Free COVID-19 vaccine in Delhi to all above 18 years: CM Kejriwal

The Delhi government will provide free COVID-19 vaccines to all those above 18 years of age in the city for which purchase of 1.34 crore doses has been approved, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday.

The government will make efforts to speed up vaccine purchase and administering it to the people, he said in an online briefing.

"We are working on a plan to start large-scale vaccination as soon as possible," he said.

Kejriwal said COVID-19 vaccines should have one price and appealed to the Centre to bring down the price.

He also appealed to vaccine manufacturers to bring down prices, saying it was time to help humanity and not to earn profit.

"One manufacturer has said that he will provide vaccine to the states at Rs 400 and another has said he will do so at Rs 600. Both have said they will provide the vaccine to the Centre at the rate of Rs 150. I believe there should be one price of the vaccine."

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He said that in view of the pandemic, the Centre should, if need be, cap the vaccine prices to bring the rate down.

Kejriwal also said that there were reports of COVID-19 infections and loss of life in the below-18 age group and emphasised finding out a proper vaccine for them.

Vaccines have emerged as a solution to the pandemic, the chief minister said and added that experts believed that England succeeded in stemming the wave and intensity of infections through large-scale vaccination.

If everyone is administered the vaccine then COVID-19 will be rendered an ordinary disease, he added.

In another development, eight pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants are being installed in Delhi from the PM Cares Fund and they will enhance the capacity of medical oxygen by 14.4 metric tonnes, central government sources said on Sunday.

One plant in Burari Hospital, Kaushik Enclave, was installed on March 17 while four others, one each at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Rohini and Deepa Chand Bandhu Hospital, Ashok Vihar, are expected to be completed by April 30, they said.