Vaccination suspended for two days in MP due to Phase 3 dry run; Mumbai faces shortage | Hindustan Times

Vaccination centres in Madhya Pradesh will remain suspended on Thursday and Friday to conduct dry runs for the third phase of the vaccination drive, which will begin starting May 1 for people aged above 18 years.

“All vaccination sessions will remain suspended in Madhya Pradesh on April 29 and April 30 so that planning, training and dry run can be undertaken for the inoculation drive for people between 18 years and 44 years of age,” Madhya Pradesh government official associated with the vaccination drive was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Madhya Pradesh which is facing a surge in cases has so far vaccinated more than 800,000 people. The state logged 12,758 fresh cases of coronavirus on Wednesday taking the tally to 538,165. Madhya Pradesh along with neighbours Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh is facing an acute crisis as several hospitals in its major cities are reeling under an oxygen crisis. The death toll in the state has reached 5,424 with the death of 105 patients on Wednesday. Indore and Bhopal continue to remain most affected by Covid-19. Madhya Pradesh has 92,773 active cases of Covid-19.

The Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation also said that vaccination will be suspended due to insufficient vaccine stocks across 40 private centres on Thursday. The civic body said that 33 private vaccination centres will vaccinate beneficiaries eligible only for a second dose. Maharashtra, which had earlier announced that it will inoculate all its citizens for free said that the vaccination drive will be hampered due to the unavailability of sufficient doses of vaccines. The state recorded 985 deaths on Thursday, the highest since the onset of the pandemic. Maharashtra had earlier also flagged vaccine shortage and raised the issue with the Centre demanding more doses of vaccine. The Centre on Thursday said that states and Union Territories have at least one crore vaccine doses left at their disposal.