Air India cancels COVID vaccination camp for two days due to 'non-availability' of vaccines

NEW DELHI: Air India on Monday told its employees that it will not be able to hold COVID-19 vaccination camps for them at the Delhi airport on Tuesday and Thursday due to "non-availability" of vaccines.

The airline had last Tuesday said it would vaccinate all its employees against COVID-19 by the end of this month as a pilots' body demanded inoculation of the flying crew on priority basis citing risk to their lives from the deadly infection.

In a communication to employees on Monday, Air India said: "The proposed COVID vaccination camp at GSD Complex, Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on May 11 and May 13 stands cancelled because government authorities have expressed inability to hold these camps due to non-availability of vaccines."

"Fresh dates will be notified once we get re-confirmation from government authorities," it added.

India has been badly hit by the second wave of the coronavirus infection as hospitals in several states are reeling under shortage of vaccines, oxygen, drugs, equipment and beds.

After recording over four lakh fresh cases for four consecutive days, India witnessed a single-day rise of 3,66,161 COVID-19 cases on Monday, which pushed its tally to 2,26,62,575, according to the health ministry.

The death toll due to the viral disease climbed to 2,46,116 with 3,754 more people succumbing to it, the ministry's data updated at 8 am showed.