States await supply, private clinics flag crunch for second dose

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, April 29

With the Covid-19 situation spiralling out of control and many states struggling for vaccine supplies ahead of the May 1 expansion of the inoculation drive, PM Narendra Modi will on Friday chair a meeting of the Council of Ministers, the first amid the second Covid wave.

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Sources indicated that the meeting might deliberate on the need for restrictions and potential lockdowns in districts reporting high infection positivity rate.

The PM is expected to enlist ministerial support to expand the adult Covid vaccine plan starting May 1 with Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Rajasthan, Delhi, West Bengal and Assam already saying today that the May 1 target for rollout cannot be met as vaccine orders with manufacturers have been pre-booked by the Centre.

Delhi today joined the list of states unable to manage vaccines for 18 to 44-year-olds starting May 1, with state Health Minister Satyendra Jain, saying: “We do not have vaccines. We have placed orders for 67 lakh doses.”About three lakh are expected by May 3.

Several private hospitals also said they would have to delay vaccinations for people whose second doses were due as stocks were running thin.

In reply to a procurement request from Dr Aqsa Sheikh, in-charge of private vaccination centre at Hamdard University, the SII wrote back, “Due to our current obligations to meet the government‘s existing requirement and meet additional demand emanating from state governments under the liberalised and accelerated vaccine policy, it is challenging to meet independently the requirement from a large number of private hospitals. Therefore, we urge you to access the vaccines once these become available via the private marker supply channels which would take about five to six months from now.”

The Centre for its part denied shortages of vaccine supplies and said 16,16,86,140 doses had been sent free to states and UTs, of which 15,10,77,933 had been consumed as of today and 1,06,08,207 doses were yet to be utilised.

Revised norms for home isolation

• Home isolation permissible in asymptomatic and mild cases
• They’ll stand discharged after at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms and no fever for 3 days
• No need for testing after the home isolation period is over
• No Remdesivir injections to be administered at home, can be taken only in hospital on the advice of medical experts
• Those above 60 years of age and having co-morbid conditions to be allowed home isolation only after doctor’s advice
• The caregiver and close contacts of such patients should take hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis as prescribed by doctor
• Patients must use triple-layer medical mask, isolate in well-ventilated rooms; the mask should be discarded after eight hours of use, but only after disinfecting it with 1% sodium hypochlorite

New cases 3,79,257

Deaths in 24 hrs 3,645

Disease burden 1.83 cr

Govt recommends Ayush 64
The Ministry of Ayush has recommended it for mild to moderate symptoms

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• Ex-PM Manmohan Singh discharged from AIIMS