More companies should be engaged in vaccine production: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

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New Delhi: Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged the Centre to allow more companies in India to manufacture doses share COVID-19 vaccine formulas with more than the allotted companies so that more and more people in India are inoculated as soon as possible before the third wave of Corona strikes.

He said that the Centre should formulate a national policy to vaccinate every person within the next few months by increasing the production. He said that not just 2, but multiple companies should be engaged in vaccine production, and the Central Government should take the formula for producing the vaccine from these two companies and give it to all those companies which can safely make the vaccines. India houses some of the greatest industrialists and some of the biggest pharma companies in the world. We have world-renowned scientists. If they are given the opportunity, they will do everything to serve the nation, he added. He thanked the school staff and frontline workers who are engaged in the vaccination process. 

Kejriwal said, “The cases of Coronavirus are reducing in Delhi. The second wave of the Coronavirus is also subsiding. The lockdown was also successful because of everyone’s support. In the past few days, we have also increased the Oxygen beds. Yesterday itself we installed beds in the Ramlila Grounds, in front of the GTB Hospital.”

He said, “The vaccination drive has gained full momentum in Delhi. There is great excitement. I went to some of the Delhi Government schools where the vaccination drive was being conducted and talked to the people. The people are very happy and getting their vaccination done properly. I want to thank my school staff and frontline workers who are engaged in the vaccination process. Right now we are administering 1.25 Lakh doses every day. Soon we will start administering these vaccines to more than 3 Lakh people every day. It is our aim that in the upcoming 3 months, all the people of Delhi get inoculated. But a major problem that is being faced is that of shortage of vaccines. We have only a few days of vaccine left in Delhi and this problem is being faced countrywide. There is a shortage of supply of vaccines in the entire country. There are some states where because of the scarcity of vaccines, the vaccination process has not even started as yet.”

The CM said, “The scarcity of vaccines has now become a major challenge for the country. Today, only two companies are making the vaccine. These two together make only 6-7 crore vaccines per month. In this sense, vaccinating the entire country will take more than 2 years. Till then we don’t even know how many waves will come about and how much destruction we will have to face. Thus we must increase the production of vaccines in India on insurmountable levels and formulate a national policy to vaccinate every person within the next few months. Unless everyone is vaccinated, the battle cannot be won”

He said, “Today I want to give a suggestion. The Vaccine production work should not just be carried by two companies only. Many companies should be engaged in vaccine production. The Central Government should take the formula for producing the vaccine from these two companies and give it to all those companies which can safely make the vaccines. In these difficult times, the Central Government has the power that it can execute this. It can make the vaccine-producing formula publically available to the companies that want to make the vaccines. It should be ensured that whichever plants are successful in making the vaccine in India, vaccines should be produced in all of them and every Indian should be vaccinated. This is the only way by which we can vaccinate all the Indians rapidly .”

He further said, “If you remember, when we faced the first wave there was such shortage for the PPE kits in our country, one had to struggle so much to get a PPE kit. Imagine if at that time only two companies were given the rights to make the PPE kits, would the PPE kits be available today in the country? But this did not happen. Today, many Indian companies are making the PPE kit. That is why we are not dependent upon others for PPE kits. India houses some of the greatest industrialists. We have some of the biggest pharma companies in the world. We have world-renowned scientists. I can say this with a guarantee that if they are given the opportunity, then they will provide full support. A part of the benefit received by the vaccine-producing companies can be given out as royalty to those companies which discovered the original formula. I have full faith that in this manner we will be able to provide protection to every citizen of India, before the next wave. My only goal is to think as to how to save each and every Indian from the wrath of the Coronavirus .”