Tag: COVID vaccines

  • Over 52 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses provided to states, UTs so far: Centre

    Of this, the total consumption including wastage is 50,32,77,942 doses.

  • 3.83 lakh people got vaccines without photo ID: Govt in Lok Sabha

    Express News Service
    BENGALURU: A total of 3.83 lakh persons were vaccinated without any photo ID or documents through Cowin, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in response to a question asked during the Lok Sabha on Friday.

    The Centre has issued a standard operating procedure to facilitate the vaccination of eligible beneficiaries who do not possess the prescribed photo ID documents. 

    Detailing how registration and vaccination of people without access to digital technology can be done, she said, “Walk in registration and vaccination of either single individual or groups of individuals at COVID-19 vaccination centres. Registration at Common Service Centres. Registration of up to 4 persons using a single mobile number to facilitate registration of people without mobile phones. Use of assisted registrations through National COVID-19 Helpline 1075 and state integration helplines.”

    In addition, persons without identity (PWI) can be vaccinated under special sessions, she said. 

    Dr Arundhathi Chandrashekar, managing director of National Health Mission said that in places like prisons, special homes and old age homes, the warden or person in charge’s phone number and credentials are used to certify others and administer the vaccine.

    “For other people, special sessions are conducted to vaccinate them by bringing them to the place. Depending on the area, we identify and bring people including those from tribal hamlets,” Dr Chandrashekar said.

    Dr. Ravi Kumar, taluk health officer at HD Kote, where there are tribal hamlets said voter IDs can also be used if not for Aadhar cards. 

    “Relative’s phone numbers are used if the beneficiary does not have one. Walk-in registrations are allowed at Primary Health Centres. We have asked the gram panchayat to certify people for vaccination as well,”Dr. Kumar said. 

    However, the marginalized sections are left out of the vaccine process, as per the transgender community.

    “10 transgenders in Bommasandra area have not been able to get vaccines as we do not have a photo ID card and they insist on the same or Aadhar card to get the jab,” said Arathi Gowda, gram panchayat member of Bommasandra.

  • Centre trashes reports on missing target of administering 50 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses by July-end

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday dismissed media reports that claimed that India will miss the end-July target of administering 50 crore Covid vaccine doses as “ill-informed and misrepresenting” and asserted that over 51.60 crore vaccine doses will be supplied from January to July 31.

    The health ministry issued a statement referring to recent media reports alleging that the country will miss the target of administering half-a-billion (50 crore) doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by July-end, while pointing out that the government had stated in May that it would make 516 million (51.60 crore) vaccine shots available by the end of this month.

    “These reports are ill-informed and have clearly misrepresented the facts,” the statement said.

    The figures of 516 million vaccine doses might have been picked up from various sources which informed about the likely availability of the vaccine doses from January to July-end, it added.

    Latest clarification by @MoHFW_INDIA on #CovidVaccine supply to states:517 million doses to be supplied to states by July 31 as promised;it however does not all mean those many doses will be administered by the month end- some of it will be carried into August.@NewIndianXpress
    — Sumi Dutta (@SumiSukanya) July 27, 2021

    “The facts are that a total of more than 516 million vaccine doses will indeed be supplied from January 2021 to 31st July, 2021,” the ministry said.

    It added that the vaccine doses are supplied to the states in accordance with the advance allocation plan and they are informed about it in advance.

    The vaccines are supplied to the states in various schedules throughout the month.

    “Therefore, availability of 516 million doses till end of a particular month does not mean that every dose supplied till that month is going to be consumed/administered.

    “There would be supplies in pipeline, which should be available for next few days till the next supplies of vaccine doses materialise in a particular state/district/sub-district to keep vaccination going on,” the statement said.

    A total of 45.7 crore doses have been supplied to the states and Union territories from January till date and an additional 6.03 crore doses are expected to be supplied by July 31.

    This will amount to a total of 51.73 crore doses supplied from January to July 31, it added.

    “It should be appreciated that India has crossed the landmark of 440 million (44.19 crore) doses administered, which is the largest number achieved in the world and has been done at quite a brisk pace too.

    Out of these, 9.6 crore are cases where both the doses have been administered,” the statement said.

    A total of 11.97 crore Covid vaccine doses were administered in June.

    For the month of July (as on July 26), a total of 10.62 crore doses have been administered.

    It is the endeavour of the government to provide vaccination to the eligible citizens in the shortest possible time according to the availability of the vaccines, the statement said.

  • Modi govt has clearly failed on COVID-19 vaccination front, says Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan

    By PTI
    PUNE: Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday hit out at the Modi government over a host of issues, including its “failure” on the coronavirus vaccination front and the rise in fuel prices.

    He was here to take part in the Congress party’s agitation over the fuel price and other issues.

    Addressing a press conference on the occasion, Chavan said that in the last 186 days, since the country-wide vaccination drive began, the Centre has administered one COVID-19 vaccine dose to 36 crore people, while only 8.15 crore people have received both the doses.

    “With this pace, only 14-15 crore people will be fully vaccinated by December this year,” he said.

    According to him, even if the government doubles up the speed of vaccination, the count of fully vaccinated people won’t go above 25 crore by the end of this year.

    “This is a clear failure of the central government. With this pace, it will take a long time for the economic revival,” he alleged.

    The former Maharashtra chief minister also accused the Modi government of adopting an “easy way” of increasing taxes on fuel to cover up the losses.

    “Fuel prices surged around 66 times in the last year. A major component of the fuel price is excise duty. When the Modi government came to power in 2014, the excise duty on petrol was Rs 9.48 and now it is Rs 32.90, which is an almost a 316 per cent increase in excise duty on petrol. For diesel, it has increased by 840 per cent,” he claimed, and added that due to this, the state-run petroleum companies were making a huge profit.

    The central government was selling the family jewels that are government companies to manage the deficit, he added.

    He hit out at senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, saying that he was misleading people by giving false information on the fuel prices and blaming the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for the rise in petroleum products in Maharashtra.

    “The state government charges the same VAT on fuel that was being charged by the previous Fadnavis government,” Chavan said.

    The Congress-led UPA government had brought 14 crore people out of the BPL category with great efforts, but the present regime has pushed 23 crore of them back to poverty, he alleged.

    “Coronavirus pandemic is not the only reason behind it. The situation was the same even before this crisis. According to figures from last seven quarters, the growth rate is coming down,” the Congress leader said.

    On the recent reshuffle of the Union council of ministers, Chavan said, “As per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement, the government failed to handle the pandemic, hence they were changing the health minister.

    Same is the case with the education minister.

    Modi government reshuffled the cabinet because the ministers were inefficient.

    My question to the PM is – why did it take seven years for you to realise that these ministers are inefficient?” He said that all the decisions are anyway taken at the PMO, so changing the faces (of ministers) would not make any difference.

    Replying to a query on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) actions against various leaders, Chavan said, ” Inquiries should be conducted to punish the wrongdoers, but by following the court procedures. Nowadays, raids, arrests and many more things are happening. However, there is no conclusion of these actions.”

    He alleged that the central government was using these agencies to blackmail leaders from the rival parties.

  • ‘Jumle hai, vaccine nahi’: Rahul Gandhi slams Centre on alleged COVID jabs shortage

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the Centre over the alleged vaccine shortage in states, saying there are ‘jumlas (rhetoric)’ but no vaccines.

    He tagged a media report which claimed that Delhi along with many other states was facing a shortage of vaccines but the Centre had denied it.

    “Jumle hain, vaccine nahin (There is rhetoric, no vaccines),” Gandhi tweeted using the hashtag ‘WhereAreVaccines’.

    Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday had hit out at the government’s COVID-19 inoculation programme, terming its promise of vaccinating all adults by December end as an “empty boast” and a “false promise”.

    The Congress has been criticising the government over its vaccination programme alleging that it is slow.

    The Health Ministry on Tuesday had said more than 1.91 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states, union territories and private hospitals to be administered.

  • Spectators without masks at Wimbledon: Bombay High Court asks when India would see this day

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: All eyes may have been on Novak Djokovic at the Men’s Singles final at Wimbledon last week as he won yet another grand slam title, but for the Bombay High Court the real sight to behold was a stadium full of spectators without masks.

    Wondering when India would see the return of this level of normalcy, the court noted that “vaccinating everyone” was the key to it.

    A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni was hearing PILs (public interest litigation) on the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Maharashtra and the state government’s preparedness to face a possible third wave.

    “The Wimbledon finals was the sight of the year. We don’t know if you saw it, but not a single person was wearing a mask,” the HC told Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni.

    “The stadium was jam-packed and nobody but one lone woman was wearing a mask. One Indian cricketer was also present and he was without a mask too,” the judges said.

    “When will India see such a situation? Vaccinating everyone is the key to it,” the HC said.

    A third wave of the pandemic has reportedly arrived in some states, it said.

    “There are reports saying third wave has set in in two states in the North-East. We have to take measures,” the judges said, adding that “we are in much more comfortable situation now” but there should not be any “lowering of guard from here”.

    They have read news reports about active cases of the delta-plus variant of coronavirus being detected in Maharashtra, and the state must act to prevent the spread of infection, the judges said.

    The HC will hear the PILs next after three weeks.

  • PM Modi should have diverted Central Vista money for Covid vaccines: Congress MP

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil on Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “failing” to divert government money to fight COVID-19, and instead, spending on the ambitious Central Vista project, which “could have been stalled” for now.

    He also took a jibe at the BJP-led government at the Centre over skyrocketing prices of petrol, diesel and essential commodities.

    “Every country is trying to help its citizens during this COVID-19 crisis.

    A country like the US is even giving away cash to its people.

    But our ‘sultan’ is not helping people, but spending crores of rupees on the central vista project,” the All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesperson said.

