Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Monday wrote to Union health minister Harsh Vardhan, urging the central government to come up with a centralised vaccine procurement and allocation policy. In his letter, Sisodia, who is Delhi’s nodal minister for Covid-19 management, also said that vaccination for the “youth in India” has been “messed” up due to policy “missteps”.
“In spite of early advantages given by our scientific community and Indian manufacturers, we have squandered away the great opportunity of timely vaccination of our people. The missed opportunity by the Government of India has resulted in an extraordinary loss of lives during the current wave of Covid pandemic,” Sisodia wrote.
“To prevent any further loss of life, it is our humble request to the Government of India to come out with a centralised vaccine procurement and allocation policy. Delhi is ready to pay for the cost of the vaccine,” he added.
The deputy chief minister said the rejection of global tenders filed by the Delhi government has posed a serious challenge, which only the central government can resolve.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Centre is “only indulging in business” by allowing just two companies to manufacture vaccines in India.
“In today’s date, the Delhi government does not have vaccines, but if you call a private hospital, they will give you the vaccine for ₹1,200, and in some cases and ₹1,400. Approximately, it can be assumed that a profit of ₹1,000 is being made on one vaccine dose,” Bhardwaj said.
{{/usCountry}}“In today’s date, the Delhi government does not have vaccines, but if you call a private hospital, they will give you the vaccine for ₹1,200, and in some cases and ₹1,400. Approximately, it can be assumed that a profit of ₹1,000 is being made on one vaccine dose,” Bhardwaj said.
{{/usCountry}}The Delhi BJP said the AAP is lobbying for approval for foreign vaccine manufacturers to do business in India.
All govt centres for 18-45 group shut: Delhi govt
All government centres immunising those between 18 and 44 will be closed Tuesday onwards, AAP MLA Atishi said, saying the government will have no doses of Covaxin or Covishield left after Monday’s inoculations.
She added that the government allocated over 817,000 doses of both the vaccines for May, which were exhausted before the end of the month. For June, the allocation is less than half that number, she said. This will pose a challenge for those due for the second Covaxin dose.
At least, 148,470 persons between ages 18 and 44 in Delhi have received a Covaxin shot in May, according to government data. The two Covishield doses have to be administered 12 to 16 weeks apart.