Vaccine wastage in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh is highest in India

Coronavirus vaccine jabs have been wasted across the country for various reasons. Some percentage of wastage is inevitable. So, it’s not necessarily a sign of inefficiency or administrative indifference. The national average of Covid-19 vaccine wastage stands at 6.5%. However, the Telugu States have got a higher wastage percentage.

As per the Centre, Telangana’s wastage stands at 17.6%. This is higher than Andhra Pradesh’s 11.6%.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the over 10% vaccine wastage in Telangana and AP needs a review. He also said that vaccine wastage in Uttar Pradesh is similarly high. “Monitoring must be done every evening and pro-active people should be contacted so that there is no wastage (sic),” Modi said, as quoted by ANI.

Besides the two Telugu States and UP, Karnataka (about 6.9%) and Jammu & Kashmir, too, have a higher wastage compared to the national average. Experts are of the opinion that vaccine coverage must be expanded to reduce wastage.