Terming the Centre’s new vaccination policy for 18+ age group as unfair to the states, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday sought the Centre-states parity in vaccination for 18+ age group from 1 May, while calling for urgent steps to ensure adequate oxygen supply. While his government has adopted all measures to minimise demand for oxygen, given the criticality of it as the most essential drug for treatment of serious Covid patients, the Centre must ensure all commitments as per the allocation are complied with by liquid oxygen manufacturers in other states, Capt Amarinder demanded.

“This is not happening at present. Punjab’s supplies come from Har yana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and there are reports of supplies being ‘hijacked’,” the Punjab CM said at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual conference (VC) held to discuss the Covid situation with chief ministers of the worst Covidhit states.

On the vaccination front, Capt Amarinder said at the rates declared by one manufacturer, the cost to the Punjab government will be over Rs 1000 crore. He sought Central government funding for vaccination, with permission to make the cost a fit charge on state disaster relief funds in the interim.

Regular vaccine supply must be ensured to maintain the supply chain to the last vaccination booth, he further said, adding that due to supply shortage, the vaccination in the last one week has been slightly low, i.e. around 75-80,000 daily. While Punjab received fresh supplies yesterday the current stocks can last only three days as demand for vaccines is increasing, he stressed.

Capt Amarinder also expressed concern over lack of clarity on the quantity of vaccine to be made available by the Centre after 1 May, and how the manufacturers will regulate supplies to different States and private purchasers.

The CM also pointed to the shortage and blackmarketing of medicines like Remdesivir and Toci, which he said was creating great panic in the media and among general public. Pointing to the shortage of anti-viral Remdesivir Injections and zero availability of Toci injections in the state, he said hospitals were, however, following treatment protocol for critical patients and using alternate medicines.

Citing the increase in the number of Covid cases in Punjab to around 5000 per day, with 10 per cent positivity in the last one week, from around 3000 a day with eight per cent positivity during the last VC on 8 April, the CM urged the Prime Minister to direct Central institutions like AIIMS Bathinda, PGI Satellite Centres and Military Hospitals in the state to provide additional Covid beds.

Expressing concern over the point that Punjab had not received any fresh results on viral genome sequence in the last nearly one month, when the last results showed over 85 per cent UK strain, Capt Amarinder urged the Prime Minister to order escalation of efforts to understand the mutations, and their implications for proper policy response.