Hyderabad, May 25 (IANS): After a gap of 10 days, the second dose vaccination for beneficiaries above the age of 45 years resumed in Telangana from Tuesday.
The eligible beneficiaries above 45 years due for second dose were being given the jab at government-run vaccination centres.
There were long queues of people at vaccination centres in Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar and other places in the state. There was a confusion among beneficiaries due to the lack of information about the availability of doses.
Those who came to take second jab of Covishield were seen returning disappointed from centres which displayed boards that only Covaxin is available.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had on Monday directed the officials to start the second dose vaccination programme from Tuesday. He asked the people who have taken the first dose of vaccine and are eligible for the second dose to go to the government vaccination centre nearby and take the vaccine.
The health authorities had on May 15 suspended vaccination in view of inadequate stocks and non-receipt of fresh stocks from Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Early this month, they had stopped vaccination for new beneficiaries among 45 above group and have been focusing only on second dose.
The state has also not taken up vaccination for those above 18 years of age due to lack of sufficient supplies from the Centre.
Telangana, which claims to have capacity to give 10 lakh vaccines every day, was administering 30,000 to 40,000 vaccines daily due to the shortage. On May 14, the health authorities administered about 34,000 vaccines.
As on May 14, the state had administered 56,25,920 doses. A total of 11.37 lakh beneficiaries received the second dose.
The state has already conveyed to the Centre that to vaccinate people above 45 years of age, the state requires 1.29 crore doses.
The Chief Minister requested the Centre to supply 2 to 2.5 lakh doses per day. There is an urgent need of 13 lakh vaccines till end of May, the state told the Centre.
Rao on Monday asked Finance Minister Harish Rao to prepare guidelines to identify the super spreaders and organise special vaccination centres for them.