Key Points:
- Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked the Centre to begin the Covid-19 vaccination for ‘All Citizens Above the Age of 45’.
- Thackeray also wanted the state’s supply of vaccines be increased to 2 million doses a week, among other demands made during a meeting.
- CM Thackeray suggested the centre to allow the state-run Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation to produce vaccines.
On Wednesday, Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was addressing a meeting. During the meeting, Thackeray happened to request the Centre to begin the Covid-19 vaccination for ‘All Citizens Above the Age of 45’. He planted this thought in order to check the spread of the pandemic. The meeting consisted of all the Chief Minister of all the states and Union Territories which was held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss of the Covid-19 situation.
Thackeray also wanted the state’s supply of vaccines be increased to 2 million doses a week, among other demands made during a meeting. The State of Maharashtra recorded 23,179 fresh Covid-19 cases (as of Thursday), first in excess of 20,000 since September 26 (20,419 cases) and highest one-day spike since September 17 (24,619 cases), taking the tally to 2,370,507. September 17’s daily caseload was the tip of the first wave of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra.
Seeing the increased cases in Maharashtra, CM Thackeray said that it is the young people that are being affected more and hence, people above 45 years must be allowed to get vaccinated, even if they do not have comorbidities. “Keeping in mind that there is a young population among those getting infected, people above the age of 45, irrespective of comorbidities, should get vaccinated,” Thackeray said in the meeting with Modi.
“The centres or hospitals, which are willing and have the capacity to administer vaccines, should be allowed to do so. While many private hospitals in Maharashtra have also registered for vaccination, a decision will be taken after checking how many are actually prepared for it. Efforts will be made to vaccinate up to 3 lakh people daily,” said Thackeray.
With his second point of increasing the amount of Vaccine in the states, CM Thackeray also suggested a solution for the number of vaccines saying that the state-run Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation should be allowed to produce vaccines. Thackeray mentioned that more Covid Centers should be allowed to come up too.
Thackeray, according to a statement from the CMO, said that the state can produce 126 million vaccines though Haffkine.
