'Missed great opportunity to vaccinate people in time due to Centre's missteps'

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday accused the central government of mismanaging the coronavirus vaccination programme saying it has asked states to float global tenders for jabs without giving approval to vaccines of foreign companiesThe Deputy Chief Minister in a letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also charged that vaccination for the youth in the country has been messed up due to policy misstepsIn spite of early advantages given by our scientific community and Indian manufacturers we have squandered away the great opportunity of timely vaccination of our peoplerdquo read the letterThe missed opportunity by the Government of India has resulted in extraordinary loss of lives during the current wave of Covid19 pandemic he wrote to VardhanIn an online briefing Sisodia said US pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna have refused to sell coronavirus vaccines directly to the Delhi government and have said that they will only talk to the CentreAlso Read Pfizer Moderna declined to sell Covid19 vaccines to Delhi govt Arvind KejriwalIs this a joke On one hand states are asked to float global tenders for buying vaccines but the Government of India has not given approval to those vaccines Sisodia saidCountries all over the world kept a watch on vaccine production and many placed order in advance as trials progressed but the government of India was sleeping he chargedThe US and the European Union bought 70 crore vaccine doses by November 2020 The US started procurement at trial stage and currently has vaccine stocks to cover its entire population he saidSeveral countries have given approval to vaccines of Pfizer Moderna and Johnson and Johnson but the Government of India is yet to do so he saidNearly 85 countries have approved vaccine by Pfizer 46 countries have approved Moderna vaccine and 41 have approved Johnson and Johnson vaccine They have also started procurement while we are still playing just a game of approval Sisodia saidWhat is the compulsion that India is depending on two local manufacturers that even exported doses to other countries Sputnik has been given approval in April although it was permitted by Russia for emergency use in August last year he saidI request the central government with folded hands not to make a mockery of the vaccination programme and understand its seriousness nonetheless by the time vaccines are arranged those already vaccinated may lose antibodies and require to be vaccinated again he saidThe US started investing in vaccine production while it was facing first wave of coronavirus in March 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Serum Institute in November 2020 and investment in manufacturing started in April this year Sisodia saidHe said all the 400 vaccination sites for the 1844 age group have been closed in Delhi after the vaccine stock was over while the centres administering Covaxin to the 45 age group healthcare workers and frontline workers too have been shut due to unavailability of jabsDue to mismanagement by the central government there is shortage of vaccines and vaccination of youth has not started in several districts in the states he chargedStressing that vaccination is the most effective weapon against the coronavirus Sisodia appealed to the central government to rise above partisan politics and procure vaccines of Johnson and Johnson Moderna and Pfizer for the people of the countryThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever