COVID-19: Kejriwal urges Centre to share vaccine formula with other companies to scale up production

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday suggested that the Centre share the anti-COVID-19 vaccine formula of the two manufacturers with other companies in the country to scale up production. Kejriwal said there is a shortage of vaccine across the country and an urgent need to ramp up its manufacturing on war footing while developing a national policy to inoculate everyone in the next few months.

He said the Centre should ensure that all the vaccine manufacturing plants in the country start producing COVID doses. The two COVID vaccine manufacturers can be provided royalty for use of their formula by other companies, he said.

He said scaling up vaccine production is needed to vaccinate everyone before the onset of the next wave of COVID-19.

On Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said Delhi should prepare for the third wave of COVID-19 and exuded confidence that given the scale at which the city is creating infrastructure, it will be able to handle even 30,000 cases a day.

He said he hoped that the peak of the second wave of the pandemic in Delhi has passed. However, no concessions can be allowed just yet.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a visit to a 500-bed ICU COVID care centre near the GTB Hospital here on the eve of its opening, Kejriwal said he hoped the scarcity of intensive care facilities in the city will be reduced in the coming days.

The Delhi government is developing healthcare infrastructure in the city keeping in mind the possibility of the third wave of COVID-19.

COVID-19 situation in Delhi

Delhi on Monday reported 319 more COVID-19 fatalities and 12,651 new infections, the lowest in four weeks, with a positivity rate of 19.

10 per cent, the Health Department said.

The dip in new cases, the lowest since April 12, can also be ascribed to a smaller number of tests (66,234) conducted on Sunday.

At 19.10 per cent, the positivity rate is the lowest since April 16, when it stood at 19.7 per cent, according to government data.

The positivity rate has remained above the 20 per cent mark since April 17.

It was 21.67 per cent on Sunday, 23.34 per cent on Saturday, 24.92 per cent on Friday, 24.29 per cent on Thursday, 26.37 per cent on Wednesday, 26.73 per cent on Tuesday, 29.56 per cent on last Monday, 28.33 per cent on last Sunday and 31.6 per cent on last Saturday.

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