Delhi to shut vaccination centers for 18-44 age group
What's the story
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said COVID-19 vaccination centers for those in the 18-44 years age group are being closed in the national capital due to lack of doses and appealed to the Centre to provide more vaccines. From Sunday, all vaccination centers for youths in Delhi will be closed as stocks have run out, he said in a press conference.
Vaccine
Delhi requires 2.5 crore vaccine doses for all adults
"Delhi requires 80 lakh doses a month to vaccinate its youth. But it only received 16 lakh doses in May. The Centre has further decreased Delhi's quota for June to eight lakh doses," Kejriwal said. The national capital needs 2.5 crore doses to vaccinate all adults, he said, urging the Centre to raise the quota and supply to the city.
COVID-19 spread
Delhi's positivity rate has dipped to 3.5 percent
Kejriwal said that the speed of the spread of the coronavirus has significantly slowed down in Delhi. In the past 24 hours, around 2,200 cases were reported in the national capital and the positivity rate is 3.5 percent, he further added. The Chief Minister extended four suggestions to the Centre to enhance vaccine availability in the country.
Suggestions
Centre should direct companies to manufacture COVAXIN: Kejriwal
The first of the four suggestions extended by Kejriwal was that the central government should within 24 hours direct all capable companies in the country to start manufacturing COVAXIN as Bharat Biotech has agreed to share its formula, he said. Second, vaccines manufactured abroad should be used in India and the Centre needs to buy vaccines on the behalf of states, Kejriwal said.
COVID-19 vaccination
More than 50 lakh vaccine doses administered in Delhi
Kejriwal further said that foreign companies should be allowed to manufacture vaccines in India and the Centre should try to get vaccines from such countries that have more doses than what they need. Delhi has administered 50,17,579 vaccine doses to date, including 38,85,425 first doses with 11,32,154 people being given both doses.