Beneficiaries run from pillar to post for jab in East Godavari

Kakinada: Common people are facing problems in getting vaccinated for deadly Covid in East Godavari district. They are going to vaccination centres with the hope of getting the jab but after standing in long queues for hours together, they are returning as no stocks of vaccines available at the centres.

Some people allege that only those recommended by the ruling party are able to get vaccine while others are being sent back. People at the vaccination centres are greeted with 'No Stock' notice boards at Urban Primary Health Care Centers and other vaccination centres in the district.

Many people are disappointed and wondering how vaccines would be administered to people below 45 years of age, while the majority of the people above 45 are not yet completely administered the vaccines.

A vaccine beneficiary G Ananta Lakshmi suggested that vaccine should be given with age as criterion. She requested the District Collector to take immediate steps for providing vaccines to the senior citizens in the district.

District Immunization Officer Dr Ch Bharata Lakshmi told 'The Hans India' that there is no stock of Covaxin and Covishiled in the district. So far 5.5 lakh of Covishiled vaccine shots have been administered in the district.

She said that they are waiting for the stock to be released by the government of AP. She said that so far 1,06,570 doses of Covaxin were administered in the district. However, there is a shortage of 30,000 doses in the district.

TDP Kakinada parliamentary constituency president Jyothula Naveen Kumar stated that the government woefully failed to contain the second wave of Covid-19 across the state.

He said that there is no protection for people's health in Andhra Pradesh. He said that people are standing in the queues for the purpose of cremation or burial of those who died due covid-19. He questioned how the Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Alla Kallikrishna (Nani) was silent when the situation was grave.

He stated that the neighbouring States are doing well in the matter of purchase of vaccine, but in AP the Chief Minister is solely dependent upon the supply of vaccine by the Central government. He questioned whether it could be called an ideal governance.

"Though Chief Minister assured that persons above 18 years of age would be vaccinated, it is not implemented in the State.

The CM feels that an amount of Rs 1,600 crore would be sufficient for the purchase of the vaccines. But the question remains if the amount is available in the treasury at present," he said.