Allow vaccination for all above 25: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray urges PM Narendra Modi as COVID-19 cases surge

Maharashtra registered 47,288 new COVID-19 confirmed cases on Monday, a day after seeing the highest spike of 57,074 infections.

New Delhi: In order to curb the 'intensity of the rising cases' in the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow COVID-19 vaccination for all above 25 years of age.

In a letter written to PM Narendra Modi on Monday (April 5, 2021), Uddhav Thackeray said that vaccinating a large number of young people, especially those who go to work outside their homes, will help reduce the number of patients. 

He further requested 1.5 crore additional doses from the Centre so that to get all persons above 45 years can be vaccinated within three weeks.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister said that the state has taken the COVID-19 vaccination very seriously and apprised PM Modi that over 76 lakh people are vaccinated in the state till April 4.

He also thanked the Prime Minister for accepting his proposal of allowing all persons above 45 years of age to be made eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.

CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has written to the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi to further lower the age group eligible for vaccination to 25years old to curb the intensity of the rising cases in the state. pic.twitter.com/YWwebaYW9X — CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) April 5, 2021

Maharashtra, the worst coronavirus-hit state in India, has been witnessing a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks. The state registered 47,288 fresh coronavirus positive cases on Monday, a day after seeing the highest spike of 57,074 infections. Maharashtra's overall caseload has now climbed to 30,57,885, of which, 56,033 have succumbed to the virus. It also has more than 4.5 lakh active COVID-19 cases.

This is to be noted that India kicked off its COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16, 2021. The country then commenced its second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive to give vaccine jabs to people above 60 years and those over 45 with comorbidities from March 1, whereas, the third phase began on April 1 for everyone above 45 years of age.