Assam Covaxin Shortage Grows Into Crisis, Some Miss Second Dose Deadline

Coronavirus Vaccine: With the supply of Covaxin stretched, the Assam government has stopped administering the first dose to ensure there is enough for people who need a second dose.

For the last five days, Baisistha Deka has been visiting the Hengrabari Medical Unit vaccine centre in Guwahati, the only permanent vaccine centre in the city that has access to Covaxin supplies, in the hope of getting his second dose.  "I have been coming to this centre for the last five days since only 100 people are vaccinated in a day; there is an acute Covaxin scarcity in the state," the 48-year-old told NDTV.  The 42-day deadline for taking the second dose has already passed for him. "It's my 43rd day, first I tried at Sonapur where I got my first dose, they told me they don't have dose, them for few days I have been trying here, first I could not make it to the 1st hundred  ... today I came at 5  am and got my scope..this is a kind of harassment of the public," he said.