How can state govt deviate from vaccination schedule set by Centre? Kerala HC asks Left authorities

By PTI

KOCHI: How did the Kerala authorities deviate from the vaccination schedule set by the central authorities and what was responsible for the Centre to extend the hole between first and second dose of COVISHIELD from 4 weeks to 12-16 weeks? These had been the queries posed by the Kerala High Court to the Union Health Ministry and the state authorities on Thursday.

The questions from Justice P B Suresh Kumar got here whereas listening to a plea by Kitex Garments Ltd looking for permission to manage the second dose of COVISHIELD vaccine to its staff.

The court docket requested the state authorities the way it may calm down the prevailing protocol, which mandates a spot of 12-16 weeks between the first and 2nd jabs, for individuals going overseas when it was citing the directions as “gospel truth” in all its circulars or notifications.

“If what the central government is saying was gospel truth, then how did you (state government) deviate from it? Can you do that?” the court docket requested.

To this the state authorities responded that the Centre’s protocols had been “violated” to assist individuals who needed to go overseas for employment and had been stranded right here ready to be vaccinated.

The court docket mentioned that the good thing about any illegality on the a part of the state can’t be prolonged to others, however Kitex contended that there was no violation on the a part of the Kerala authorities because the precise minimal interval between two jabs of COVISHIELD was 4-6 weeks and this was the protocol adopted in respect of frontline staff.

The court docket, thereafter, requested why then there was a restriction now which acknowledged that hole needs to be 12-16 weeks.

To this, the lawyer for Kitex mentioned the rationale was the elevated efficacy of the vaccine if the second dose was taken after an extended hole.

The court docket, nevertheless, didn’t settle for the rationale cited by the corporate’s lawyer and impleaded the Union Health Ministry as a celebration within the matter to search out out the rationale for the longer hole between the 2 doses of COVISHIELD.

It directed the ministry to come back with solutions to its question on Friday, the following date of listening to.

Kitex in its plea has mentioned that it has already vaccinated greater than 5,000 of its staff with the primary dose and has organized for the second dose, however was unable to manage the identical because of the prevailing restrictions.