High Court Asks If Not Administered Timely, Then Have To Take Both Doses Again

The High Court has directed the Delhi Government to clarify whether those who do not get the second dose within the stipulated time will have to take both the doses again or not. At the same time, the government told the court that people in the age group of 18 to 44 years, who have taken one dose of Covaxin, will be given the second dose first, as and when Covaxin is available.

The Delhi government said that orders in this regard have been issued to all government centres, private hospitals and nursing homes. The Center and the Delhi government also told the court that an additional arrangement of 400 vials of Covaxin has been made to Delhi on June 6 to deal with the prevailing situation.

Justice Rekha Palli is hearing three petitions for the second dose of Covaxin. The court expressed happiness over the active focus on the issue of shortage of Covaxin by the Center and the Delhi government and said that those who have taken the first dose of Covaxin will get relief from it.

The Delhi government’s counsel told the court that the Chief Secretary has also issued an order in this regard on June 6 that the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has directed that Covaxin should be used only by those people (aged 18- 44 years) who are eligible for the second dose of vaccination in the month of June. The Health Department of the Delhi government had also issued a similar directive on June 3.

In this case, advocates Kushal Kumar, Mansi Sharma, Sehrawat Tripathi, Ashish Virmani had filed a petition and raised the issue of applying the second dose within the stipulated time. A lawyer went to Meerut and got Covaxin applied. He also raised the issue that if it has been more than six weeks since the first dose was administered but the slot for Covaxin is not given, the whole exercise would be in vain. Will they have to take both doses again? The Delhi government’s counsel said that they would take directions from the concerned department on the issue before the court. The court has fixed the matter for hearing on June 11.

The court asked Delhi government’s advocate Anuj Agarwal and advocate Anurag Ahluwalia, appearing for the Centre, to examine the issue whether the slot being opened for second dose vaccination can be increased. The court asked them to examine the issue of using the data bank and messaging those persons whose second dose is due before June 14.

On June 4, the Delhi government told the High Court that it had prepared to vaccinate people with Covaxin based on assurances from the vaccine’s maker Bharat Biotech. The company had said that the capital was to get 5 lakhs in May and four times in June i.e. 20 lakhs.

The Delhi government had received only 1.5 lakh doses of the vaccine in May and no stock was set aside for the second dose due to the Centre’s instructions, all of which was used to provide the first dose to 1.5 lakh people in the age group of 18-44. it was done.