Share Covid-19 vaccine formula with other companies to ramp up production: Kejriwal to Centre

The Delhi CM said some states could not even start the vaccination drive for the age group of 18-44

Amid several states complaining of shortage of Covid-19 vaccines, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday suggested that the Centre share the formula of Covid-19 vaccines developed by two manufacturers with other pharma companies to ramp up its production.

Emphasising that there is a shortage across the country, he said some states could not even start the vaccination drive for the age group of 18-44. He highlighted the need for developing a national policy to vaccinate people soon.

During a digital address a day after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia targeted the Centre for not allocating vaccines demanded by the union territory's government, Kejriwal said the country is facing a "big challenge" in vaccinating all people.

Read | Delhi should prepare for third wave of Covid-19: CM Arvind Kejriwal

He said Serum Institute of India, which is manufacturing Covishield, and Bharat Biotech, which is producing Covaxin, are able to distribute 6-7 crore doses a month and this would mean that it would take at least two years to vaccinate all people.

"How many waves would have passed by then? How much destruction it would have caused? There is a need to ramp up production on a warfooting. There needs to be a national mission. My suggestion is to give permission to other companies to produce these vaccines," Kejriwal said.

He said two companies alone could not meet the demand for vaccines faster and the Centre should give the formula for these vaccines to other companies so that more vaccines are produced.

"The Centre has power to do so. The Centre should ensure that all the vaccine manufacturing plants in the country start producing Covid doses. The two manufacturers can be provided royalty for use of their formula by other companies," he said.

"Today I want to give a suggestion. The vaccine production work should not just be carried by two companies only. Many companies should be engaged in vaccine production. The Centre should take the formula for producing the vaccine from these two companies and give it to all those companies which can safely make the vaccines," Kejriwal, who also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, said.

It can make the vaccine-producing formula publically available to the companies that want to make the vaccines and it should be ensured that whichever plants are successful in making the vaccine in India, vaccines should be produced in all of them and every Indian should be vaccinated, he said.

"The two manufacturers can be provided royalty for use of their formula by other companies," he said.

In an attempt to buttress his point, Kejriwal said India did not have enough Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country last year. "If only two companies were allowed to manufacture PPE kits, what would have been the situation?" he asked.

On Monday, Sisodia said the Modi dispensation has allotted only 3.5 lakh doses of Covishield and Covaxin in May when it has placed orders for 1.34 crore doses with manufacturers while a day before Kejriwal wrote to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to direct SII and Bharat Biotech to increase their monthly supplies to Delhi to 60 lakh doses per month during May-July so that the capital could achieve the target of vaccinating all in three months.