PUNE: The efficient administration of anti-Covid jabs has helped Maharashtra achieve ‘negative vaccine wastage’, meaning all vials are utilised to the fullest. The state is inoculating an average of 103 beneficiaries per session now as against 92-96 last month. In September so far, an average 7 lakh doses have been administered every day.
Taking loss of dose quantity into account, Serum Institute of India’s 10-dose Covishield vial actually contains more than the required volume. In achieving ‘negative wastage’, vaccinators have been extracting and administering the extra quantity in the vials to cover more beneficiaries.
Vaccination data shows that at least 16 districts, including Pune, have vaccinated more than 100 beneficiaries per session on average so far in the drive. Pune’s average was about 106 beneficiaries vaccinated per session around August 23, which increased to 112 by September 13.
In Mumbai, the average vaccinations per session has increased from 158 beneficiaries earlier to 172 now. Other districts vaccinating an average 100-plus beneficiaries per session include Ahmednagar, Amravati, Aurangabad, Beed, Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Palghar, Nasik, Thane and Kolhapur.
Maharashtra’s net wastage for Covishield so far has been -1.77% and 0.51% for Covaxin.
Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director (medical), Pune circle, told TOI, “The health department has been regularly telling low-performing districts to increase vaccinations per session.”
Deshmukh said as per the original plan, districts were told to vaccinate a minimum of 100 beneficiaries per session. “However, several districts, including Pune, are now surpassing that number. In some sessions, Pune district has vaccinated over 3,000 beneficiaries on a single day during the mega-vaccination drives by deploying additional vaccinators. This was also possible since these sessions started early in the morning and continued till 9-10pm.”
Deshmukh said an increase in vaccine supplies over the last one month also helped boost inoculations per session. “Pune’s average would have been much higher had sessions in private hospitals inoculated more people. The numbers being vaccinated in private hospitals has dropped considerably,” he said.
Rajshree Patil, medical officer at Kamala Nehru Hospital, said, “Vaccinators are drawing more than 10 doses from each 10-dose vial. Competent vial use during each vaccination session has helped push up the number of beneficiaries to an average of 120 per session. Even if 10 vials are used per session, we end up vaccinating 110-120 beneficiaries.”
