With Covid-19 cases on the rise, demand to allow vaccine for all grows

Maharashtra, Bengal, Tamil Nadu argue in favour; may be discussed at PM's meeting with CMs

With Covid cases on the rise and elections around the corner, the demand from states to open vaccination for all is growing by the day. This may be discussed at the meeting the state chief ministers (CMs) will have with Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

State government sources in Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu said they feel the Centre must allow vaccination for all to contain the transmission of the novel coronavirus strain. 

With over half of the daily case additions from Maharashtra alone, several voices in Mumbai have already raised the demand for ‘emergency permission to vaccinate every willing person’. 

A Covid taskforce has already requested the state health department to consider opening vaccinations for those aged 18 and above.

Dr Rahul Pandit, director-critical care at Fortis Hospitals in Mumbai and member of Maharashtra’s Covid taskforce, said the squad has conveyed this to state health department. 

“Those bet­ween 18 and 40 years of age step out the most and are at greater risk of catching the virus. While it is a good step to ino­culate the 45-59-year bracket and senior citizens, given they are more likely to develop complications from the disease, it is equally important to vaccinate those who are at high risk of infection to halt the transmission,” said Pandit.

The doctors on the taskforce said the young are likely to carry the infection home and intensify the spread. Sources in Tamil Nadu, too, said the state government was of the opinion that vaccination should be made open to all those who are willing. 

“It is important to protect those who have to step out of homes for work. They may not necessarily fall in the front-line or health-care category,” said the official.

Health department officials said West Bengal has already sought vaccination for all. CM Mamata Banerjee had written to the PM in February to allow the government to procure adequate vaccine vials, so that the entire state can be inoculated before the elections.

Modi has called a meeting of all CMs on Wednesday to discuss a spike in Covid cases. The demand for allowing vaccination for all may come up for discussion at the meeting. Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra had tweeted on Monday saying Maharashtra needs emergency permission to vaccinate every willing person.

Mahindra had tweeted, “Over half the new daily cases are in Maharashtra. The state is the nerve-centre of the country’s economic activity and more lockdowns will be debilitating. Mah­arashtra needs emergency permission to vaccinate EVERY willing person. No shortage of vaccines.”