Maharashtra has 14 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine which will last only three days: Rajesh Tope

In the given circumstances and the surge, the only ‘Ram-baan’ is vaccine,” Tope said

Amid the sweeping second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, Maharashtra is facing acute shortage of vaccines, oxygen and Remdesivir medicines.

The state has only three days of Covid-vaccine – Covishield and Covaxin – stocks left.

State’s health minister Rajesh Tope flagged the issue to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsha Vardhan, when the latter held a video-conference with health ministers of nine Covid-affected states.

Tope appealed that no one should do politics in a pandemic situation – and pointed out that chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis also endorsed it. “We should not provoke people for protests against restrictions. If there is some need for relaxation, the government will consider it in due course,” he said referring to the mini-lockdown.

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“We have around 14 lakh doses available, that is the stock for three days. Our weekly requirement is around 40 lakh, only in that case can we vaccinate 5.5 lakh to 6 lakh people. In the given circumstances and the surge, the only ‘Ram-baan’ is vaccine,” Tope told reporters on Wednesday.

“We do not have enough vaccine doses at various vaccination centres, and people have to be sent back due to a shortage of doses. We have asked from the Centre that people of age group 20-45 years be vaccinated on priority,” he said, adding: "I am not saying that the Centre is not giving us vaccines...what we want is that the speed of delivery (of stocks) to be increased."

Tope pointed out that the vaccine wastage rate is around 3 per cent in Maharashtra which is half of the national average vaccine wastage rate of 6 per cent.

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He also said that the state is facing shortage of oxygen supply. “We have ordered a ratio of 80 per cent medical oxygen and 20 per cent industrial oxygen,” he said, adding that the inflow of patients in hospitals is alarming.

The minister said he had urged Dr Harsh Vardhan to see if oxygen could be made available from neighbouring states. "He is a soft-spoken person and listens....he has assured me that he would look into it positively," he said.

Tope also pointed out that the daily need of Remdesivir is 50,000 doses which is exhausted each day. “There have been reports of stockists hoarding it,” he said, that the Drugs Controller General of India and Food and Drug Administration must launch a crackdown.

“It has also been noticed that patients who do not need Remdesivir are also being administered the drug,” he said and urged the Indian Medical Association to look into the issue.

He also made it clear that the price of Remdesivir should be between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,400. “It is a pandemic situation, let us be humans,” he said, but warned strict action under Epidemic Diseases Act, if unnecessary stocking and over-pricing was seen.