Mumbai (Maharashtra)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday said it received 99,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine.

As per the BMC, the doses will be distributed to civic and government-run vaccine centres. Vaccine shortage in Mumbai led to the temporary halting of vaccination across 75 vaccination centres in the city on Friday.

This comes amid allegations by Chief Ministers across the country that there are only enough vaccines in the state for the next few days.

Mumbai is currently under a weekend lockdown till 7 am on Monday in an effort to curb the spread of the COVID-19 infection. The city reported 9,200 COVID-19 cases and 35 deaths on Friday. There are currently 90,333 active cases in the city.

Earlier, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Aslam Shaikh had said that Maharashtra received the least number of vaccines and a majority of vaccination centres were facing closure due to shortage of doses.

"Centre is doing politics. Earlier more vaccinations centres were opened and we were told to vaccinate more and more people but later they stopped giving us the vaccines. Maharashtra has received the least number of vaccine doses. Today, a majority of vaccination centres across the state have been shut due to shortage of vaccine," he told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray called an all-party meeting via video conference to review the current COVID-19 situation in the state.

Maharashtra on Friday recorded 58,993 new COVID-19 cases, 45,391 recoveries, and 301 deaths.

The Maharashtra government has also imposed a strict weekend lockdown from Friday night till 7 am on Monday. The home delivery of food and essential supplies and movement of students taking various exams are allowed.

Centre to send 1121 ventilators to Maharashtra in next few days

Pune (Maharashtra)

In view of a surge in COVID cases, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar assured the Maharashtra government that the Centre will send 1121 ventilators to Maharashtra in the coming 3-4 days.

On Saturday, Prakash Javadekar attended a review meeting over the COVID situation with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Pune. Officials from the Central government team which are in Pune to review the situation also attended the meeting along with other officials from the district administration.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said, "The major concern in Pune was about ventilators. So, I spoke to officials and concerned ministers of related departments. In next 3 to 4 days about 1121 ventilators will arrive in Maharashtra from the Centre of which 700 will come from Gujarat and 421 will come from Andhra Pradesh."

He also assured funding from the Centre for health staff recruitment under the National Health Mission.

Javadekar said, "The Central government is going to provide funds from National Health Mission to recruit the manpower required for tracing, testing and treatment of COVID patients in Maharashtra."

Union minister said the Central government will also help by providing oxygen supply from industries and places where oxygen is manufactured.

Maharashtra has been reporting a shortage of vaccines for the last 2 days. Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope and other ministers have raised this issue with the Centre.

Prakash Javadekar said, "Maharashtra has received 1.10 crore doses as per the latest report updated till yesterday. There are only 3 states in the country that have received more than 1 crore doses; they are Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Maharashtra has used 95 lakhs doses till yesterday and 15.63 lakhs doses are still with them as per yesterday's report. The State is very well aware of this report and I spoke to chief secretary Sitaram Kunte (CS) as well in this regard."

"This 15.63 lakhs doses must be distributed well so that there is no board saying the vaccine is not available at vaccination centres," he added.