In his letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha member Rahul Gandhi has highlighted what he thinks are issues of concern regarding COVID-19 vaccination in the country. “… our scientific community and vaccine suppliers worked overtime to develop a solution but their efforts are undermined by the Centre’s poor implementation and “oversight”,” Gandhi wrote in his letter dated April 8.

With some states reporting ‘vaccine shortage’, Gandhi has requested Modi to “place an immediate moratorium on vaccine export”. 

“There is no clear reason as to why the government permitted large-scale exports of vaccine. While our nation is facing vaccine starvation, more than 6 crore doses of vaccines have been exported,” he wrote in his letter.

He has also asked to give state governments a greater say in vaccine procurement and distribution. “Even though Public Health is a state subject, our states have been bypassed right from vaccine procurement to registration,” reads his letter.

Among other things, Gandhi has asked to provide vaccine suppliers with necessary resources to increase manufacturing capacity; fast track approval of other vaccines as per norms and guidelines; open up vaccination to everyone who needs it; double central allocation for vaccine procurement from the existing Rs 35,000 crore; and provide direct income support to the vulnerable sections in the disastrous second wave. 

Also Read: Ripple effect of COVID-19’s second wave in India being felt across the globe

Meanwhile, yesterday in his virtual meeting with all the chief ministers on COVID-19 scenario in the country, Modi said the states should focus on micro-containment zones and increase testing. He also suggested three-day ‘Tika Utsav’ (vaccine festival) from April 11-14 and said that during these three-days, states should aim to vaccinate as many (those who are eligible) as possible.

Amid the surging coronavirus cases in India, states such as Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh have reported their vaccine stocks drying up. But, the central government has assured there is no shortage and vaccine stocks are being replenished. 

On April 7, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra, wrote to the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and said: “The speed of vaccination and the volume also means that many districts have run out of vaccines and other districts have stocks that would last only for 48 hours… We need the Union Government to release more vaccines to Maharashtra in time so that we can keep up the Government of India’s drive to safeguard as many citizens as possible.”

Also Read: COVID19 second wave: Several states in India reportedly have limited vaccine stocks. Is there a vaccine shortage?

As per the latest news reports, several hospitals in Mumbai have shut their COVID-19 vaccination drive as they have run out of vaccine doses. 

On April 7, Naba Kisor Das, Odisha’s health minister, also wrote to the Union health minister, saying that by April 9, the state would have exhausted its stock of Covishield. He has asked for a supply of at least 10 days stock — 2.5 million vaccine doses. 

“By 9th April, there will be stock out of Covishield vaccine in the entire State. This will adversely impact timely administration of the second dose of vaccine as well as delay in vaccination of citizens (45 years and above),” reads the Odisha health minister’s letter.

Also Read: COVID19: Which states in India are reporting ‘vaccine shortage’? Details here

On April 7, the Union health minister Vardhan dismissed the allegations of vaccine shortage as “utterly baseless”. “I have seen statements made by public representatives in Maharashtra about shortage of vaccines. This is nothing but an attempt to divert attention from Maharashtra government’s repeated failures to control the spread of pandemic,” he said.

Also Read: ‘Allegations of vaccine shortage are utterly baseless’: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan 

Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours the country has recorded 131,968 coronavirus cases and 780 deaths.