News Analysis India

Tag: vaccine policy

  • ‘New Covid-19 vaccine policy not due to SC remark’: Top authorities

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Top authorities on Tuesday said that the revision in the Centre’s Covid-19 vaccination policy was a result of its own review of the strategy adopted earlier and feedback from the states, rather than disapproval from the Supreme Court, as is being widely said.

    They also said 13 states mostly non-BJP ruled ones had approached the government, asking it to reconsider the decentralisation strategy of vaccine procurement, while also admitting on record that “public narrative” had a role to play in the changed inoculation strategy.

    The states named included Punjab, Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Odisha among others.

    On Monday, PM Narendra announced the government will now procure 75 per cent of the vaccines available in the country and give them for free to states from June 21, to vaccinate all adults in the country, putting an end to its earlier strategy of decentralised procurement. The new policy comes less than a week after the Supreme Court’s strong reprimand of the Centre with a direction “to undertake a fresh review of its vaccination policy”.

    On June 2, an order by the court had underscored that the Centre’s decentralised strategy, which put the entire onus of inoculating adults in the below-45 age group on the states and private hospitals, was “prima facie arbitrary and irrational”.

    V K Paul, who heads the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration of Covid-19, however, stressed in a press briefing that the Centre was monitoring the policy implementation.

    “We respect the guidance and concern of the SC but please understand that the government has been evaluating the implementation of the policy ever since it came into effect and many teams were constantly watching the developments,” he said.

  • Govt places order for 44 crore doses of Covishield and Covaxin after change in vaccine policy

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday placed orders for 44 crore doses of Covishield and Covaxin, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre would take over the state procurement quota and provide free jabs to state governments for inoculation of all above the age of 18.

    These 44 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered by their makers between August and December 2021, the Union Health Ministry said.

    “In immediate follow-up of the prime minister’s announcement of these changes in the Guidelines of National COVID Vaccination programme yesterday, the Centre has placed an order with Serum Institute of India for 25 crore doses of Covishield and with Bharat Biotech for 19 crore doses of Covaxin.

    “Additionally, 30 per cent of the advance for procurement of both the COVID-19 vaccines has been released to Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech,” an official said.

    The official said the Centre has been supporting the efforts of states and union territories for an effective vaccination drive under the “whole of government approach” since January 16 this year.

    Based on various representations received by the Centre, the vaccination for all adults above 18 years of age was opened in the Phase III of vaccination strategy beginning May 1.

    “Now with the aim to further universalise the countrywide vaccination drive, all citizens above 18 years of age can receive the COVID-19 vaccine doses free of cost at government health facilities,” the official said.

    The central government will provide free coronavirus vaccines to states and union territories for inoculation of all above 18 years of age from June 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, announcing that the Centre will take over the 25 per cent state procurement quota.

    Asserting that vaccine supply would be increased significantly in the coming days, the prime minister said the Centre has now decided to buy 75 per cent of jabs from vaccine makers for free supply to states, while private sector hospitals will continue to procure the remaining 25 per cent.

  • Govt driven by headlines, not deadlines, says Congress, demands Parliament session to discuss vaccine policy

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre should clarify in Parliament its policy and roadmap for providing COVID vaccines to all by December, the Congress said on Tuesday, as it alleged that the government was driven by headlines and not deadlines and asked why people still have to pay for the jabs at private hospitals.

    Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said all Indians should get free vaccination for COVID-19 and there should be no mandatory registration on the CoWIN app as there are many who do not have digital access.

    The party also demanded transparency in the allocation of vaccines to the states and a Parliament session for discussing the policy and approval to fresh budgets required for vaccinating all.

    Ramesh said there should be no discrimination in vaccine distribution and the government should follow the principle of cooperative federalism.

    “This government is headline-driven and not deadline-driven,” Ramesh said at an online press conference, asking the government to come forth with its policy and roadmap towards increasing inoculations and achieving the objective of providing vaccines to all by December 2021.

    Training his guns on the prime minister, he alleged, “The PM was sleeping and woke up from ‘kumbhakaran ki neend’ (deep slumber) after the Supreme Court intervened and reprimanded the government”.

    “It is a collective crisis brought about by the failures and ego of only one person and the entire country is suffering because of that,” Ramesh alleged.

    He said 30 lakh doses of vaccine were administered every day in April 2021, but in May only 16 lakh doses per day were given.

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    Expressing satisfaction that in June, 30 lakh doses per day were administered, he, however, added that “if we have to vaccinate 100 crore people by December this year, then we need to administer a minimum of 80 lakh doses of the vaccine every day”.

    “What is the roadmap and policy in achieving this, and how will the vaccines come and from where. The prime minister has not said anything about this.

    “We want that the central government, the prime minister and the health minister should take the public in confidence about increasing the vaccinations from the present to 80 lakh doses a day,” he said.

    Questioning the government’s policy, he said it is not clear on what basis and at what price will the private hospitals deliver the vaccine.

    “We have demanded that vaccination must be free to all citizens at both government and private hospitals and centres,” the Congress leader said alleging that 50 percent of vaccines meant for private hospitals have been monopolised by nine private hospitals and termed it as a “very dangerous situation”.

    People across the world, be it the US or the UK, are not made to pay for the vaccines, he noted.

    ALSO READ | Hopeful of holding Monsoon Session of Parliament on schedule in July: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi

    Ramesh claimed that the mandatory registration on the CoWIN website would exclude a large number of people who do not have digital access in remote centres.

    “We want non-mandatory Cowin registration for vaccinations, which should be walk-in,” he said.

    “The government must work out a transparent allocation formula in consultation with states for providing vaccines to states, as we have seen that BJP-ruled states have been favoured by the central government in the past in allocation of vaccines and medicines,” he alleged.

    The Congress leader said the government has earmarked Rs 35,000 crore for vaccines in the country and the same was passed in Parliament.

    Citing a news report, he said a total of Rs 50,000 crore would be spent on vaccination as per the latest announcement of free inoculations to all Indians in government hospitals.

    “If you need Rs 50,000 crore, call a Parliament session soon and get its nod after discussing the vaccination policy,” the Congress leader said, alleging that there is no shortage of money with the government but it has different priorities.

    He alleged that the government is “already spending Rs 20,000 crore on central vista project”.

    Responding to criticism by the BJP that it was the states who first wanted a greater role for them, Ramesh said that no state government would have objected to the union government procuring vaccines.

    After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Monday that the Centre will provide free vaccines to states for inoculation of all above 18 years of age, the Congress had said that the government was only acting on what the party had been insisting on.

    The BJP has accused the Congress and other opposition parties of “flip-flops” on the vaccine issue while failing to properly conduct the vaccination exercise in the states ruled by them.

    Ramesh said on April 18, former prime minister Manmohan Singh had given suggestions for changing vaccine strategy and he had made a demand for “one nation, once vaccine price”, after which on May 12 leaders of various parties raised the demand for free universal vaccination.