India’s COVID-19 cases resurge: Azim Premji, Congress ask Centre to involve pvt players to speed up vaccination

About 500 million people can be inoculated in 2 months if government involves private hospitals and nursing homes in the anti-Covid vaccination drive, according to Azim Premji.

By: Longjam Dineshwori | | Updated: February 22, 2021 3:36 pm

According to the Union Health Ministry, India is now the fastest nation in the world terms of the vaccine doses administered.

As Covid-19 numbers spike again in the country, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill has demanded that the BJP government should open the market for private players to speed up the anti-Covid vaccination drive. Earlier, Wipro czar Azim Premji had also urged the Centre to involve private hospitals so that more people are vaccinated sooner in the country. Also Read - US, China approve single-shot COVID-19 vax; India to get 3-4 vaccines in some weeks

“As Covid cases surge in Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Chattisgarh, MP, J&K – BJP Central Govt must open the market for private players to increase coverage & speed of vaccination. ‘Speed & Inject Many’ instead of ‘Slow & Steady’ should be the alpha & omega of vaccination drive,” Jaiveer tweeted on Monday. Also Read - COVID-19 vaccine at ₹250 too low to sustain, Companies ‘feel betrayed’: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

As Covid cases surge in Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Chattisgarh, MP, J&K – BJP Central Govt must open the market for private players to increase coverage & speed of vaccination. “Speed & Inject Many” instead of “Slow & Steady” should be the alpha & omega of vaccination drive. Also Read - Gurugram apartment declared containment zone after 20 tested positive for COVID-19

— Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) February 22, 2021

During a post-budget interaction in Bengaluru on Sunday, Premji told Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that about 500 million people can be inoculated in 2 months if government involves private hospitals and nursing homes in the anti-Covid vaccination programme.

Premji added that though the government was doing its best, accelerating the vaccination drive to cover more people at the earliest was critical.

“If more vaccines are produced and supplied to private hospitals and nursing homes, more people can be given the shot through mass vaccination in less time,” IANS quoted Premji as saying.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the nationwide anti-Covid vaccination drive on January 16. As of February 22, as many as 1,11,16,854 healthcare workers and frontline warriors across the country have received either ‘Covishield’ or ‘Covaxin’ vaccine. According to the Union Health Ministry, India is now the fastest nation in the world terms of the vaccine doses administered.

Several Indian states witnessing resurgence of Covid-19

Six Indian states – Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Chattisgarh, MP, J&K – have been witnessing an upward trend in new Covid cases since the past few days. Maharashtra recorded 4,519 corona cases in the last 24 hours on Monday, as per as per the Union Health Ministry. In view of the sudden surge in coronavirus cases, the state government has issued fresh restrictions banning religious, social and political gatherings starting Monday, February 22.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has also appealed to the people to follow the ‘COVID-appropriate’ behaviour including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. In his televised address on Sunday, Thackeray informed people that the number of daily Covid cases has risen from 2,500 to 7,000 within 15 days.

Meanwhile, as per the Union Health Ministry, India’s total has crossed 11 million, and 1,56,385 people have lost their life due to Covid-19 in the country. India is the second worst-affected country after the United States, which has recorded nearly 28 million Covid-19 cases and 491,894 deaths (till February 22), according to the WHO.

Published : February 22, 2021 3:28 pm | Updated:February 22, 2021 3:36 pm

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