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Vijayan asks PM for free doses of vaccine
Thiruvananthapuram As Kerala reported its highest single-day spike, clocking 28,447 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tweak the proposed vaccine policy and ensure free doses to the overburdened state
Thiruvananthapuram As Kerala reported its highest single-day spike, clocking 28,447 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tweak the proposed vaccine policy and ensure free doses to the overburdened state.
Talking to reporters in the state capital, the CM said in the virtual meeting chaired by the PM, he appraised him about the shortage of vaccine and told him that the new policy will put extra burden on the state, which is already reeling under the impact of the pandemic. He expressed hope the Union government will take a proactive decision on the issue.
“In India, major vaccines were distributed free of cost. When the country is going through a difficult situation, it is not proper to impose a fee on vaccine. Three-level price mechanism is really intriguing. Hope the PM will realise this and will have a rethink,” the CM said, adding that most of the states expressed similar view in the meeting. Vijayan said the state will need ₹1,300 crore to meet the vaccine bill, if the Centre insists for fee.
He said the state cannot wait interminably for doses and it will chalk out a plan to buy directly from the market. “For herd immunity, vaccination is important. We want to carry it out as quickly as possible to contain the surge. In the state, only 11% people were exposed to the virus, so we have to act fast,” the CM said, adding that despite mounting cases, the state maintained the lowest case fatality rate of 0.39% in the country.
The state reported 28,477 new cases on Friday, taking the active caseload in Kerala to 178,983, according to health department data. The test positivity rate in state was reported at 21.78%. With 27 fatalities, death toll in Kerala climbed up to 5,055. Ernakulam district topped the list with 4,548 cases.
Vijayan also lauded people for contributing to the CM’s relief fund to foot expenses of the vaccine. “It is really heart-warming. On Friday also, we received more than ₹1 crore towards this. This shows spirit of the people. We will make a separate fund for this and use it only for vaccine,” he said.
Stating that the second wave in Kerala was critical, the CM said the government will do everything possible to save lives. “It is more than what we expected. There is no short cut but people will have to go by the restrictions. If we work in unison we can overcome this like last year,” Vijayan said, adding the weekend restrictions will be on the lines of lockdown. The government has also called an all-party meet on Monday. He said decision on further restrictions will be decided after the meeting.
