M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, June 6: Doses of Covid vaccines are nearing their expiry in Latehar. According to sources, most of the batch numbers of the Covid vaccines are going to expire this August, September and October.
Civil surgeon cum chief medical officer of Latehar Dr Haren Chandra Mahto has raised an alert in this regard.
He has asked the medical officers in charge of the community health centres to utilise the Covid vaccines which have very close expiry dates.
Sources said that 1,370 doses of Covishield were reported last week lying with the community health centre at Latehar. They will expire on 26.8.2022.
Similarly, 4,900 doses of the Corbevax were reported last week to be lying at the community health centre at Latehar. It is to expire on 17.10.2022.
Civil surgeon cum chief medical officer Latehar Dr Haren Chandra Mahto said he has already alerted the medical officer in charge of the community health centre at Latehar to ensure that no dose of any variety of the Covid vaccines expires.
“We should not forget those days when all of us used to be happy to find doses of the Covid vaccines available in plenty at the vaccination sites. Now, doses are available but eligible people are not coming out to avail of the Covid vaccination and doses are nearing their expiry date,” the CS said.
Mahto said he has written to his medical officers in charge that in the event of doses of the Covid vaccines getting expired, they can’t disown themselves of the responsibility of making use and utilisation of the doses of the Covid vaccines. He said these medical officers will be held responsible.
Sources said there were moments when vaccination sites had to curtail their target of the vaccination in a lack of doses of the Covid vaccination.
At the community health centre at Chandwa, 440 doses of the Covishield, if not consumed, will expire on 4.8.2022. Similarly, 4,600 doses of the Corbevax vaccine face expiry on 17.10.2022.
The community health centre at Garu is no exception. It has 340 doses of the Covishield to expire on 4.8.2022. 700 doses of the Corbevax vaccine are here at Garu whose expiry date is 17.10.2022.
Sources said there used to be noises when 3 or 4 doses of the vaccine of a vial of 10 doses got wasted during the peak of the vaccination drive. The state government had to explain the wastage of the doses of the vaccine then.
Now there are batches of different varieties of the Covid vaccines which have expiry dates only 8 weeks away if the nearest expiry date is to be counted.
The civil surgeon cum chief medical officer Latehar Dr Haren Chandra Mahto has given a strong signal to the fleet of the medical fraternity to help save a single dose of the Covid vaccines from getting expired lying and unused.
