Brakes on Kolkata civic body-run inoculation drive due to non-availability of vaccines

The COVID-19 inoculation drive by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) came to a halt on Monday for an ''indefinite period'' due to non-availability of vaccines, an official of the civic body said.

According to the official, the KMC decided to discontinue the vaccination programme as it has run out of Covaxin and its Covishield stock is nearing depletion.

''We have decided to stop our inoculation drive for now at our 38 healthcare units owing to this scarcity. Unless the Centre sends us fresh doses, we will not be able to resume our vaccination programme,'' the KMC official said.

The civic body has so far inoculated around 50 lakh people in the city and its neighbourhood, he added.