In Bengal, Question Mark Over Vaccines For People Above 18 From May 1

West Bengal's private hospitals are increasingly worried about the phase III Covid vaccination drive beginning May 1. They have been asked to procure the doses directly from manufacturers and return to the government any remaining stocks after April 30. Standalone hospitals may lack the heft to procure vaccine doses for themselves when the manufacturers have much bigger national and international commitments to meet. "Some of our colleagues have informally contacted them and we were given to understand that there is a five-month waiting period for supplies, that they are committed to a lot of other countries, to government hospitals, and state governments," said Dr Simmardeep Singh Gill, COO of CK Birla Hospitals.