Mysore/Mysuru: Owing to pressure, the State Government has restored free vaccination at 30 sub-centres (Private Hospitals) in Mysuru and it will continue till the full-fledged vaccination begins for the 18-plus population.

However, paid sites (getting vaccinated by paying Rs. 250 per dose) in Private facilities have stopped functioning since yesterday. 

The District Health authorities have withdrawn the vaccine stock from those paid sites and distributed them among Government Hospitals.

On Saturday, the beneficiaries thronged the sub-centres identified by Mysore Association of Hospitals and Nursing Homes (MAHAN) to help the Government in mopping up vaccination coverage in their sites. While the facilities belong to Private Hospitals management, the manpower and vaccine belonged to the Government. The District Administration was forced to identify Private Hospitals as the Government sub-centres as most of its sub-centres were in bad condition to declare them as vaccination sites. At this point, MAHAN came forward to offer its facilities for inoculating people in its premises. 

The District Administration also obliged by allowing them to vaccinate people in their hospitals by charging Rs.250 per dose. However, now, only free vaccination is going on at Private Hospitals.

The Health Department officers are learnt to have decided not to strictly follow the mandatory online registration for 45-plus beneficiaries in order to accelerate the ongoing vaccination drive which started on April 1. Vaccination was done after on-the-spot registration without asking them for online registration.

 As per guidelines, beneficiaries are supposed to register their names online in CoWIN portal and then save it in mobile phones to be shown at jab site along with Photo ID proof. But it was not followed strictly as they wanted to cover more population due to advent of second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

Stock dwindling

According to officers, the district has around 30,000 doses of both Covishield and Covaxin. On an average, over 10,000 were vaccinated in district daily, and going by that response, the existing stock may last for just two to three days. The vaccination drive may have to be suspended if the fresh stock does not arrive in next 48 hours.

13 lakh are eligible

According to a rough estimate and the electoral list, around 13 lakh are in the age group of 18 to 44 years for whom the State Government has announced free vaccination. Going by this number, the district may require around 26 lakh doses. If the Government sources are true, the vaccine for 18-plus population may arrive only by the end of this month.

Apart from this, around 8.5 lakh people fall in the above 45 years category and many of them are ready for the second dose. The Government of India has to release the fresh stock of vaccination in order to continue vaccination unabated.