In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal suggested four ways to “protect the country from a third COVID-19 wave.” The AAP leader posted a video on Twitter to make his suggestions public and urge the centre to ramp up the vaccination drive. 

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Arvind Kejriwal said that Delhi has paused the rollout for the 18-44 age group due to a shortage of doses. He highlighted the scarcity by putting forward numbers.

“All the doses that we received from the government (for 18-44 age group) have been used. A few doses were left, which will also be used by the evening. This is sad. We have written to the centre about this…as soon as we receive a supply, we will reopen the centres. Every month, Delhi needs 80 lakh doses but it received only 16 lakh doses in May. For June, our share has been reduced further to eight lakh doses.” the Chief Minister said.

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“If the city gets 8 lakh doses every month, it will take at least 30 months to vaccinate the entire city,” ANI quoted an extract from Kejriwal’s letter to PM Modi.

“It’s hard to imagine how many more COVID waves will hit the city by then and how many more lives will be lost,” he added

Coming to the suggestions Kejriwal said started by appealing that, “All vaccine makers in India, within 24 hours, should be ordered to manufacture Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin to ramp up stocks.”

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He stressed that foreign vaccine manufacturers should be allowed to roll out their  vaccines within 24 hours

“The centre should speak to international vaccine manufacturers, buy from them and distribute to states. States and union territories are fighting with each other,” he continued.

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 The centre should request nations with excessive vaccine stocks to help India. International vaccine manufacturers should be given permission to manufacture in India, were some of his other suggestions. 

The Union Health Ministry and the MEA have already shared a forward plan on vaccine doses and supplies. The Centre is in talks with Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and other vaccine makers as the country faces a vaccine shortage, PTI reported on Friday.