Bhagwant Mann appeals Punjab to take vaccine, only way to fight Covid-19 amid government failures

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president and MP Bhagwant Mann said that the Punjab and the Union government should make expeditious arrangements for free vaccination for the people so that they could be immune from the Covid-19 virus and its complications. In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Wednesday, Bhagwant Mann appealed to the people of Punjab to take vaccines, which was the only way to fight Covid-19 amid the government’s failures. He said that Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government of the state had failed to provide health services and save lives in the state during the ongoing pandemic.

Mann said that the new strain of Covid virus was spreading rapidly in the entire country including Punjab, which was also affecting the youth; but neither the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led centre government nor Captain Amarinder Singh's government in Punjab had made proper arrangements for the treatment of the Covid victims. He further said that the mortality rate of Covid victims in Punjab was 2.4 per cent, which was much higher than the average death rate of the entire country. Mann requested the people not to be anxious and take their dose of Covid vaccine. Taking a dig at the Captain government, Mann said that the pace of vaccination against Covid, in Punjab was very slow. . “The order of 30 lakh doses is not enough and Punjab needs over 2.5 crore doses. With only 3.3 lakh doses at his disposal, Captain Amarinder Singh's planning to tackle Covid-19 has turned out to be a failure,” he said.

Mann said that hoarding and black marketing of essential Covid-19 medicines, drugs, vaccines and even oxygen cylinders was also rampant with the Punjab government failing to crackdown on the same. He said that various private hospitals in Punjab were charging upto Rs 1,250 for Covid vaccine. Mann termed it as incompetence of the Captain Amarinder Singh-led government to tackle the situation in the state amid the Covid outbreak by not coming up with better infrastructure and health facilities after the first wave that hit last year. He said that the Punjab and Union government should provide free vaccination to the people to protect them from the Covid pandemic.

Further slamming the Captain government for its failure, Bhagwant Mann said that there was shortage of Covid ‘Fateh Kits’ which was launched by the Punjab government for Covid patients in hospitals and home isolation and moreover the essential oxymeters which was part of the kits had gone missing. “The Fateh Kits are short in supply for Covid-19 patients. Even in the available kits, the very essential ‘Pulse Oxymeter’ is found to be missing,” he added. Mann said that the pulse oxymeters were essential for monitoring saturation or oxygen level, however, in their absence; the patients under home isolation were left to fend for themselves in these tough times. He said that the device that was available for just Rs 300 was now being sold for thousands in black markets and the Punjab government had failed to check such illegal activities and hoarding.