Ghaziabad/Noida: Private centres and hospitals that were inoculating people above 45 years have stopped administering shots since May 1 after the state government discontinued supplying vials to the facilities in both Noida and Ghaziabad. Sources in the health department said that private centres have been asked to procure vaccines on their own, as they are unlikely to get supply from the state government any time soon. “The vaccines provided by the state government are now only for government centres. We are getting 8,000-9,000 doses every few days,” an official said. With private centres not vaccinating people, only government facilities are administering shots to people above 45 years.
Ghaziabad/Noida: Private centres and hospitals that were inoculating people above 45 years have stopped administering shots since May 1 after the state government discontinued supplying vials to the facilities in both Noida and Ghaziabad. Sources in the health department said that private centres have been asked to procure vaccines on their own, as they are unlikely to get supply from the state government any time soon. “The vaccines provided by the state government are now only for government centres. We are getting 8,000-9,000 doses every few days,” an official said. With private centres not vaccinating people, only government facilities are administering shots to people above 45 years.
In Noida and Greater Noida, the number of vaccination centres has reduced from 92 in April to about 30 now. The chief medical officer of Gautam Budh Nagar has said that those who took their first dose at private centres, can book slots at their nearest government centres and the second shot would be administered without any charge.
“There is no restriction and people who have taken the first dose at private centres can go to any government centre for the second jab. Since May 1, we have been administering more than 4,000 doses regularly,” said CMO, Gautam Budh Nagar, Deepak Ohri.
Those in the 18-44 years category will have to wait longer, as no government centre has been opened for them yet. Hospitals run by Max group are inoculating some people in the age group depending on the availability of doses. However, they are charging anything between Rs 850 and Rs 900 per shot. Ghaziabad health officials said that they were not aware of the vaccination drive at Max Hospital in the district. Officiating CMO Dr Sunil Tyagi said he will check the status with the immunisation officer.
A spokesperson for Max Hospital, said: “We are inoculating people in all our branches.” Health department officials in Noida and Ghaziabad have said they are not yet compiling data for people in the 18-44 years age group. “Senior officials have assured us we will get the data from the Union ministry of health,” said an official from Noida.
On an average, around 5,500 people are getting shots in Ghaziabad every day. Apart from short supply of vaccines, shortage of staff has also slowed down the drive. Sources said the drive is being carried out with only one-third of the total staff strength, as several health workers have contracted the virus.
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