A limited number of people in the 18-44 age group in Meghalaya will be vaccinated from May 1, despite a shortage of doses that will delay the full rollout of the vaccine, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said today.
In a video posted online, Sangma confirmed what the Health Department had already informed two days ago that, though the state has ordered vaccines from the Serum Institute of India, the company has not intimated to the government when it will be able to deliver the extra vaccines for this age bracket.
Other states are also facing the same issue and have announced that the vaccine drive for 18-44s will not begin on May 1, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier this month announced.
Today, however, the CM said, “We have been informed that there will be a certain amount of vaccines that will be guaranteed for the state in this one month.”
Based on this, Meghalaya will be able to ration the vaccines among the 18s to 44s.
The Serum Institute is not only unable to keep up with demand, other states are in a far more precarious position with regards to the second wave of Covid-19 that is currently battering the country and are thus a higher priority to receive the vaccine than Meghalaya, he added.
There are 15 lakh people in the 18 to 44 age group, which means that 30 lakh doses are required. With states now having to pay Rs 300 per shot, this amounts to Rs 90 crore plus tax, a bill that is challenging for a financially poor state like Meghalaya.
“But this is something that needs to be done. Therefore we will not compromise on it and, though it is a challenge, we will go ahead,” Sangma said.
On the number of people who have already received the jab, the CM said that initial resistance has been overcome, with people stepping forward more willingly now.
From a mere 3,000 shots a day, more than 15,000 are getting the vaccine daily now.
In Tura, 95 per cent of those above 45 have received at least one dose, while in Shillong the figure is around 70 per cent.
