Maharashtra has discarded 1.34 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines due to expiration. This has led to a financial loss of approximately INR 26 crore to the central government exchequer.
In January 2021, the government announced that it would bear the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations. Later, Maharashtra got 122 million doses of Covishield, 28.9 million doses of Covaxin, and 7.4 million doses of Corbevax. The government purchased the vaccines at about INR 200 per dose.
The state has seen a record low in daily vaccinations, with less than 50 doses administered per day. This has led to the disposal of 3.9 lakh doses in urban areas and 9.44 lakh doses in rural areas. In terms of regional disposal due to expiry, Sangli leads with 1,08,560 doses, followed by Gadchiroli with 82,390, Dhule with 76,000, and Mumbai with 37,647.
In Maharashtra, there are about 91.4 million adults eligible for vaccination. Of these, 92% have received the first dose, 85% have received the second dose, and only 20% have taken the booster dose. Interestingly, 10 million eligible beneficiaries have not taken even the first dose. Furthermore, 24.7 million have skipped the second dose, and 91.7 million have not taken their booster dose.
During the moderate COVID-19 wave in March and April this year, the state government purchased 20,000 doses of the iNCOVACC vaccine at ₹325 each. Most of these doses are now sitting idle in clinics and hospitals. The state also owns about 15,000 doses of the iNCOVACC vaccine in public hospitals, with expiration dates in May 2024 and June 2024.
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