    “Shouldn’t the money being spent on the project be used for buying vaccines for the time being?” he said.

    The redevelopment project of the Central Vista – the power corridor of the country – envisages a new triangular Parliament building, a Common Central Secretariat, revamping of the 3-km-long Rajpath from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, and new residences for the prime minister and the vice- president.

    Gohil was addressing a press conference here as part of the Opposition Congress’ nationwide series of agitational programmes against the rise in fuel prices and essential commodities.

    Demonstrations, cycle rallies and signature campaigns are also being undertaken in the state by the party.

    Gohil claimed that all other countries have reduced prices of petrol and diesel as international crude oil rates have fallen.

    “Sadly, the only country where the government did not pass on the benefits to the people is my country India,” he said.

    He said between January 1 and July 10, fuel prices have been hiked 71 times, and the Modi government has earned over Rs 25 lakh crore through excise duty in the last seven years of its tenure.

    “International crude oil prices had been over USD 100 for the last three years of the Congress-led UPA government from 2011-12 to 2013-14, but it had ensured that the common man was not burdened,” Gohil asserted.

    He also criticised the Centre for high tax on fertilisers and accused the union government of being “anti- farmer”.

    “The increase in the prices of diesel, fertilisers, seeds, pesticides, electricity, and agriculture equipment effected by the government has increased the cost of cultivation for farmers by about Rs 20,000 per hectare,” the Congress leader said.

    Quoting a Kotak Institutional Securities Research, Gohil claimed that in comparison to March, the prices of common household items have increased up to 42 per cent in June.

  • Ministers have increased but not COVID vaccines: Rahul Gandhi’s jibe at Modi Govt

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a swipe at the central government, saying the number of ministers has increased but not the COVID vaccines.

    He also shared a chart of the average vaccinations per day, which are falling short of the target to vaccinate all adults by December 2021.

    “The number of ministers has increased, not of vaccines,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag “WhereAreVaccines” His comments came after 43 ministers were inducted into the Modi government, taking the total number of ministers to 77.

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    The chart shared by Gandhi was on India’s vaccination equation that aims to stop the third wave of COVID-19.

    The chart stated that the target is to vaccinate 60 percent population with both doses by December 2021 and the required vaccination rate per day is 8.8 million.

    However, it pointed out, that the actual vaccinations in the last seven days were at an average of 3.4 million per day, leaving a shortfall of 5.4 million per day. It also highlighted that the actual vaccination on July 10 is 3.7 million, leaving a shortfall of 5.1 million for the day.

    The Congress has been raising the issue of shortage of vaccines in the country and has urged the central government to speed up inoculations, saying it is the only way to stop the third wave of COVID-19.

    The BJP had hit back at the opposition party by targeting the performance of Congress-ruled states and had also accused it of encouraging vaccine hesitancy.

  • States to receive 44.9 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses in the next three days: Centre

    The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 34 crore, the Union Health Ministry added.

  • Where are vaccines, asks Congress leader Rahul Gandhi; BJP cites figures to hit back

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: In a swipe at the government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that July has come but vaccines have not, drawing a sharp retort from the BJP which cited figures to ask if spreading “confusion” is the opposition party’s undeclared policy.

    “July has come, vaccines have not. Where are vaccines,” Gandhi tweeted.

    The BJP hit out at him and claimed that people often ask why maturity, wisdom and responsibility have not come to the Congress leader despite the passage of 51 Julys, a reference to his age.

    At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said 41.60 lakh Covid vaccine doses were administered on July 1 while a total of 6.85 crore jabs have been given between June 21 and July 1 with an average daily dose of over 62 lakh.

    These statistics tell a different story and show that the government has been working at a “war footing” to give vaccines to people, he said, adding that the pace of vaccination will gather more speed in the coming days.

    Is there any country with a better average in the last 11 days, he asked, adding that India by administering over 34 crore doses has surpassed countries like the US, Canada and other.

    The central government has begin providing free vaccines to all adults since June 21.

    “While the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving citizens safety shield in form of vaccines, the Congress and some other opposition parties do not want India to defeat Covid,” Bhatia claimed.

    The government is committed to administering jabs to all adults by this year end, he reiterated.

    “You may hate Modi but why hate people. Is spreading confusion the undeclared policy of the Congress,” he said, attacking Gandhi.

    Bhatia also hit out at the alleged corruption and irregularities in Covid management in the Congress-ruled states and questioned Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi about it.

    He cited media reports to accuse the Congress government in Rajasthan of buying oxygen concentrators at an exorbitant rate and alleged that many of them were defunct.

    He claimed that even Congress leaders in Maharashtra have alleged corruption by the coalition government in the state.

    Answering a question related to Uttar Pradesh, Bhatia lauded the Yogi Adityanath-led government in the state and expressed confidence that the BJP will win the assembly polls in the state next year with even a bigger margin than 2017.