Delhi: Manish Sisodia accused the centre of “sitting over” the vaccine distribution system.
Highlights
- Manish Sisodia today flagged the acute shortage in Delhi
- Doses for 18-44 age group not expected before June 10, he said
- The city needs 1.84 crore doses for the age group, he added
New Delhi:
Vaccines for youth are over in Delhi and further doses are not expected before June 10, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said today, flagging the acute shortage that had already forced the state government to suspended the inoculation programme for the 18-44 years age group last week.
Accusing the Centre of stubbornly “sitting over” the vaccine distribution system, he asked how private hospitals were getting the doses if Centre does not have enough stocks for states.
“The Centre told us that vaccines for the youth (18-44) will be available in June, but that we not will get them before June 10,” Mr Sisodia said in a televised statement.
He said Delhi is expected to receive 5.5 lakh COVID-19 jabs for 92 lakh beneficiaries in the 18-44 years age group. As against a requirement of 1.84 crore doses in this category, the Centre provided 4.5 lakh doses in April and 3.67 lakh doses in May, he said. Up to 8.17 lakh doses have been procured from manufacturers.
Up to 47.44 lakh doses have come from the Centre for those aged above 45 and healthcare and frontline workers. Of these, 44.76 lakh have been used up.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has floated a global expression of interest (EOI) to urgently procure 10 million doses of Covid vaccines. Bidders have been asked to submit their offers or expressions of interest by June 7.
The capital recorded 956 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the lowest daily rise in over two months. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said if new infections continue to decline, more activities will be allowed to open up.
While over 20.89 crore vaccine doses have been administered in India so far, nearly 31 lakh were used in the past 24 hours.