Kerala’s Health Minister convenes a high-level meeting in response to a vaccine shortage

Thiruvananthapuram: Health Minister Veena George has called an emergency meeting of higher officials to look into the state’s vaccination drive. The meeting noted that the state is experiencing a severe shortage of COVID vaccine.
According to reports, the available stock of vaccine doses will be depleted within a few days. The central government has informed Kerala that a fresh supply of COVID vaccine doses will be delivered on August 11.

Due to a vaccine shortage, it has been learned that the majority of the state’s vaccination centres will be closed on Tuesday.

Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Wayanad are all out of the vaccine. The vaccination clinics have been instructed to use the available stock. The health minister also requested that vaccine be made available to the state.

The minister has also directed that the vaccination campaign be intensified based on stock availability.

“We want to vaccinate as many people as possible,” said the minister. “The vaccination drive will be carried out in phases. In the first phase, all people over the age of 60 will be vaccinated. Over 9 lakh people in this age group have yet to receive the first dose of vaccine; they will be vaccinated by August 15.”

The state has demonstrated that more than 5 lakh people will be vaccinated each day. Depending on the availability of new stock, the first dose of vaccine will be administered to people over the age of 60 within two or three days. A special project has been created to carry it out, according to the health minister’s office.
In the state on Monday, 2,49,943 people were immunised.

To date, a total of 2,20,88,293 people have received the vaccine. The first dose was given to 1,56,63,417 people, and the second dose was given to 62,24, 876 people.