5 lakh COVID vaccine doses in Assam, to get another 1 lakh doses soon

Assam, April 16: As India fights the second wave of Covid and witnessed an unprecedented surge in infections, Assam is ramping up efforts to deliver vaccine doses to more and more people in the state.

Assam has three lakh doses of the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield COVID vaccine and two lakh doses of the homegrown vaccine –  Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in stock.

In a tweet, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “As of now we have the following stocks: 1.Covishield -3.25 lakh dose; 2.Covaxin -2 lakh dose. Another batch of about one lakh Covaxin dose will arrive in a day or two. I request everyone eligible to please go in for your vaccination.”

The fresh supply comes at a time when the state has expedited its inoculation process amid a spike in Covid cases.

This will replenish the state’s vaccine stock for at least five days,” a source in the state health department said.

Assam had been facing a shortage of Covid vaccines. Many people, including those due for their second doses, earlier complained they were returned from vaccine centres. Sources said the state was left with only 70 thousand doses when the fresh supplies reached.


Also Read: Man given Covaxin vaccine as the first shot, Covishield during the second visit to hospital

 

Currently, only those who are 45 or above are eligible to get vaccinated across the country. Many state governments have urged the centre to widen the vaccine net.

Assam recorded 499 fresh cases in the last 24 hours and currently has 3,613 active cases, a huge rise from around 13 cases at an average at the beginning of the year. The state has logged over 2.22 lakh cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.