Meghalaya, Assam among top four states with highest vaccine wastage
The startling report comes amid the huge shortage of vaccine being reported in India and it portrays the grim reality of medical negligence on the part of the government.
The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said that Haryana, Assam, Rajasthan and Meghalaya are among the top four states that reported the highest percentage of COVID-19 vaccine wastage.
The startling report comes amid the huge shortage of vaccine being reported in India and it portrays the grim reality of medical negligence on the part of the government.
As per the Union Health Ministry, Meghalaya reported 5.67 per cent of vaccine wastage, which puts it just behind few other larger states like Haryana (6.49), Assam (5.92) and Rajasthan (5.68).
Another state from the Northeast, Assam has been ranked second in terms of vaccine wastage with 5.92 per cent going to waste without being utilised.
Meghalaya being ranked fourth doesn't come as a surprise, as the vaccination drive in the state has not witnessed a mass turnaround from the public.
Two reasons may be mentioned when it comes to the high percentage of vaccine wastage reported from Meghalaya. Firstly, the administration and the authorities have not been able to mobilise the drive to its full capacity; and secondly, the public are still apprehensive about taking the vaccine.
The efforts by the government and community leaders to increase the vaccination rate has had limited success which has resulted in the low turnout.
The data from www.cowin.gov.in shows a decline in the number of vaccine doses given to the state from about 15 thousand a day in April 26-May 1 to 4004 vaccine doses administered on May 8, 2021.
While the vaccination slowdown can be attributed to several factors in Meghalaya, one being vaccine refusal, the efforts of the government and community leaders to expedite the vaccine rate has also, to some extent, witnessed limited success.
The Northeast Today (TNT) had earlier visited one of the community vaccination centres in Nongrim Hills, Shillong, where the community leaders were seen urging people to come forward and get the vaccines.
(Edited by Shankar Kumar Turha)
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