Reduction in COVID-19 vaccine wastage will ensure enhanced vaccination, says government

The Union Health Ministry is working closely with all States and UTs in addressing the issue of vaccine hesitancy on a regular basis.

COVID-19 vaccine is an essential public health commodity with global scarcity and therefore, its wastage must be reduced and kept to a minimum level which will further help inoculate many people, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. Referring to some media reports stating that the ministry’s insistence on keeping vaccine wastage below 1% is unrealistic and undesirable, it said several states have organised vaccination in such a way, that not only there is no wastage but they are able to extract more doses from the vial and thus show a negative wastage. “Hence, the expectation that vaccine wastage should be 1% or less is not at all unreasonable. It is reasonable, desirable and achievable,” the ministry said.