Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is a master at gossiping. He is hollow from within and lacks any strategic foresight to govern and administer the national capital. Under his inept leadership, the national capital has witnessed multiple Covid-19 surges. However, the embarrassment of it all has failed to put Kejriwal to shame, and he is now back with his latest round of suggestions for the Centre. In the latest news, Kejriwal wants the Modi government to share the “vaccine formula” with all companies which are willing to manufacture vaccines in the country.
That Kejriwal thinks that the Modi government has the “formula” for vaccines produced by the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech is in itself laughable. That he expects the Centre to further share this ‘formula’ with all companies willing to produce vaccines is a glowing indicator of the AAP leader’s bizarreness. While writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Delhi chief minister said, “It’s not possible to vaccinate the entire nation by relying on just two companies. For this, the production of vaccines will have to be done on a war footing. Therefore, I request you for the benefit of the nation that you allow mass production of the COVID-19 vaccines. Not only two, all the companies in the country which have the desired capacity be allowed to manufacture vaccines.”
He suggested that the Centre should share the vaccine formula with other companies as well to enhance manufacturing. Kejriwal, in his moment of magnanimity, remarked, “Government can do away with vaccine production monopoly using the patent law.” But here is the catch – India’s vaccination campaign is heavily reliant on SII’s Covishield vaccine as of now. In turn, SII is merely producing a vaccine which has been developed by AstraZeneca. Therefore, the Centre has no means of sharing AstraZeneca’s formula with every other prospective vaccine manufacturer in India.
Additionally, companies in India which can manufacture vaccines are quite occupied in testing their own jabs. India’s Biological E. Ltd, for instance, will soon start Phase III trials of its COVID-19 vaccine and plans producing 75 million to 80 million doses a month from August. Meanwhile, Zydus Calida is expected to launch its COVID-19 vaccine soon as it is close to completing the Phase-3 clinical trials. The company is expected to file for emergency use authorization soon and will start producing vaccines from July.
Serum Institute of India, as a matter of fact, is working on another vaccine candidate – Covovax, which is slated to go for Phase III trials this month. Bharat Biotech, meanwhile, is already working on a nasal anti-Covid-19 vaccine. Additionally, Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Labs has the rights to supply 12.5 crore doses of the Russia-made Sputnik V vaccine.
Therefore, Arvind Kejriwal has made quite a grand fool of himself. According to him, only two vaccine manufacturers in India are going to be relied upon for the country’s humongous inoculation campaign to be completed – when that is certainly not the case. Multiple companies are working on vaccine and some are even on the cusp of rolling out their jabs very soon. A simple Google search by the Delhi chief minister would have educated him of the same, and he would not end up cluelessly advising the Modi government on how the vaccination campaign is to be carried out.
Kejriwal is not as clueless as you claim. On the contrary, he is sneakily clever.
His statement regarding unrestricted Covid vaccination production is not about his lack of understanding of pharma. It is instead playing to the freebie masses of Delhi for their continued vote.