Can vaccinate everyone in Delhi in 3 months: CM Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday appealed to the central government to allow coronavirus vaccination for all citizens aged above 18. He claimed that his government could jab all the residents of the capital city within a span of just three months if this is allowed and the eligibility restrictions are eased by the Centre. Here are more details on this.
'Able to vaccinate whole of Delhi in three months'
"Allow walk-in vaccinations at all centers for everybody. If all this is allowed and we get sufficient supply, then according to our plan, we will be able to vaccinate whole of Delhi in three months," Kejriwal said after a meeting to discuss the surge in COVID-19 cases. He said the current eligibility criteria for receiving vaccines is too "restrictive in terms of age groups."
'Centre's guidelines are very restrictive'
"There is no reason for hesitation. Me and my parents also got vaccinated. The Centre has issued guidelines on vaccination but they are very restrictive," Kejriwal said today. "We have been vaccinating for over two months now. The vaccination system needs to open up. Apart from those below 18...everybody should be able to get vaccinated," he was quoted as saying.
'Appeal to everyone to get vaccinated'
The Chief Minister also urged all eligible citizens to get the COVID-19 shot. "I appeal to everyone, who is eligible, to get themselves vaccinated. 30,000-40,000 vaccines are being administered per day as of now. We will increase this to 1.25 lakh vaccines per day. In the next few days, we are increasing our capacity (sic)," he said, adding that timings will also be increased.
Delhi reported over 500 cases after over 2 months
Kejriwal met with top Ministers and officials a day after Delhi reported more than 500 coronavirus cases for the first time in over two months. On Wednesday, the number of fresh infections in Delhi was 536, taking the total caseload to 6.45 lakh. Apart from Delhi, several states across India have been reporting a worrying spike in daily COVID-19 cases.
India reports highest single-day spike in over 100 days
In fact, India on Wednesday reported more than 35,000 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day rise in the last 100 days. The country has logged over 1.14 crore coronavirus cases and more than 1.59 lakh fatalities due to it so far.
