"Vaccination Drive Will Pick Up Once Supply Is Smooth After June": Uddhav Thackeray

Coronavirus Vaccine: Uddhav Thackeray said the state witnessed oxygen shortage during the second wave of infections but it was now well equipped to tackle a possible third wave since effective steps had been taken to make the state self-sufficient in the vital gas.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday expressed confidence that the vaccination drive would be expedited after the state starts getting an adequate supply of doses from June. Inaugurating a field training workshop titled Pediatrics COVID-19, Uddhav Thackeray said his government was relentlessly pursuing the issue of vaccine supply, adding that his government was ready to make a one-time payment for 12 crore doses for beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group, who account for six crores of the state's total population. "I am confident the vaccination drive will pick up once the supply is smooth after June," the Chief Minister asserted. He said the state witnessed oxygen shortage during the second wave of infections but it was now well equipped to tackle a possible third wave since effective steps had been taken to make the state self-sufficient in the vital gas.