Guwahati : The Assam health department has ordered a probe after 100 vials containing 1000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield were found in frozen condition in Sircar Medical College Hospital (SMCH).
According to reports, the vaccine doses could have frozen due to malfunctioning of the cold chain storage at SMCH, the premier medical institution in Assam’s Barak Valley region.
“We have got reports that the doses froze. It could be due to a problem in storage. The exact reason for that would be known only after a thorough probe, which has been ordered,” said Munindra Nath Ngatey, director, health services (family welfare).
He added that the frozen doses would be sent for laboratory tests to know about their efficacy. Action could also be initiated against senior administrative staff for any negligence on their part.
According to officials, Covishield and Covaxin, the two vaccines rolled out as part of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive on Saturday needs to be stored at temperatures of 2-8 degrees Celsius.
Assam had received 221,500 doses of vaccines-201,500 of them Covishield and 20,000 Covaxin-of the total 380,000 doses needed to vaccinate 190,000 health workers in the first stage.
Till Monday, 5,542 people including doctors, nurses, hospital staff, lab technicians and ambulance drivers had got vaccinated across the state. No serious adverse impact following immunization (AEFI) was detected in the recipients.
