Anand Mahindra Calls for ‘Emergency Permission’ to Vaccinate All Willing Citizens in Maharashtra

There have been calls to open up COVID-19 vaccinations in Maharashtra for all groups rather than just seniors and healthcare workers or frontline staff. 

Chairman of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra has now joined the call by asking authorities to implement “emergency permission” for vaccinations to those that are willing to take it. 

With the number of cases growing each day, Maharashtra is now looking at a new wave of the virus. Data shows that the caseload right now is comparable to that of the September-October 2020 peak. Doctors and health experts have long said that mass vaccination is the only way to achieve some form of herd immunity. 

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Over half the new daily cases are in Maharashtra.The state is the nerve-centre of the country’s economic activity & more lockdowns will be debilitating. Maharashtra needs emergency permission to vaccinate EVERY willing person. No shortage of vaccines. @PMOIndia @drharshvardhan https://t.co/AemBFcrAd7

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 15, 2021

Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar had said last week that the state will seek permission from the Centre to start inoculations in Pune for people over the age of 18. 

Meanwhile, Dr Subhash Salunkhe who is a technical advisor to the State has asked for a decentralized vaccination programme while also criticizing the Centre’s decision to distribute vaccines in a uniform manner rather than prioritize states that have seen a higher caseload. 

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Last week, a Central Government team visited Maharashtra to inspect the rising cases. In its report, the team said that the State is in the early stages of a fresh wave of COVID-19. 

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that stricter measures need to be enforced in the state so as to contain the spread of the virus. 

Also read - Maharashtra At The Beginning Of Second Wave Of COVID-19: Centre To Thackeray Govt