COVID: States not procuring vaccines; persons with comorbidities advised to be cautious

Even as the COVID active cases in the country stands at 3,758 currently, and about 13 COVID-related deaths have been reported in the last one week, COVID vaccines remain out of stock in most States. There is no vaccination policy discussed for people with comorbid conditions from the Union Health Ministry or the State governments even as the experts emphasise that individuals with comorbidities should be cautious.

Health department officials from several States also say that there are no instructions issued by the Union Health Ministry regarding the administration of booster dose to any individual, so most institutions are not procuring the vaccinations. The private hospitals are also not undertaking procurement due to the same reason.

Highest active cases in Kerala

Kerala has reported the highest active cases at 1,400, followed by 485 active cases in Maharashtra, 436 in Delhi, and 320 active cases in Gujarat. West Bengal saw the biggest jump of 82 daily cases and has 287 active cases currently, while Karnataka has 238 active cases and Tamil Nadu 199 active cases, as on Sunday (June 1). Two more deaths, one each in Kerala and Karnataka, were also reported.

Also Read: India's Covid cases cross 3,000; Kerala reports highest numbers

Veena George, Health Minister of Kerala, told The Federal, “The Union government has stopped supplying vaccines, and we currently have no stock. People travelling abroad often request booster doses, but we’re unable to provide them even in such cases. That said, in Kerala, the first dose has been administered to almost the entire population, and many have already received all three doses."

No notification from Union Health Ministry

In Delhi, there are about 61 new cases reported in the last 24 hours and despite the availability of vaccination with the State government, the administration cannot be done in the absence of a notification from the Union Health Ministry.

Doctors say that since there is no update on the vaccines, there is only standard treatment protocols being followed for treatment, but patients affected due to the current strain are taking longer time to recover, with recovery period extending up to 2 weeks.

Symptoms

"Most cases present with fever, that lasts for a few days. Various types of upper respiratory symptoms including throat pain, hoarse voice, and voice change are being seen, while the infection is not severe. People also experience diarrhoea and fatigue. However, we are out of vaccines and there is no vaccination policy shared as of now," said a physician from a government hospital in Tamil Nadu.

Also Read: Karnataka govt issues COVID-19 guidelines for schools as they're set to reopen

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu health department also does not have any stock of COVID vaccines. The Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr TS Selvavinayagam told The Federal that there is no directive from ICMR on the administration of booster doses of COVID vaccines to anyone.

Testing increased in Karnataka

In view of a rise in COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, the state government has also stepped up testing. The state health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that if necessary, the state will coordinate with the Union Health Ministry to procure vaccines. Mandatory testing is being conducted for individuals with respiratory issues and heart conditions, and 5,000 RTPCR testing kits have been distributed to hospitals across the state. As a precautionary measure, instructions have also been given to procure Remdesivir injections, added the health minister.

Also Read: COVID like a seasonal flu now, not an alarming situation: Delhi CM

Cases remain low in Telangana, AP

Though COVID cases remain low in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the States are also planning on procurement of vaccines, if the need arises.

"Since the vaccine manufacturing units are located in Hyderabad, the state government is confident that in case of any requirement, they can provide it from the manufacturing units directly as well, besides the distribution from the Union Government. Since the vaccines have a short shelf life, we have been asked not to store the COVID vaccines in large quantities in the warehouses as per the ICMR directive," B Ravindranayak, Director of Public Health and Family Planning told The Federal.