Covid-19 and vaccinations. 6.45 crore vaccine doses exported to 85 countries, says Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

Even as Maharashtra said it has been forced to shut down Covid-19 inoculation centres because of shortage of vaccine doses, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said India has contributed greatly to the global vaccination drive, exporting till date 6.45 crore shots to 85 countries.

“India has supported the global community through Vaccine Maitri, under which 6.45 crore doses have been exported to 85 countries. About 3.58 crore doses have been supplied to 25 countries under commercial contracts, 1.04 crore jabs to 44 countries as grants and 1.82 crore to 39 countries under Covax,” Vardhan said addressing the 24th Group of Ministers meeting on Friday.

Meanwhile, with cases on the rise, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to halt the export of vaccines and to provide maximum vaccination to those within the country.

‘No clarity on availability’

A former director of a large public hospital in Maharashtra said that stocks at the beginning of the vaccination campaign were normal but in the last one week they have started drying up, and there is no clarity when they will be replenished.

Avinash Bhondwe, immediate past President of Indian Medical Association (Maharashtra), said that the State is facing problems because the whole process of vaccine procurement and distribution is handled solely by the Centre, which does not have a clear vaccine distribution policy.

For a country of 1.3 billion people, just two companies supplying vaccines from two facilities is not a very practical idea, he said. In a release, the BMC said the jabs could not be administered at 25 of the 71 approved vaccination centres as they had run out of doses.

Record rise in cases

India reported a record rise in cases for the third consecutive day at 1,31,968 infections till 8 am on Friday. The total number of cases now stands at 1,30,60,542 of which 9,79,608 are active cases, 11,913,292 have recovered, and the death toll is up at 1,67,642 with 780 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours.

Eleven States including Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh accounted for 54 per cent of all cases and 65 per cent of total deaths. The majority of the cases has been reported in the 15-44 years age group, while most of the deaths occured among the over-60 population.

The cumulative number of vaccine doses administered in the country stood at 9,78,71,045 on Friday. A total of 32,16,949 vaccine doses were given till 8 pm, the 84th day of nationwide Covid-19 vaccination, as per government data.

The Health Minister said 149 districts have been declared infection-free in the last seven days; eight districts in the last 14 days; three in the last 21 days; and 63 in the last 28 days.

The cumulative number of vaccine doses administered till 7 am on Friday stood at 9,43,34,262, covering 89,74,511 healthcare workers (first doce) and 54,49,151 (second), 98,10,164 frontline workers (first dose) and 45,43,954 (second dose), 3,75,68,033 over-60 beneficiaries (first dose) and 13,61,367 (second) and 2,61,03,814 in the 45-60 age group (first dose) and 5,23,268 (second dose).

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