As India widens the scope of vaccination to include people above 18 years, a major reason being apprehended for delay in inoculation of the 18-44 age group is the small time period granted to operationalise the same, multiple state government officials said.
Like this liberalised policy was first announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 19, the official letters detailing the same reached the states on April 20 or 21. Serum Institute of India announced the price for its vaccine for states on April 21 while Bharat Biotech did it on April 24.
Most states however waited for the PM meet with the Chief Minister on April 23 to seek clarity from the PM on who will fund the exercise of vaccinating the 18-44 age group population and states like Punjab, Rajasthan and Kerala asked the Centre to pitch in. However, with no help coming from the Centre on this count, states started firming up their orders to Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech on April 25 or 26 after making urgent provisions for the same from their state budgets.
A state government functionary said hardly has any state made provisions in their already passed state budgets for this financial year for vaccination, as so far it was the Centre which was footing the entire cost and Centre had also put aside Rs 35,000 crore in the Union Budget for the same. “To make such an emergency provision from the state budget to the tune of Rs 3000-5000 Crore requires formalities and paperwork. Still, many states have done so and placed orders,” another state government official told News18.
However, by April 26 when most states started placing orders with Serum Institute, they were told the supply to them for the 18-44 age group would only come by May 15 or 20 as the vaccine maker had ongoing commitments till then for supplies to the Central government for vaccination of the priority groups and that it was also inundated with orders numbering several crores of vaccines from various states in a matter of just two-three days. Hence, the states have been asked to wait for now.
Further, the Centre has made it clear to states that earlier stocks or those to be provided by it in future to the states cannot be used to vaccinate the 18-44 age group and the younger population must be vaccinated only from the stocks directly procured by states from the manufacturers. “We wonder though how this will be monitored. The demand for the vaccine among the 45-plus age group is plateauing out and most people coming in now are for the second dose. Ultimately, the major demand will come from the 18-44 age group,” a third state government official said.
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