Not lockdown but vaccination is solution to Covid: Manish Sisodia

After receiving the first jab of the Covid vaccine, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday said lockdown is not the solution to check the rising Covid cases, vaccination is.

Sisodia received the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine at the Maulana Azad Hospital here on Saturday. His wife and two other family members were also inoculated.

After receiving the vaccine, the Minister said that all Delhi government-run hospitals have adequate vaccines and people need to visit the centres to get the shots. He said a lockdown is no solution to contain corona, only mass vaccination can break the growing chain of corona.

He added that although the Centre has allowed vaccination for those above the age of 45 years, it needs to be open for all.

"We have to break the coronavirus chain. This is the only way to control the situation," Sisodia said.

Replying to IANS on whether Delhi has an adequate number of vaccines for a mass inoculation drive, the Minister said: "Yes, Delhi has adequate vaccines and if the Centre allows we can launch a vaccination drive for all."

When asked if the Delhi government will request the Centre to allow the mass drive, the Minister said: "Across the world wherever Covid-19 cases have surged for a second or third time, emphasis was given to a mass vaccination drive for all. We need to break the chain and this can happen only through vaccination, tracing and testing."

Delhi has witnessed a surge in Covid-19 cases in the last few weeks.

On Friday, the capital city reported 3,594 new infections.

--IANS

gcb/skp/bg