Will improve vaccine supply, govt assures Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 11

A day after several non-NDA ruled states flagged Covid vaccine shortages, the Centre on Sunday assured Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra that the issue of expansion of supplies was being considered.

In a letter to the principal secretaries (health) of the three states, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, “The government has taken note of the issues related to vaccine availability and will take the required action to augment the supplies based on the available stock.”

27.69 lakh doses on Day 1 of ‘Tika Utsav’

The assurance came along with the Centre taking up with the above states several gaps in Covid response strategy of test, track and treat. The secretary quoted findings of the central teams stationed in 50 districts of Punjab, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. PM Narendra Modi launched ‘Tika Utsav’, a vaccination drive between April 11 and 14, describing the event as the “beginning of the second major war against Covid”.

“In this war we have to pay special attention to personal and social hygiene,” the PM said, pushing for micro-containment zones.

As the daily Covid cases crossed a new peak of 1,52,879 cases today and active cases reached 11,08,987 mark, the PM appealed on Tika Utsav, “Our success will depend on our awareness regarding micro-containment zones, our ability to avoid unnecessary venturing out of home, our zeal to ensure that all eligible people are vaccinated and our respect for masks and other protocols.”

The PM used the occasion (Tika Utsav will be marked from today, the birth anniversary of Jyotiba Phule, until April 14, the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar) to stress three messages for people – each one vaccinate one, each one treat one and each one save one.

“Let us help the older people with vaccination; let us aid the lesser privileged with Covid treatment; let us wear masks and save ourselves and others,” said the PM.

Even as the Utsav was launched, vaccine shortage continued to bog the inoculation drive with reports of 900 session sites closing down in Odisha due to the supplies running out.

The government, meanwhile, said it was considering the financial aid request from the Serum Institute of India which has sought help of Rs 3,000 crore to expand production. Currently, the SII produces around 21 lakh vaccine doses daily out of India’s daily production capacity of 23.2 lakh doses. As the daily vaccine administration swells (35,19,987 doses were administered in the last 24 hours), the supply will get stressed further. Top government sources said funding mechanisms for augmenting vaccine stocks were being studied.

Meanwhile SII chief executive officer Adar Poonaawala has said production is likely to be up by June.

Ten states contributing 80.92 pc of the over 1.52 lakh daily cases today are Maharashtra (55,411), Chhattisgarh (14,098), UP (12,798), Delhi (7,897) Karnataka (6,955), Kerala (6,194), Tamil Nadu (5,989), Gujarat (5,011), Madhya Pradesh (4,986), Rajasthan (4,401).

So far as 11,08,087 active cases go, these now make up 8.29 pc of the total 1,33,58,805 cases in India.

Govt to consider SII grant request

The Centre said it was considering the financial aid request from the Serum Institute of India, which has sought Rs3,000 cr to expand production. Currently, the SII produces 21 lakh vaccine doses daily out of the country’s daily production capacity of 23.2 lakh doses.