State low on Covishield stock, beneficiaries hesitant to mix vaccines

Fatima Mohammed Sheikh, 37, a resident of Borivali, contracted Covid-19 in June. So she had to wait before taking the third shot.

On Monday, at least three vaccination centres told her they were out of Covishield stock and offered her Corbevax doses instead, but she returned without taking the shot. “I don’t want to mix my vaccines as I don’t know how it will affect me,” said Fatima, who works as a house help.

Vaccination centres across the state haven’t received a fresh stock of Covishield vaccine since July. At present, the state has a stock of 1.5 lakh Covishield vials across 36 districts, while the stock of Corbevax is 6 lakh vials. “People, especially from rural districts who are already sceptics of vaccination, are further scared when they hear about mixing vaccines. In general immunization programmes, this is not very common,” said a state health officer. “But the public who want to take the booster shots have no other option but to take Corbevax,” added the officer.

Due to lower demand of Corbevax, the waste percentage stands at 14.31 per cent, higher than the estimated allowable vaccine waste of 10 per cent. A total of 17 districts in the state have recorded net vaccine waste above 15 per cent. “There is a need to sensitise the public about the heterogeneous Covid booster dose and its safety,” said an officer.