Maharashtra records 8,010 new Covid-19 cases

Although the state received 950,000 doses from the Centre on Thursday, the supply will hardly last three-four days, considering the state is vaccinating 300,000-350,000 citizens daily

Maharashtra, on Thursday, recorded 8,010 new Covid-19 cases even as the government demanded an increased supply of vaccine doses to beat the impending third wave of the pandemic.

Representational image. (PTI)

Although the state received 950,000 doses from the Centre on Thursday, the supply will hardly last three-four days, considering the state is vaccinating 300,000-350,000 citizens daily. On Thursday, 337,074 citizens were vaccinated in Maharashtra across 2,924 centres.

State health minister Rajesh Tope demanded that the Centre dispatch more vaccines to Maharashtra. “It is our genuine demand to give us more and also consistently so that we can plan better and that there is no rush at our vaccination centres,” said Tope.

“If we want to stop the third wave or want to reduce mortality rates, vaccination is the only solution. The Central government needs to encourage those states who are carrying out vaccinations on a large scale,” he added.

Although Maharashtra leads the nation with its record of administering 38,262,360 doses so far, the erratic supply has ensured that many of its centres are forced to remain shut due to shortage of vaccines.

Tope said that currently 300,000-350,000 doses are being administered daily, but the state wants to vaccinate at least 1,000,000 people daily. “Our minimum capacity is 10 lakh (1 million) and we can go up to 15 lakh (1.5 million) daily,” he added. He said that Maharashtra legislature has already passed a resolution demanding 30 million doses monthly.