Stop export of Covid vaccine immediately
Indian opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi yesterday called for an immediate halt to export of Covid-19 vaccine amid a record-setting spike in fresh cases of the virus.
From under 15,000 cases a day at the beginning of March, India yesterday reported its all-time high of 131,968 new Covid-19 cases – a record increase for a third straight day – pushing the country's total infection tally to more than 13 million.
Amid the record surge, many Indian states have reported running out of vaccines even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government continues to insist there is enough stock. India is the largest producer of vaccines and is known as the "pharmacy of the world".
The opposition parties have blamed Modi's government for exporting 64.5 million vaccine doses while itself covering only a fraction of India's 1.35 billion people.
Rahul shot off a letter to Modi listing seven demands including an immediate moratorium on vaccine export and open vaccination to everyone who needs it.
The other demands of the Congress leader include providing vaccine suppliers with necessary financial resources to expand manufacturing capacity, fast-tracking the approval process of other vaccines as per norms and guidelines, increasing the allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for vaccine procurement, as announced in the budget this year, and allowing states a greater say in vaccine procurement and distribution.
"Historically, India has achieved abundant experience in designing and executing some of the world's biggest vaccination programmes. Yet in the present case, we have managed to fully vaccinate less than one per cent of the population in three months," Rahul wrote in his letter.
Rahul's demand for a halt to export came a day after the Indian government reiterated there was no ban on supplying made-in-India vaccines abroad but it would be done prioritizing domestic requirement.
Rahul questioned why more than six crore vaccine dosages were exported by India when there is a "shortage" in India.
He alleged the efforts of Indian scientist and vaccine suppliers have been undermined by the Indian government's "poor" implementation of the vaccination drive.
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