May 1 2021 New confirmed cases of Coronavirus in India have reached new highs in recent days, medical resources are tight and medical oxygen is scarce. Despite being a big producer of vaccines, India is facing a shortage of vaccines, with several states having to suspend vaccinations and the next phase of vaccination programmes scheduled for May 1st affected.
India intends to make vaccinations available to all adults over the age of 18 from 1 May. However, some states reported on April 30th that their vaccine stocks had run out and new ones were not yet in place. Pandemic prevention authorities in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and the capital, New Delhi, which are the worst affected, say they are unable to proceed with the next phase of vaccinations as scheduled because of a shortage of vaccines.
Vaccination sites in Mumbai, the financial centre, have been closed for three consecutive days since April 30 because of inadequate vaccines. Delhi regional officials also warned people not to come to the vaccine on May 1st because the vaccine was out of stock and new goods had not been replenished. Delhi is centrally administered, including New and Old Delhi, and is India’s political, economic and cultural centre.
In Bangalore, known as India’s Silicon Valley, health officials said it was not yet known when the vaccine plant would be available and that the May 1 vaccination program would not go ahead as planned.
On April 29, 2.2 million people in India were vaccinated against Coronavirus, the lowest number in nearly 10 days, New Delhi TV reported. Less than 10% of India’s population is currently vaccinated against at least one dose of Coronavirus vaccine.
Data released by India’s Ministry of Health on April 30th showed that the country had added more than 386,000 new confirmed cases in a single day, with a cumulative total of more than 18.76 million confirmed cases, and 3,498 new deaths and more than 208,000 new deaths. More than 300,000 new confirmed cases have been reported in India in a single day for nine consecutive days.
The main reason for the sharp deterioration of this wave of outbreaks in India is the non-compliance with pandemic prevention measures and the spread of the mutated new coronavirus. Since the end of March, India has held a series of large-scale gatherings such as local elections, holiday celebrations and religious gatherings. Local council elections have been held in West Bengal, Assam and other places, and there have been numerous rallies.
India launched Coronavirus vaccination on 16 January, in phases: the first phase for medical workers, police and other front-line and public officials, 1 March for the elderly over 60 years of age and people over 40 years of age with basic diseases, april 1 to citizens over 45 years of age.
Although India has the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, the Indian Serum Institute, india’s vaccine production and supply is struggling to meet demand in the face of a new wave of outbreaks, coupled with the U.S. export of raw materials for vaccines.
In response to domestic demand, the Government of India has in recent weeks converted vaccines originally exported by the Indian Serum Institute to domestic supplies, according to media reports. The Serum Institute of India said the production chain was “very tight”.
