Delhi HC objects to criminal wastage of Covid vaccine

NEW DELHI: Delhi high court on Tuesday slammed the Centre over Covid-19 crisis in the country saying "people will have blood on their hands", if medicines and resources are diverted without application of mind.

"We will be doomed," a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said with regard to any non-application of mind in allocation and diversion of resources and medicines.

The high court raised questions over the Centre's decision to ban the use of oxygen for industrial purposes with effect from April 22 and said "why wait till April 22 to ban the use of oxygen by industries? Why not immediately? People need oxygen now."

"If nothing is done to augment oxygen supply, the country will head for a bigger disaster; first priority has to be to save lives," it said.

Earlier in the day, the bench had asked the Centre whether oxygen supplied to industries can be diverted for pandemic patients. "Industries can wait. Patients cannot. Human lives are at stake," the bench said.

The court, however, said that the decision to ban the industrial use of oxygen should have come sooner. "Economic interests can't override human lives. Else we are heading for a disaster," the bench said.

The court also expressed displeasure over the "huge wastage" of vaccines and asked the Centre to vaccinate whomsoever it can to ensure there is no wastage.

"This is a huge wastage. Give it to those who want it. Whomsoever you can vaccinate, please vaccinate. Whether 16 years old or 60 years old, all need vaccination. The pandemic does not discriminate," the court said.

To this, the Centre replied that the decision of a staggered rollout was taken to avoid a "mad rush" but the court dismissed this argument saying that the government should have been able to anticipate the turnout.

"We hope the Centre is applying its mind based on the need of each state when deciding where to send medicines and resources," it added.

Justice Sanghi, citing a personal experience, said: "The Centre has a very important role to play in ramping up testing.. I'm telling you with some insight.. paperwork that ICMR insists upon takes 15 minutes each time a report is uploaded. These are bottlenecks that you need to look at."

The court added that wastage of vaccine is a criminal waste and directed the Centre to consider vaccinating those interested and aged 18-45 years by utilising the unused, opened vaccine vials at the end of the day.

"Each vial has 10 doses once it is open. It has to be either fully consumed or it is a waste. It should be possible for the governments to device means to register volunteers aged 18-45 years to take the vaccine if there are doses left after say 5 pm," the court observed.