NEW DELHI: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday stated that the government schools which were being used as vaccination centre for people aged between 18 and 44 years, will now be extended for the inoculation of the 45 plus age group.
Citing the shortage of vaccines and extension of date for second dose to 12-16 weeks by the Centre, Jain said, “It is quite strange that after exporting nearly 6.5 crore vaccines to other countries, the Centre is asking states to purchase vaccines from the international market.”
The Delhi government on Thursday decided to allow walk-in vaccinations to those above the age of 45 and also said that vaccination centres for this category will be shifted to schools. The Delhi government has already set up vaccination session sites in schools for those between the ages of 18 and 44, but slots have to be booked on the Cowin portal for vaccination.
Jain also said that the supply of Tocilizumab is controlled by the Centre and it has mandated only 1,000 units per month, whereas the demand is much more. Delhi Government has passed an order to form an expert committee to mobilise and streamline the supply effectively.
Jain further said the widespread of coronavirus in the villages were due to Kumbh Mela. “In the last three waves in Delhi, we hardly saw any Covid-19 cases from the villages. But in this wave, a large number of cases have been seen and is widely said that the reason behind this spread is Kumbh Mela as people went in large numbers.”