Tamil Nadu orders 1.5 crore jabs for May 1 drive; no clarity on price, supply schedule

CHENNAI: With just 4.5 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine in hand and lakhs of people waiting for their second dose, Tamil Nadu, like many other states in the country, may find it difficult to kick-start the vaccination programme for people above 18 years from May 1.
On Wednesday, the state government announced that it has authorized the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation, a body that procures drugs and equipment for all government hospitals, to place orders for 1.50 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines to start the free vaccination drive for people above 18 from May 1. Sources, however, said that neither of the manufacturers — Bharat Biotech or Serum Institute of India — has so far offered to supply vaccines in bulk or in phases to the state government.
While Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has told TN that it can supply its first five lakh doses of Covaxin only by the third week of May, Serum Institute of India, which manufactures Covishield, has been silent on its supply schedule. There is also confusion over price difference between the two vaccines. “We don’t know at what price we could buy the vaccine,” a senior official said. According to the population registry, TN has 3.65 crore people in the 18-44 age group.