Delhi’s Covaxin doses to last a day, Covishield 3-4 days: Health minister Jain

There were just 274,460 doses – both Covaxin and Covishield – meant for those between the ages of 18 and 44 years purchased by the state. There were 467,190 doses allocated by the Centre meant for those above the ages of 45 years, healthcare workers, and frontline workers till May 9

Delhi’s stock of Covaxin will last only a day and that of Covishield will last three to four days, according to Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain. “There are two vaccines available in India; we have stock for just one day for one and for three or four days for the other. Covaxin stock will last a day and Covishield three or four days,” said Jain during his visit to a 400-bed Covid facility at Guruwara Rakab Ganj Sahib.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain. (File photo)

There were just 274,460 doses – both Covaxin and Covishield – meant for those between the ages of 18 and 44 years purchased by the state as on May 9. There were 467,190 doses allocated by the Centre meant for those above the ages of 45 years, healthcare workers, and frontline workers till May 9. As per Centre’s directives, the states have to use 70% of these doses to give the second shot to those who have already received one.

Delhi has been giving nearly 95,000 shots a day during the last week, according to data shared by the government.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had written to the Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday, stating that the government must come up with a uniform price for the vaccine doses as states and private hospitals were competing for the same supply. The companies have to provide 50% of their manufactured doses to the Centre.

“A uniform price should be fixed for vaccines for supplies made to governments (Central or state) and to private hospitals. The inherent fallacy and danger in the current pricing mechanism is that there is an obvious incentive for private manufacturers to prioritise supplies to private hospitals over supplies being made to governments since under the current mechanism they will earn more from the latter,” the letter read.

Meanwhile, the Centre has justified in the Supreme Court its Covid-19 vaccination policy, saying its response and strategy is completely driven by expert medical and scientific opinion which leaves little room for judicial interference and emphasised that citizens of all age groups will get free vaccination throughout the country.

In 218-page affidavit filed late Sunday night in the top court’s suo motu case on Covid-19 management, the Centre said, this policy “conforms to mandate of Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India and is made after several rounds of consultation and discussion with experts, state government and vaccine manufacturers requiring no interference by this Court as while dealing with a pandemic of this magnitude, the executive does have a room for free play in the joints, in larger public interest”. (With agency inputs)