Remdesivir exported, citizens suffer: Delhi High Court

New Delhi/Raipur/Mumbai: The Delhi High Court said that millions of vials of Remdesivir, used in treatment of Covud-19, may have been exported by India, but its own citizens are "suffering due to acute shortage of the drug".

"Statistics show that shortage of the drug in Delhi is acute," the court said and asked the Centre, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) whether there has been any change in the guidelines with regard to administering Remdesivir.

The court also asked the Centre on what basis it was deciding how much of the drug was to be allocated to the Delhi government and whether anyone can directly approach the manufactures or suppliers for buying the medicine. The directions came on a plea by a lawyer who is suffering from virus and was able to get only three out of the six doses of Remdesivir required by him.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday said the State may receive its supply of 'Covishield' vaccine only after May 20. Tope said the availability of anti-COVID-19 vaccines is still a challenge and the state needs a week's quota delivered at one time in order to vaccinate maximum number of people.

"The Serum Institute of India (SII) has informed the state government that it can supply the 'Covishield' vaccine only after May 20," he said.

Karuna Shukla, a Congress leader and the niece of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, died of Covid-19 in the Ramakrishna Care hospital in Raipur. After testing positive for the virus, she was undergoing treatment at the hospital here.

WHO said on Tuesday India's death toll is now pushing towards 200,000, and hospitals that do not have enough oxygen supplies and beds are turning away coronavirus patients.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to acquire tankers from all over India as he has been acquiring oxygen plants and allot them to states.

Without tankers, oxygen cannot be sent to states, Gehlot stressed.

"You should allot tankers too the way you are allowing oxygen. This will help redress the grievances of states, no matter if it is Delhi or Rajasthan or any other state," he told Modi.

Also requesting the PM to allot medicines and oxygen in accordance to the patients' number in the state, he said: "Rajasthan has a higher number of patients. People have started facing the challenges now."

Earlier, Gehlot spoke to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and presented her the detailed report of the state which left her worried, said Congress officials.