Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday likened the “acute shortage” of COVID-19 vaccination in the country to a war-like situation that all governments, from the Centre to the States, had to confront as ‘Team India’.
The Centre cannot abdicate its responsibility and leave vaccine procurement to the States, he said, adding that this akin to Delhi being asked to arrange its own weapons and Uttar Pradesh its own tanks if Pakistan declared war on India.
“Vaccines for the 18-44 age group are finished in Delhi. For the past four days, vaccination centres for the young have been shut. Covaxin for the elderly is also finished. We have written to the Centre but the vaccines have not yet arrived,” he said in a video message.
In a pandemic situation, new vaccination centres should ideally be opening every day but that is not happening, he added.
Mr. Kejriwal said “certain huge mistakes” had been committed in the vaccination effort. “If the people in India had been vaccinated at the right time, then possibly the effect of the second wave could have been reduced, several lives could have been saved, several homes could have been saved from destruction,” he added.
“India’s response to the situation was delayed by six months. We made a huge mistake. Instead of vaccinating our own citizens, we began exporting vaccines. Scientists of India made the world’s first vaccine. We should have started producing vaccines on a war footing right then and begun vaccinating our citizens on a mass scale. I am particularly saddened that we are still not operating with a level of urgency,” he added.
In the last two months, every State has been working towards arranging vaccines but not a single State has been able to arrange one extra dose, leave alone the vaccine doses provided by the Centre, Mr. Kejriwal said.
Vaccine manufacturing companies have clearly stated they will deal directly with the Centre, he said. Many State governments had issued global tenders and failed. “Why is the country not buying vaccines? Currently, India is battling the pandemic, and in such a situation, State governments cannot be asked to look out for themselves,” he said.
‘Act in unison’
He said it’s time they acted in unison. “This is the time the governments of 36 States and Union Territories, along with the Central government, to work as Team India.I would like to assure the Prime Minister that all the CMs, rising above petty party politics, are working along with you like soldiers of the nation. You procure the vaccines and distribute them to States — administering them is our duty, which we will fulfil,” he added.
Sputnik V vaccine
Earlier in the day, Mr. Kejriwal inspected a drive-through vaccination centre in Dwarka. “The government is in touch with the manufacturers of Sputnik. Yesterday [Tuesday], our officials had a meeting with people from Sputnik V. They are willing to give vaccines but talks are on about the quantity,” the Chief Minister said at the event.