After battling for hospital beds and supply of oxygen for nearly a month amid the raging second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Delhi is now facing a shortage of vaccines.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government on Monday, 10 May, that the city is not getting adequate supply of vaccines and the stocks of Covaxin in Delhi would run out in the next 24 hours, while the stocks of Covishield are likely to get exhausted in the next three to four days.
“Delhi has stocks for just one day for one, and for three or four days for the other vaccine. Covaxin stock will last a day and Covishield for three or four days,” Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Monday, reported PTI.
Presenting documents procured from vaccine companies and signed letters attained from the Central Government, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “When Central Government had decided in April that State Governments could directly tie-up with vaccine companies to sell vaccines, Delhi Government released a letter to acquire 1.34 crore vaccination doses for citizens between 18-45 year.”
However, he said that instead of receiving vaccines, the Delhi government received a letter from the Centre stating that the capital would get just 3.59 lakh vaccines out of which 92,840 doses were Covaxin and 2,67,690 doses were Covishield.
The Delhi government had on Sunday informed the Centre that it would need 60 lakh doses of vaccine per month to vaccinate around 93 lakh people in the 18-45 age group between May and July, reported IANS.
Sisodia also slammed the BJP for making a ‘false claim’ that Delhi government did not order for adequate doses of vaccine in advance.
"After the Centre had made it clear that the state governments could directly approach the companies for placing vaccine orders, the Delhi government had in April ordered 1.34 crore vaccines," Sisodia said.
A large number of youth in the country have died during the second wave of the pandemic, Sisodia said, adding that their lives could have been saved had vaccines been administered to them instead of exporting the doses to other countries.
He said the Centre should ensure that the vaccines manufactured in the country are provided to the states that are facing shortage.
He also reiterated Delhi government's stand that it can vaccinate everyone in the city within three months provided adequate doses are made available to it.
Meanwhile, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal reiterated that the capital is left with vaccines only for three to four days.
“We’ve placed orders with companies but I think the Central government is allocating the vaccines because we get letters from the Centre about the stock that we would get in a month. We request Centre to give us more vaccines,” he said, according to ANI.
In a letter to the Union Health Ministry, CM Kejriwal had on Sunday requested the Centre to direct the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to increase monthly supplies of COVID vaccines to Delhi to 60 lakh a month for the next three months.
On Monday, AAP MLA Atishi also spoke about the shortage of vaccines in the capital, saying that Delhi would have to close some centres after vaccine stocks finish on Tuesday. She added that she hoped that the Centre would supply the capital with 1.34 crore doses, reported PTI.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI and IANS.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)