Tamil Nadu plans global tenders to buy shots for 18+ inoculation drive

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government will float global tenders soon for buying Covid-19 vaccines to inoculate more than 3.65 crore people in the 18-45 age group in the state, chief minister M K Stalin said on Wednesday after a review meeting with senior ministers and officials. Nearly 45% of the state’s population belongs to this age group.
The Centre allowed states to start vaccination for adults below 44 years from May 1 but said supply of shots must come from the states’ side. On May 1, Tamil Nadu did not start the drive as it did not have adequate vaccine stock. However, with increasing number of cases and death among healthy people below 40 years, the state has decided to vaccinate people for free from this age group on “high priority.”

Many states, including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, are also floating global tenders, making way for Pfizer and Moderna to supply their jabs in the country. “The chief minister has been continuously reiterating the need for a universal vaccination programme,” a release from the state government said. “The government will expedite Covid-19 inoculation programme by floating short-term global tenders,” it added.
On May 9, the state received its first batch of supply from manufacturers Serum Institute of India (3.5 lakh doses of Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (1.6 lakh doses of Covaxin) based on orders from Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation. “These vaccines will not be enough. Both the manufacturers have a combined monthly capacity of 7.5 crore vaccines. We had to go for a global tender,” a senior official said.
Since January, vaccines purchased by the Union government at Rs 150 per vial have been used for vaccinating people above 45 years of age. “These vaccines are used only in GHs. Supply from all private hospitals have been withdrawn,” said joint director immunization Dr K Vinay Kumar. “Private hospitals have to buy the vaccine from the manufacturers directly,” he said. In Chennai, two hospitals – Apollo Hospitals and Gleneagles Global – offer vaccines for adults.
The statement further referred to poor oxygen allocation for Tamil Nadu as compared to those allotted for other states. “Chief minister Stalin had represented to the PM seeking enhancement of oxygen allocation. In response to the request, oxygen allocation for Tamil Nadu was increased from 280 tonnes to 419 tonnes,” it said, adding that the state still had shortfall in its oxygen requirement.
In view of this shortage, Stalin directed industries and medical and public health department to immediately install oxygen manufacturing units and to take steps to bring oxygen from steel plants located in other states. The departments must take immediate steps to bring oxygen by train and to distribute to hospital in needs without any hitches, Stalin said.
Industries minister Thangam Thennarasu, medical and public health minister Ma Subramanian, and finance and human resources management minister Palanivel Thyagarahan were among those present in the meeting.