Delhi Has The Capacity To Administer Vaccine Doses To 3 Lakh Children Daily, Says Satyendar Jain

The health minister further said that although the Covid numbers are rising, it is a matter of satisfaction that serious cases of Omicron variant have not been reported yet.

New Delhi: Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday said that the national capital has the capacity to vaccinate 3 lakh children between the age group of 15 and 18 years daily.

A day after the city clocked 1,796 cases with the positivity rate reaching 2.44%, Jain said, “The good thing is that there was not even a single death yesterday.”

Speaking on the Omicron numbers out of the total Covid cases, Jain said that till a couple of days back, Omicron accounted for 54% of the total cases. The new percentage could be calculated only after Saturday’s data, the health minister added.

Talking about the registration on the CoWin portal for the vaccination of children, Satyendar Jain said, “We are fully prepared. The Delhi government has prepared about 1,000 centres and we have the capacity to administer 3 lakh vaccines every day. Right now, about one and a half lakh doses of vaccine are being administered every day, and if needed, we can increase it. No matter how many children are there, we have preparations to vaccinate everyone in seven to 10 days. The government has also trained health workers for the vaccination of children.”

When asked about the strictness amid the surge in Omicron cases, Jain said that several curbs have been imposed in the national capital. No other state has imposed any other restriction other than night curfew, but Delhi has shut all schools, colleges, banquet halls, theatres. The shops and malls are running in add-even basis. More curbs will come into place after reviewing hospital admissions, he said. Last time when there was a spike, there was a large number of admissions but this time, very few patients are getting admitted, he said, adding if the admissions increase, they will take a call in the next DDMA meeting.

The health minister further said that although the Covid numbers are rising, it is a matter of satisfaction that serious cases of Omicron variant have not been reported yet. “Be it Delta or Omicron, the method of treatment for all is the same. All the people of Delhi have to be careful, leave the house only when it is necessary and wear a mask,” Jain added.