Nitish blames Centre for 'not supplying' adequate Covid vaccines to Bihar

With Covid-19 cases once again increasing in the country, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar alleged on Monday that the Central government is not supplying adequate Covid vaccines to the state.

Nitish Kumar took a high-level review meeting of senior officials on Monday and directed them to take all precautionary measures at the hospitals.

"If the Centre does not supply adequate vaccines to Bihar, the state government will purchase them at its own cost," Nitish Kumar said, as he told the officials that the vaccination programme will not stop in the state at any cost.

The Chief Minister said the vaccine stocks at the hospitals got over in the last week of March, hence the Bihar government wrote to the Centre, requesting for the supply of one lakh vaccines. The Centre has not supplied the same so far, he said.

During the meeting, Nitish Kumar also asked the officials to make all the arrangements for medicine, beds, ventilators, oxygen cylinders, ambulances and other facilities at all government hospitals and medical colleges.

He also appealed to the people of Bihar to follow the Covid protocols, including wearing face mask, maintain social distance, washing hands, and to consult medical experts in case of any symptoms of cold and cough with fever.

"Covid testing is going on in the state. In every 10 lakh population, the average testing in the country is 6 lakh but here in Bihar, the average testing is 8 lakh. We did not stop testing even when there were no cases in Bihar," the Chief Minister said.

--IANS

ajk/arm