The AAP government has informed the Delhi High Court on Friday that it made preparations for vaccinating people with Covaxin in the Capital based on its manufacturer Bharat Biotech’s assurance that it will receive 5 lakh doses in May and four times that in June.
Delhi government said it received only 1.5 lakh doses of Covaxin in May and due to the Centre’s instructions not to set aside any stock for the second jab, all of it was used to provide the first dose to as many people in the 18-44 age group.
Justice Rekha Palli said that it should have stopped providing people with the first dose of Covaxin when it realised by May 11-12 that it will not be getting any more supplies from Bharat Biotech to provide the second doses.
Overconfidence
The court said the Delhi government was “overconfident” that it will get the requisite supplies of the vaccine. It said that if there was no confirmation from Bharat Biotech with regard to additional supplies, then the present situation, where thousands of people may not get the second dose within the incubation period of six weeks from the first dose, was “ your own doing”. “After May 11-12, you [Delhi government] should have stopped. But you went on vaccinating till May 24,” the court said.
Delhi government told the High Court that by June 9, Bharat Biotech would send around 15,000 doses of Covaxin and an additional 90,000 by July 2. The court said the first lot of supplies would help only 10% of the 1.5 lakh persons who were given the first dose and by the time the second lot arrives, it would not be of any help to them.
“People took the first shot of vaccine under the belief that you would provide them with the second one also,” the court remarked while posting the case for further hearing on June 7.
