Stating that Delhi’s COVID-19 situation is improving, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday, 13 May, said that the city’s oxygen requirement had gone down from 700 metric tonnes to 582 metric tonnes per day, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has written to the Centre asking it to give the surplus quota to other states.
“Today, after assessment of the COVID19 situation, Delhi’s oxygen need is 582 MT per day. As a responsible government, we will give the surplus oxygen to the states who need it.”Manish Sisodia, Delhi Deputy CM, as quoted by ANI
The Deputy CM also thanked the Centre and the Delhi High Court for helping the people of the national capital when they struggled amid an oxygen paucity and peaking demand. Further, he stated that the city was now reporting a lower positivity rate.
“There has been a sharp reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases in city. On Thursday, the city recorded 10,400 fresh infections and the positivity rate went down to 14 percent. More beds are now available in hospitals and the oxygen situation has improved.”
States Sparring for Jabs Makes India Look Bad: Kejriwal
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the fact that the states are left to compete and fight with one another in the international market for COVID vaccines portrays a "bad" image of India.
The Centre should procure the vaccines on behalf of the states, Kejriwal suggested.
He also tweeted that the Centre has greater diplomatic space to negotiation with vaccine-manufacturing countries.
The Delhi CM’s remarks come amid a shortage of vaccines in Delhi, as well as in many other states. As per PTI, around 100 vaccination centres have been closed down in Delhi since they ran out of Covaxin jabs and Deputy CM Sisodia had earlier said that Delhi will, out of compulsion, float a global tender for vaccines.
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