Private Centres Asked To Return Unused Vaccine Doses To Government

A central government order says "any unutilized vaccine stocks, balance as on April 30, will have to be returned to the cold chain point from where the stocks were issued."

Private vaccination centres have to return their unused stock of Covid shots to the government by tomorrow and cannot use them for the new round of inoculations opened to all above 18 from May 1 (Saturday). Only central government centres are likely to be able to continue vaccinating people for now. A central government order says "any unutilized vaccine stocks, balance as on April 30, will have to be returned to the cold chain point from where the stocks were issued." Effectively, private centres cannot vaccinate anyone until they receive new stocks directly from the manufacturers, which is unlikely to happen by May 1. The Centre's new liberalized vaccination policy allows vaccine makers to sell half their stocks directly to state governments and private hospitals. The companies will continue to sell the remaining half to the central government at the cheaper rate of Rs 150 a dose.