India / Vaccine wastage still high, needs to be looked into: PM Modi

New Delhi: Vaccine wastage in the country is still on the higher side and this remains an issue that needs attention, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told officials on Friday as he reviewed the Covid-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive of the country. As the peak of the second wave of the pandemic is flattening with every state reporting an improvement in the Covid-19 situation, PM Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress of the vaccination drive.

At the review meeting, where several Union ministers including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Harsh Vardhan, Prakash Javadekar among others were present, officials briefed the prime minister about the current availability of vaccines and how the vaccine manufacturers are ramping it up. The PM was told that the government was actively working with vaccine manufacturers to facilitate more production units, financing and the supply of raw materials.

The prime minister was briefed on advance visibility being provided to states on vaccine availability, with officials noting that states have been asked to pass on this information to the district level so that there is no inconvenience to people, a statement from the PMO said.

Vaccine wastage can take place owing to various reasons starting from vaccine hesitancy to the breaking of the vials during transportation. A few weeks ago, the Centre released data showing Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh as the highest vaccine waters, but the state contested the claim and said that the Centre did not have complete data.

The Centre on Friday said India has overtaken the US in terms of the number of people who have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine. The number of India is 17.2 crore while the United States stands at 16.9 crore, the Centre said.

In India, around 45 per cent of 60 plus population has been covered with at least one dose, Niti Aayog member (health) VK Paul said. "We have overtaken the US in terms of the number of people who have received at least a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine. It is reassuring that we are steadily improving and intensifying the vaccine campaign and it will be intensified so much more in the days to come," he said.