India has expanded its vaccine policy as the number of diseases rises, and the capital is put under lockdown.
Citizens 18 years and above to get Vaccine
Beginning May 1, all adults over the age of 18 will be given a coronavirus vaccine, according to the government.
However, with vaccine supplies in several states running low, it’s unknown where the extra doses will come from.
Last week, the government announced that it only had 27 million doses or enough vaccines for nine days at existing vaccination rates.
Health staff, front-line workers, and people over 45 are reportedly being vaccinated in India, but a number of states, including the worst-affected Maharashtra, have confirmed inadequate supplies. In certain countries, people have reported being turned away from vaccine clinics.
Suppliers of vaccines, such as the Serum Institute of India, have been unable to follow international standards and have warned of raw material shortages. The institute’s CEO cited US export restrictions on particular vaccine-making components.
But, how can vaccinations be increased?
The federal government has been in charge of the mechanism so far, but it is reforming the rules to improve demand and supply and draw more domestic and international players.
Manufacturers of vaccines will also be required to sell half of the doses to the federal government and the remainder to state governments and the open market at a pre-determined amount.
Initially, three vaccines were approved for use in India: two manufactured by Indian firms, Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech, and the third, Sputnik V, manufactured by Russia. It has since stated that vaccines licensed for use in other countries can be used in India.
The government has also given Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech a $600 million (£428 million) award.
What is the state of affairs in India?
Since April 15, India has been registering around 200,000 cases a day, far above last year’s high of around 93,000 cases a day.
Deaths, too, have been rising. On Monday, the government announced that 1,619 people had died as a result of the virus.
From Monday, the capital Delhi has imposed a six-day curfew, citing a lack of beds, oxygen, and critical medicines in city hospitals.
Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, tweeted that oxygen has become an emergency in the city over the weekend. “In view of sharply increasing cases, Delhi needs much more than normal supply,” he said.
Related allegations have been made in a number of big cities.
As a result, officials have begun to use the country’s vast rail network to transport oxygen in special trains across the country.
The first train, carrying seven tankers, left Mumbai in Maharashtra’s western state and is scheduled to arrive in Vizag in Andhra Pradesh’s southern state.
Industrial oxygen has been diverted to medicinal use in several nations.
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