NEW DELHI: The Covid vaccine stock for 18-44 years beneficiaries is on the verge of exhaustion on Saturday and vaccination will be halted for this age group if doses are not replenished, AAP MLA Atishi said.
Issuing the vaccination bulletin online, she also said, "Today only 88 sites across 31 schools were used", which was over 200 locations, five days ago, for this category.
Covaxin stock is already over and Covieshield vaccine stock for 18-44 yrs beneficiaries is on verge of exhaustion on Saturday and vaccination will be halted for this age group if doses are not replenished, she said.
On May 21, 48,628 doses were administered.
The total number of doses administered so far is above 50 lakh, out of which 12 lakh are those who have received both the doses, she said.
On the other hand, the BJP on Saturday accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of "constantly doing politics" in the name of the national capital and asked him to stop making excuses, hours after the AAP leader said COVID-19 vaccination centres for people in the 18-44 years age group are being closed due to lack of doses.
Kejriwal has also appealed to the Centre to provide more vaccines.
Union minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said it is the central government which has provided around 50 lakh doses to Delhi and will continue to make them available in the future too.
In a statement, he said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has already shared the plan about how the country's entire adult population can be vaccinated by December this year.
"Delhi Chief Minister constantly does politics in the name of Delhi. Even during the time of oxygen (crisis), he kept saying oxygen, oxygen and then later said Delhi has surplus oxygen. Kejriwal should stop making excuses," Javadekar said.
Kejriwal had earlier said that from Sunday, all vaccination centres for youths in Delhi will be closed as stocks have run out.
The national capital recorded 2,260 fresh COVID-19 cases and 182 fatalities on Saturday, with the positivity rate in the city slipping to 3.58 per cent, data shared by the health department showed.
This is the lowest daily spike in cases recorded since March 31 (1,819) and the first time that the count has gone below the 3,000-mark since April 1, when 2,790 people tested positive for the viral disease.
As per the latest health bulletin, these new fatalities pushed the death toll due to COVID-19 in the national capital to 23,013.
The positivity rate was 5.5 per cent on Thursday and 4.76 per cent on Friday.
The number of daily cases in the city is 2,260, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Twitter.
"These are lowest numbers after 31 March. Still need to take all precautions and follow covid appropriate behaviour," he added.
Delhi had recorded 3,846 COVID-19 cases and 235 deaths on Wednesday, 3,231 cases and 233 deaths on Thursday, and 3,009 cases and 252 deaths on Friday.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Saturday directed authorised dealers and pharmacies selling COVID-19 medicines to display available stock and cost of the drugs prominently at their shops.
In an order, the DDMA said it has been noticed that coronavirus patients are facing difficulties in procuring essential COVID-19 drugs on time and at the prescribed rates, causing hindrance in timely and effective treatment.
The drugs are Ivermectin tablets, Doxycyclin tablets/capsule, Methyl Prednisolone tablets and injections, Dexamethasone tablets and injections, Budosenide Inhalers and Respules Favipiravir tablets, Apixaban tablets and Enoxaparin Sodium/ Clexane, it said.
The order said it is necessary to disseminate proper and reliable information to people in respect of availability and pricing of these drugs.
"All authorized dealers/retailers/sellers of essential COVID-19 management drugs in the NCT shall display the information of stock position and MRP of all these drugs at conspicuous places at their business premises for information of general public," the order said.
The order also directed the medicine sellers to update the stock position of these drugs four times a day -- at 10 AM, 2 PM, 6 PM and 9 PM respectively.
The district magistrates and deputy commissioners of police have been directed to ensure strict compliance of the order.
"In case any person is found violating the aforesaid directions , the defaulting person shall be proceeded against as per the provisions Section 51 to 60 of Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 188 of IPC, the Epidemic Act, 1897 Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945 and other applicable laws," it said.
The order was issued following the directions of Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal.
Baijal had instructed that drugs related to COVID treatment should made available to the people.
He had said that it should also be ensured that hoarding, over charging or black marketing of such drugs/medicines does not happen by prominently displaying stocks and rates of such drugs by dealers/retailers/sellers for information of people at large, an official said.
"Accordingly, the government on Saturday issued an order under the aegis of DDMA which will be strictly enforced in letter and spirit by the Drug Controller, DMs and DCPs," the official added.
The LG has further instructed that a similar order regarding equipments and machines like oximeters, oxygen cylinders/concentrators etc, related to COVID should also be issued at the earliest, the official said.