'Centre messed up shots for youth'
New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday accused the Centre of "mismanaging" the coronavirus vaccination programme in the country, specifically saying that the entire vaccination programme for the youth had been "messed up" by the BJP-led Central government due to its "policy missteps" in a letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
On the one hand, Sisodia said the Centre was unwilling to procure the vaccines itself and allocate it to the states, asking states to fight it out in the global market, but on the other hand, the Centre is also not approving the vaccines manufactured by these foreign companies.
Sisodia's fiery remarks against the Centre came in an online press briefing after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced earlier in the day that both Pfizer and Moderna had declined to deal with the Delhi government and said they would only communicate with the Centre for selling their Covid vaccines.
Moreover, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister, in his letter to Vardhan, said, "In spite of early advantages given by our scientific community and Indian manufacturers, we have squandered away the great opportunity of timely vaccination of our people. The missed opportunity by the Government of India has resulted in extraordinary loss of lives during the current wave of Covid pandemic."
At the online briefing, Sisodia asked, "Is this a joke? On one hand, states are asked to float global tenders for buying vaccines but the Government of India has not given approval to those vaccines."
He went on to say that Pfizer's vaccine had been approved in 85 countries, Moderna's had been approved by 46 countries and 41 countries had approved the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. "They have also started procurement while we are still playing just a game of approval," Sisodia said.
Countries all over the world kept a watch on vaccine production and many placed orders in advance as trials progressed, but the government of India was "sleeping", he charged, adding that some statistics showed the US and EU had ordered 70 crore doses in November last year but the Union government here "is busy vilifying States instead".
What is the "compulsion" that India is depending on two local manufacturers that even exported doses to other countries. Sputnik has been given approval in April although it was permitted by Russia for emergency use in August last year, he said.
"I request the central government with folded hands not to make a mockery of the vaccination programme and understand its seriousness, nonetheless by the time vaccines are arranged those already vaccinated may lose antibodies and require to be vaccinated again," he said.
Stressing that vaccination is the most effective weapon against the coronavirus, Sisodia appealed to the central government to rise above partisan politics and procure vaccines of Johnson and Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer for the people of the country.
In his letter to Vardhan, the city's nodal minister for Covid also implored the Centre to plan a national immunisation programme at the earliest.
This comes at a time when the Capital's entire vaccination programme for the 18-44 age group has come to a screeching halt due to a lack of vaccines. In fact, all 400 centres opened for this age group in the city have now been shut.
Sisodia added that the centres administering Covaxin to the 45+ age group, healthcare workers and frontline workers too have been shut due to unavailability of jabs.
However, according to Monday's vaccine bulletin, the city had received 1.5 lakh doses of Covishield for those above 45, frontline and healthcare workers but Covaxin stocks for this group were over.
AAP MLA Atishi on Monday said the stock of Covishield can now last up to 14 days.
"However, there are no Covaxin stocks available. It is worrying since there are many people who have received the first dose and are due for their second. "If they don't receive the second dose within the stipulated time period, even the first dose would be considered wasted," she said.
