday, will halt the jabs on Sunday.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier said that vaccination for those aged between 18 and 45 would begin in Bengal from May 5.

However, doctors managing the vaccination programme at two government hospitals said they had not yet received any official communication from the state health department on when inoculation for this younger group would begin.

“We have been asked to wait for further instructions,” a doctor at a government hospital said.

At Saturday’s meeting, executives from several private hospitals revealed to government officials their difficulties in procuring vaccines.

“Officials from several private hospitals said the Serum Institute of India had told them it would not be able to supply vaccines to private healthcare facilities before July while Bharat Biotech had not responded to queries,” a private hospital executive said.

The Serum Institute makes Covishield while Bharat Biotech manufactures Covaxin.

The state government officials told the private hospital representatives to place their demand for vaccines in a format that the administration would prepare and share with the hospitals.

“We have also been told to mention in the format whether we want to procure the vaccines from the manufacturers or from the state government,” an official said.

Several private hospitals on Saturday repeated their request that the state health department procure vaccines from the manufacturers on their behalf. The state has written to the Centre asking if it can do so.

From Saturday, Serum’s price per dose is Rs 150 for the Centre, Rs 300 for the state governments and Rs 600 for private hospitals. Bharat Biotech’s rates are Rs 150, Rs 400 and Rs 1,200, respectively.

Several private hospital executives said they did not expect any progress on vaccine procurement till the announcement of the Assembly election results on Sunday.