It is ridiculous: Rahul Gandhi slams Centre over COVID-19 vaccination

New Delhi, Apr 07: Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandi slammed the government over the Centre's stand that vaccination drive was aimed towards those who 'need it' and not 'to those who want it'. Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said that the argument is 'ridiculous'.

"It's ridiculous to debate needs & wants... Every Indian deserves the chance to a safe life (sic)," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet on Wednesday.

"Many people ask why we shouldn't open vaccination for all. There are two aims of such vaccination drives -- to prevent deaths and protect the healthcare system. The aim is not to administer the vaccine to those who want it but to those who need it," said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan while addressing a press conference on Tuesday.

India started its vaccination drive on January 16. The Drug Controller General of India accorded approval to two vaccines, namely Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and Covishield by Serum Institute of India (SII).

The second phase started for people above the age of 60 and those over 45 with comorbidities against the coronavirus from March 1. In the third phase which began on April 1, all those above 45 years of age can get vaccinated.

"The United States has a daily average of 30.53 lakh doses of vaccine administration, whereas 26.53 lakhs of vaccine doses are administered in India daily. As per a website, US has administered 16 crore doses in 112 days, while India administered 7.9 crores doses in 79 days," Bhushan had said.

Meanwhile, according to the Union Health Ministry, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country have crossed 8.40 crore as of Tuesday.