Are states ready to start vaccination drive for 18+?

In view of strengthening the nation's fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, vaccination drive for people aged 18-44 years will begin from Saturday. But amid the massive shortage of vaccine in various states, whether the nation is ready for this mammoth drive, is yet to be answered.

New Delhi: On the very first day of registration for the third phase of the Covid vaccination, over 1.32 people had applied on the CoWin app.

But on Thursday, Delhi's Health Minister Satyendra Jain had announced that the national capital has run out of vaccines. The Delhi Government had ordered 1.34 crore of vaccine doses from various manufacturers. But Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that the vaccination drive for those between 18 and 44 years would not start from May 1 as the vaccines have not reached yet.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh also said, on Friday, that due to the non-availability of vaccines, phase three of vaccination of the 18-45 age group cannot be started as per the schedule.

While the West Bengal Government announced that Vaccination drive for those between 18 to 44 years of age will begin as and when the State receives the vaccine doses. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that the vaccination drive will begin from May 5.

As the Chhattisgarh Government had earlier said that it will provide free vaccine for its people, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that socially and economically weaker sections of the society should be given priority in this vaccination drive. However, the state health minister TS Singh Deo had said that the state doesn't have sufficient vaccines to start the third phase of the vaccination drive.

After making an announcement, on Thursday, that Madhya Pradesh will not be able to start the third phase of the vaccination drive on May 1, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said in a video statement, "A detailed guidelines of the government of India will be issued later, but the people above the age of 18 will be vaccinated for free in Madhya Pradesh."

In Bihar, the vaccination drive is unlikely to start as per the schedule as the state had announced that SII had refused to supply one crore vials of the vaccine demanded by the Bihar government.

In Jharkhand, the vaccination drive is expected to start from May 15 as the state Health Minister Banna Gupta had informed, "The companies said they will have to deliver the Centre's order by May 15. They said there was no chance of providing vaccines to Jharkhand before May 15, and that they will consider our order in the last week of May."

Apart from this, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat also complained over the non-availability of vaccine doses to begin the third phase.