Delhi govt ready to make advance payment for vaccines: Atishi to Centre

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is ready to make "advance payment" for Covid vaccines, AAP leader and MLA Atishi said on Saturday as she once again urged the Centre to provide doses for the 18-44 age group.

It has been almost two weeks since the AAP government in Delhi stopped administering Covid vaccines to the 18-44 age group people due to unavailability of doses.

The Centre has said it will provide fresh supply of vaccines for the said age group on June 10.

"Today, both Covishield and Covaxin are available in private hospitals (for age group 18-44) but not in government-run hospitals and centres.

The vaccine companies tell us that it is the Central government which decides who gets how much vaccine and when," said Atishi during the vaccine bulletin.

"So, we request the central government to provide us with vaccines for the 18 plus (group) like they have been providing for the 45 plus.

Delhi is even ready to make advance payment for the vaccines," she added.

According to official data released by the Delhi government, the national capital administered 40,605 vaccine doses on Friday, out of which the first and second doses were given to 35,547 and 5,058 people, respectively.

The present stock of Covid vaccines in Delhi for the 45 plus category is over 6 lakh.

This is after the state government received 25,000 Covaxin doses on Friday evening, she said.

"Covaxin was not available in any of the government vaccination centres today. The fresh doses will be distributed to the centres today and will be available for people above 45 years from tomorrow onwards.

We are administering Covaxin to only those who are due for the second dose," said Atishi.

While the stock of Covishield (5,76,000 doses) is good enough to last for 28 days, the stock of Covaxin (approximately 32,000 doses) would last for two days only, she noted.

So far, 55,92,936 people, including 12 lakh who have received both the doses, have been vaccinated in Delhi.