PANJIM: The Directorate of Health Services handed over 1.11 lakh Covid-19 vaccines to three States about 10 days before its expiry.
According to information available, the DHS handed over 32,000 Covaxin vaccines to Andhra Pradesh, which was expiring on September 30 while, 34,000 Corbevax vaccines were given to Telangana and 35,000 Covishield vaccines to Gujarat. Both these vaccines’ expiry date is October 4.
State Immuization Officer Dr Uttam Naik said that the State had adequate vaccines and since it was expiring, we decided to give it other States with prior approval from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. “We did not want to waste it, so we handed them over to other States with prior approval,” he said adding that the State had sufficient vaccines to give doses for its eligible population.
According to Dr Naik, the State received 23,61,120 doses of Covishield, one lakh doses of Corbevaz and 1,74,200 doses of Covaxin from the Centre.
He said that 14,580 Covishield vaccines doses were remaining with the directorate of health services and will continue to administer them to the eligible adult population through its 40 centres.
Dr Naik said that though the Covid Vaccination Amirt Mahotsav ends on Friday, September 30, the DHS will continue to give doses till it receives directions from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
Since the 75-day Covid Vaccination Amirt Mahotsav programme was rolled out from July 15 this year, the State has given doses to maximum eligible population. Dr Naik said that for children between 12 and 14 years, 33,352 were given first dose and 26,060 were given second dose of Corbevax vaccines. In the age group of 15-17 years, 69,963 were given first dose and 61,284 were covered with second dose of Covaxin vaccines.
For 18 years and above, 13,12,537 were given first dose and 12, 5,525 were administered second dose of Covishield vaccines. Also precautionary doses given to 60 years and above including health workers were 78,925.
According to official sources, the eight officials will be charged individually after assessing the extent of their involvement in the wastage of 241 metric tonnes of tur dal. The inquiry has found that these officials delayed the auctioning of 241 metric tonnes of tur dal after fair prices shops refused to lift the additional quota.
The Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs had procured 400 Mt of tur dal from the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) in April 2020 during lockdown. It was purchased at Rs 79 per kg and the fair price shops were asked to sell it at Rs 83 per kg when the retail market price was Rs 112 per kg.
In the beginning the fair shops lifted some quantity and later refused to lift the balance quota citing poor response from the ration card holders. As it was found to be unfit for human consumption, the department in May last year decided to auction it. But it was not disposed off to the bidder despite auction and allowed it to be further infected by pests and damaged in the godowns in all 12 talukas.
In August this year, the department again invited bids to dispose off the damaged tur dal and four agencies submitted their bids.
