PUNE: Ahead of the proposed door to door vaccination drive by the centre, national task force members have ruled out any shortage of vaccines for the drive with nearly 30 crore vaccines to be procured from the manufacturers on a monthly basis which includes nearly 25 cr doses of Covishield and 5 cr doses of Covaxin. However, last mile connectivity will continue to be a tough task to ensure maximum coverage of first and second dose, stated an official.
“There is absolutely no shortage of vaccines for the proposed month-long door to door vaccination drive as the production is as per the target. Vaccine availability is no longer an issue since September. The issue is to ensure maximum coverage at the earliest,” stated National task force member Dr NK Arora.
While Covishield doses almost comprise 90% of the share, Bharat Biotech too is scaling up their production of Covaxin and the country will see Zy-CoV-D too join the stockpile this month with about an additional 1 crore doses expected. The month of January is expected to see three more vaccine from Biological E, Novovax and Genova Biopharma being added.

Dr Arora explained that the “last mile” coverage will definitely be a tough task as it would have to ensure coverage of beneficiaries from difficult terrains, daily wage workers who have been unable to reach their vaccination centres in fear of loss of pay or those who are vaccine hesitant and the door to door vaccination is to keep the momentum of vaccination as it had started in January. “The door to door vaccination to complete the last mile of covering 20% for the first dose is taken from the polio drive. We are starting it as a month-long drive and it will be followed up by another month if required,’ he told TOI. The strategy will however be the same to ensure that no one is left out, he shared.
There are currently 134 million beneficiaries, who have not taken their second shot even after the prescribed interval, as per the government data. As much as 77% of the eligible population in India has been vaccinated against Covid-19 with the first dose, and 32% of the population has received both the doses.