DELHI HC PULLS UP CENTRE ON STRICT CONTROL OF VACCINATIONS

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Thursday asked the Centre to explain the rationale behind keeping strict control over class of persons who can be vaccinated against Covid-19 currently as under the present system those above the age of 60 years or with comorbidities can receive vaccination.

The high court said the two drugmakers which are manufacturing the Covishield and Covaxin vaccine — Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech — have more capacity to provide the vaccines but it seems that their full capacity is not being exploited. “We are not utilising it fully. We are either donating it to foreign countries or selling it to them and are not vaccinating our own people. So there has to be that sense of responsibility and urgency,” a bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said.

The court directed the drugmakers to file separate affidavits on their capacity to manufacture the vaccines on per day/ week/ month basis.