Covid-19 vaccine wastage  

Context: Top government officials have identified inadequate training of vaccinators in drawing vaccines from multi-dose vials and lack of detailed planning at vaccination sites as the two key gaps that have led to some states reporting wastage levels above the national average.

Reported Wastage:

• According to official data, four states and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have reported wastage above the national mark of 6.5 per cent: Telangana (17.6 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (11.6 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (9.4 per cent), Karnataka (6.9 per cent) and J&K (6.6 per cent).

Reason for Wastage:

1. If the vial contains doses for 10 people and only six turn up, the rest go waste.
2. Vaccine wastage is not happening merely because people don’t turn up and the vial is open. Even in situations where the required number of people are available, if vaccinators are not properly trained, they end up drawing maybe only nine doses against ten.
3. Another reason is the lack of planning at vaccination sites. According to operational guidelines, each vaccination session is expected to cater to a maximum of 100 beneficiaries. However, in remote and sparsely populated areas, states can organise sessions for a lesser number of beneficiaries while ensuring that there is no vaccine wastage.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/covid-vaccine-wastage-centre-7234943/