Covid-19 vaccine: States float global tenders to ramp up vaccination drive

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Various state governments have initiated the process of procuring Covid-19 vaccines directly from manufacturers through global tenders.

Many states have already invited tenders for vaccines approved for use by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi are among the states that have already floated global tenders while Bihar and West Bengal are also mulling floating similar tenders.

Other states like Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu have also announced plans to float global tenders for Covid vaccines. The government of Uttar Pradesh was also in early talks with Pfizer, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Serum Institute of India (SII), Bharat Biotech, and Zydus Cadila to procure 4 crore doses

On May 19, Mumbai’s civic body said three makers of the Sputnik V vaccine have responded to its global tender for 10 million doses. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation plans to buy the vaccines via this tender for Rs 700 crores.

“Once we get 15 million vaccine shots, I plan to vaccinate the entire city in 60 days, and by doing so, I am very sure we will be able to stop the third wave,” Iqbal Singh Chahal, commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) told media.

Facing a severe shortage of vaccines, Maharashtra had suspended immunizations for the 18-44 age group last week.

Kerala had also announced a global tender for procuring three crore Covid-19 vaccine doses to tackle the vaccine shortage.  The state government has authorised Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL) to purchase these doses from manufacturers approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).