New Delhi: As many as 5,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been wasted in five states since the inoculation drive was launched in the country on January 16, the reason being lack of recipients.
The vaccines need to be used within four hours of opening.
The authorities have tried to address the problem by allowing people who had not pre-registered to walk in and get the vaccine.
Tripura tops the wastage list at 11 per cent, while it’s 10% in Bihar. In Punjab, 1,200 doses have been wasted.
The wastage is higher for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin as the vial size is much larger than Serum’s Covishield.
Odisha has lost 0.58 per cent or 1,125 doses.
No loss has been reported in Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Chhattisgarh.
