Delhi, Guj may defer vaccine drive, UP to buy 4 crore vials
NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW/AHMEDABAD: The Delhi and Gujarat governments on Thursday hinted that the nationwide vaccination against Covid-19 for those between 18 and 45 years of age may not begin on May 1 while the Uttar Pradesh government decided to float global tenders to purchase several doses as several states complained of shortages and lack of supply.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said the city “does not have vaccines” for the inoculation of persons in the 18-44 age group and purchase orders have been placed with manufacturers for the same.
Addressing reporters in the national capital, Jain said: “At present, we don’t have vaccines. We have requested the companies to provide it.” “We will tell you in a day or two,” he replied to another query about starting the inoculation drive for this category on May 1.
The minister also said that manufactures are yet to provide a schedule of vaccine supply to the Delhi government.
On Monday, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that everybody aged above 18 would be administered the vaccines free of cost in Delhi. He said that his government had approved the procurement of 1.34 crore
vaccine doses from various manufacturers.
A government official on Wednesday told news agency PTI that inoculation of the 18-44 age group is likely to have a moderate start and will be ramped up gradually.
The vaccine will be delivered to the Delhi government in phases. Private hospitals will have to procure vaccines directly from manufacturers, he had said. The Centre will continue to provide vaccines for those aged above 45.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh decided to float global tenders to purchase four to five crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine. The government has already announced
free vaccination for people above 18 years of age. “The state government has decided to float global tenders for carrying the vaccination drive effectively. Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech have been given orders of 50 lakh vaccine doses each. A global tender should also be floated to purchase four to five crore vaccine doses. This should be taken forward,” chief minister Yogi Adityanath was quoted as saying in a statement.
“Such an arrangement should be made that the vaccines are not wasted. Only those who are to be vaccinated should be allowed entry in vaccination centres. The vaccination of those above 45 years will continue,” he said.
The Gujarat government on Thursday said the registration process for vaccination for the 18-45 age group has begun but the process to vaccinate free of cost will begin once it gets substantial number of vaccines from pharmaceutical companies.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the state health department said, “The process of registration for the age group of 18 to 45 has begun on CoWin portal from Wednesday as per the announcement of the central government.”
For this phase, the state-run and private hospitals have to directly procure vaccines from pharma companies, it said.
“The state government had on April 25 placed orders of 1 crore doses of Covishield vaccines from Serum Institute of India and 50 lakh doses of Covaxin from Bharat Biotech,” it said.
The state government has made all the necessary arrangements for giving vaccines to this age group free of cost, it added.
“The vaccination process will start once the state receives substantial numbers of vaccine doses from pharma companies,” the statement said, indicating that the state has not yet received any doses directly from the pharma companies even as only two days are remaining for the launch of the drive.