Maharashtra Covid Crisis: Health Minister Reports Worrying Vaccine Shortage, Says Stocks Will Last Only 3 Days

Previously, CM Uddhav Thackeray had written to PM Narendra Modi asking centre to allow everyone above the age of 25 to be vaccinated.

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Mumbai: As Maharashtra battles the worrying surge in Coronavirus cases, the state health minister reported that it is now left with only three days of vaccine stocks.

There is also a shortage of oxygen and Ramdesivir medicines which are required to deal with the new infections which are rising above half-lakh mark daily.

"We have around 14 lakh doses left available… That's 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," Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.

He revealed that he has already informed Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan about the situation at a virtual meeting of the health ministers of nine worst-hit states.

The state health minister informed that because of the shortage of vaccines at various centres, people are being sent back.

Previously, CM Uddhav Thackeray had written to PM Narendra Modi asking centre to allow everyone above the age of 25 to be vaccinated.

BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Kishori Pednekar also supported the worry over the shortage of vaccine stocks in Mumbai, stating that they are on the verge of getting over.

"We have barely 100,000 doses left now. Most of our vaccines are being supplied to government hospitals. If we don't get fresh stocks soon, we may not be able to administer the second dose to the people," a worried Pednekar told the media.

'Attempt To Divert Attention From Repeated Failures': Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan

Responding to the statements concerning Maharashtra, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said: "I have seen statements made by public representatives in Maharashtra about the shortage of vaccines. This is nothing but an attempt to divert attention from Maharashtra government’s repeated failures to control the spread of pandemic".

"The inability of Maharashtra government to act responsibly is beyond comprehension. To spread panic among the people is to compound the folly further. Vaccine supplies are being monitored on a real-time basis, and State governments are being apprised regularly about it," he added.

The Union Health Minister went on to call the allegations of vaccine shortage "utterly baseless". "Throughout last year as Union Health Minister, I have been witness to misgovernance and casual approach of Maharashtra government in battling the virus. Their lackadaisical attitude singularly bogged down the country’s efforts to fight virus," he said lashing out at the Maharashtra government.

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Worries over vaccine shortage have been raised time and again by different states. Health Ministry had addressed these concerns in mid-March, informing that it distributed 7.54 crore doses of Covishield and Covaxin to States and Union Territories. Of these, only a little more than 4 crore shots had been used up so a sizeable reserve of vaccines was lying with the States.

Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had at that point assured that the government is taking stock of the vaccines available with the States on a daily basis and the supply of vaccines to other countries was not being done at the cost of national interest.