Chhattisgarh, which is reeling under the second wave of the rapidly-spreading COVID-19, is witnessing a severe shortage of Remdesivir injection, an anti-viral drug that is designed to stop the replication of the virus. People are queueing up for days outside medicine stores for just one injection as supplies are being rationed.

Also read: Bodies of COVID victims in Chhattisgarh taken for cremation in garbage vehicle

Serpentine queues were seen outside many medical stores in Raipur on Thursday. “I have been here since Wednesday morning. My patient needs 6 injections but they won’t give more than one,” a man waiting in a queue told news agency ANI.

Chhattisgarh recorded 15,256 new COVID-19 cases and 135 deaths in the past 24 hours. Overall infection tally rose to 5,01,500 and death toll to 5,442.

There have been reports of Remdesivir shortage from many states with government’s sending SOS to the Centre seeking more supplies. The union government has already stopped exports of the injection.

Reason behind the shortage

The sudden shortage is attributed to lower demand after decline in the COVID caseload after September 2020. As the number of cases went down, suppliers and manufacturers were left with huge stockpiles in December. Some even had to destroy expired stocks of the drug. Consequently manufacturing was scaled down.

Also read: ‘How can we arrange freezers for so many bodies?’ Chhattisgarh medic

And then the second wave hit and demand zoomed once again. From average 12,000 cases a day in December the numbers went to more than 2 lakh a day in April. The manufacturers have already scaled up production but the cycle from manufacturing to transportation of the injection can take 20-25 days. So, it will take another week for fresh stocks to hit markets.