Vaccination of 18 plus age group not to start from May 1 in Jharkhand: Minister

Ranchi: In Jharkhand from May 1 vaccination of the people in the age group 18-45 years will not commence as the vaccine manufacturers have expressed their inability to provide the state with necessary amout of vaccine.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday Health Minister Banna Gupta said that the vaccine manufacturers have said that it will take till May 15-20 to fulfill the vaccine order of the centre therefore it was not possible to provide the vaccines to Jharkhand by May 1.

He said that the state has at present 5.5 lakh vaccines which for giving the second dose of vaccination to the people, on the other hand the centre has decided not to share its quota of vaccine with the state governments for giving the vaccination in the age group of the people between 18-45 years.

Banna Gupta said that for 1.57 crore residents who fall in this category in Jharkhand the government will have to buy vaccines on their own on which an expenditure of Rs 200 crore will be made.

He alleged that the Centre was doing step motherly treatment with Jharkhand. He said that while on one hand Gujarat was being provided more medicines and injections while Jharkhand is being provided just 20,000 Redmesivir injections in every nine days. He said that the state government has borrowed 2,000 Redmesivir injections from Assam.

Banna Gupta said that there was no lack of oxygen in the state as there was 5,000 tonnes in reserve stock. He said that there are 18 refilling plants in the state and in every plant 500-600 cylinders are being refilled. Further the number of oxygen beds are being also increased in the state.

The minister said that Jharkhand government is working with the moto of live and let live due to which even BJP ruled states are being supplied oxygen. He said that Jharkhand has sent 90 tonnes of oxygen to Uttar Pradesh, 80 tonnes to Haryana and 12 tonnes to Bihar.