The High Court on Tuesday directed the government to place on record within two days a roadmap for the vaccination drive. The court passed this order after observing that the availability of vaccines in the state is “very disturbing”.
A special bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar noted that around 26 lakh beneficiaries in the state who have taken the first dose, either Covishield or Covaxin, have not received the second dose.
The bench said that these 26 lakh beneficiaries are due to receive the second dose as per the norms fixed by the central government. While this is the figure of beneficiaries who have to be administered the second dose immediately, the availability of vaccines in the state is 9.37 lakh.
“Hence, it is obvious that if the present scenario continues, the first dose of vaccination cannot be given to the category of health line workers and those 45 years of age as even the demand of those for first dose cannot be fulfilled in the near future,” the bench said, adding that if the present situation persists the entire vaccine drive will be ineffective.
The bench granted more time to the union government to comply with the directions passed in the previous hearings on the indents for vaccines placed by the state government.
The court also directed the state government to place on record a roadmap on the vaccination drive.
It has been told to place emphasis on how it proposes to provide vaccines to those who have taken the first dose and to whom the second dose is overdue, how it intends to provide the first dose to the category of beneficiaries between the age group of 18 and 44 years.
The court has directed the state government to submit on the next date how it is going to cover the marginalised sections of the society in the vaccination drive.
The bench has directed the state union governments to take serious note of the desperate situation regarding the availability of vaccines.