As COVID cases surge in the country, crossing one lakh daily infections since the beginning of the pandemic, some states have complained of vaccine shortage, which they fear, will lead to rise in cases.
Bogged down by the second wave of Covid-19, Maharashtra is now left with only three days of vaccine stocks. The state is also plagued by shortages of oxygen and remdesivir medicine to combat the surge, as it sees above 50,000 new infections daily, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.
"We have around 14 lakh doses left available... That is the stock sufficient for only three days. Our weekly requirement is around 40 lakh doses to enable us to vaccinate up to 500,000 people. In the current surge, the vaccine is the only 'Ram-baan' available," a grim Tope told media persons here this afternoon.
He said that he has already informed Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan of the prevailing scenario at a video conference of the Health Ministers of nine worst-hit states.
Owing to the shortage of vaccines at various vaccination centres, the people are being sent back and the state has demanded that people in the vulnerable 20-45 age groups should be given the life-saver jab on priority, he said.
At least six states ¨C Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Odisha and Telangana ¨C are staring at a coronavirus vaccine shortage.
Most of these states have already apprised the Centre of the situation.
The Centre has refused to open up coronavirus vaccinations for all age groups, saying that the aim is to vaccinate the most vulnerable first.
In Andhra Pradesh, vaccine stocks will run out by Thursday, state¡¯s commissioner (health and family welfare) Katamneni Bhaskar told The Economic Times.
He said the state has only 3.5 lakh vaccines left in their stock.
Hours after Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh sent an SOS alert over a scarcity of coronavirus vaccines, the Union Health Ministry reiterated on Wednesday that there is no shortage of vaccine stock anywhere in the country.?
¡°The Centre will not allow any state to face vaccine scarcity,¡± said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.
Dr Harsh Vardhan had reacted to some concerns on Tuesday, adding that ¡°no state is facing vaccine scarcity¡± and neither will the Centre allow them to face it.