Daily News Capsule

Delhi’s CM Arwind Kejriwal wrote to pm Modi today afternoon suggesting to him the 4 strategies to ramp up the vaccine production as he highlighted the national capital has “paused the rollout” for the 18-44 years age group due to shortage of vaccine doses. “To protect the country from a third Covid wave, it’s important to speed up the vaccination drive,” he said in an appeal to the center earlier today.

“All the doses that we received from the government (for 18-44 age group) have been used. A few doses were left, which will also be used by the evening. This is sad. We have written to the center about this…as soon as we receive a supply, we will reopen the centres,” said the Chief Minister during a video address.

CM said that every month, Delhi needs 80 lakh doses, but it received only 16 lakh doses in May in his letter to pm Modi. “For June, our share has been reduced further to eight lakh doses.” he mentioned.

If the city gets 8 lakh doses every month, it will take at least 30 months to vaccinate the entire city, his letter read.

“It’s hard to imagine how many more covid waves will hit the city by then and how many more lives will be lost, “ the CM appealed in the center.

By giving the four suggestions to prime minister Narendra Modi Kejriwal said “All vaccine makers in India, within 24 hours, should be ordered to manufacture Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin to ramp up stocks.”

Foreign vaccine makers should be allowed to roll out their vaccines within 24 hours, the CM stressed. “The centre should speak to international vaccine manufacturers, buy from them and distribute to states. States and union territories are fighting with each other,” he stressed.

Some countries “have stocked more vaccines than they need and the centre should request these nations to give the excess to India,” the Chief Minister further added.

International vaccine manufacturers should be given permission to manufacture in India, he suggested as his final suggestion.

Previously, the health ministry said that the government has shared a forward plan till June 15 on vaccine doses and supply as it asked the states to prepare calendars on the Cowin app, the government’s digital platform for booking slots.

Over 1.6 crore doses are still available with states and union territories, an official statement today said.

India was hit by a hazardous second wave in march. In the last two months, the daily caseload increased, overloading the hospitals. When Delhi started witnessing an increase in death rate too, the positivity rate dropped below 5 % for the first time since April 4 on Friday. And the state has been under lockdown since April 19.