Private hospitals flag lack of COVID-19 vaccine stocks, falling demand

The drive to vaccinate citizens against COVID-19 has been a complicated one since it was opened up to the public, from demand outstripping available appointments to lack of stock when hesitancy took a

The drive to vaccinate citizens against COVID-19 has been a complicated one since it was opened up to the public, from demand outstripping available appointments to lack of stock when hesitancy took a back seat during the raging second wave of the pandemic. As it stands today, smaller hospitals are alleging a lack of vaccine stocks, while some others say demand has fallen with people preferring to get their shots at public hospitals for free. Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes’ Association president H.M. Prasanna told The Hindu that there was a huge mismatch in vaccine stocks available. “In the private sector, while big chains have huge quantities of stocks and are unable to liquidate them, the smaller ones have no stock — not for the first dose or the second. The bigger hospitals are willing to share stocks with the smaller ones, but the transfer is unable to be carried out,” he said.