Centre’s vaccination programme had foundered miserably, says Prithviraj Chavan

At the glacial pace, only 15 crore of the populace will get the jab before the year is out, says former Maharashtra Chief Minister.

Remarking that the Centre’s vaccination programme had foundered miserably, former Chief Minister and senior Congressman Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi ought to stop self-congratulation about breaking “vaccination records” and focus on expediting the pace. Mr. Chavan said here that after more than 180 days of the rollout, just 32 crore people had taken one dose while barely 8.15 crore citizens across the country had taken both doses. “With more variations in the virus being reported, unless the Centre quickens the pace of inoculation, the danger of fresh infections cannot be averted…in my constituency Karad South [in Satara], I have come across reports where people who have taken both doses are getting re-infected. At this glacial pace, only 15 crore of the populace will be vaccinated before the year is out,” he said.