New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that US pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna refused to sell vaccines directly to Delhi. He asserted that the vaccine manufacturers clearly stated that ‘they will deal only with the central government’. “We’ve spoken to Pfizer, Moderna for vaccines, and both the companies have refused to sell vaccines directly to us. They have said that they will deal with the Government of India alone,” Kejriwal told reporters today. Also Read - 3 Researchers From Wuhan Institute of Virology Sought Hospital Care Before Covid-19 Outbreak Disclosed, Reveals Report
Furthermore, he appealed to the Centre to import vaccines and distribute them to the States. Also Read - 5 Effective Ways to Manage Blood Pressure Levels Amid COVID-19
Notably, Delhi was forced to stop vaccination drive for 18+ age group because of the non-availability of vaccine doses. Kejriwal had said that the capital city would require as many as 80 lakh doses to vaccinate those in the 18-44 age group, however, the Centre has only given the Delhi government 16 lakh and 8 lakh doses for May and June, respectively.
Earlier on Sunday, the Punjab government had made similar claims. A senior state official had said that Moderna refused to send vaccines directly to the Punjab government stating that it only deals with the Centre.
Punjab’s nodal officer for vaccination Vikas Garg said according to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s directions, all vaccine manufacturers were approached for direct purchase of Covid vaccines including Sputnik V, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. A reply was received only from Moderna wherein the company refused to deal with the state government, he said.