‘Vaccine vendors paid in advance’
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The State authorities on Thursday advised the Madras High Court that the Centre had allotted 10.3 lakh COVID-19 vaccines to Tamil Nadu for the common grownup inoculation drive and instructed it to buy the vaccines solely from two non-public vendors. The vendors, in flip, insisted on cost of 100% advance quantity.
The authorities paid the complete cash on Tuesday and is awaiting the provides to start vaccination for these above 18 years of age.
Appearing earlier than the primary Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy via digital mode, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan mentioned there have been sure limitations in procuring the vaccines because the Centre was deciding the allocation, and said that Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation Managing Director P. Umanath would clarify the problem in element to the court docket since he was the acquisition officer for the vaccines.
New coverage
Mr. Umanath mentioned the Centre had been supplying vaccines freed from price to all States for inoculating these above 45 years of age.
However, now the Centre had give you a brand new coverage for vaccinating these between 18 to 45 years of age and made it the accountability of the State governments to get them vaccinated. The Centre had decided the allocation of vaccines for every State, and ordered that they need to be procured from two vendors.
“In the first allotment, Tamil Nadu has been allotted 7.65 lakh vaccines from one vendor and 2.65 lakh from the other vendor. Since the vendors wanted 100% advance amount for the purchase, we have paid them the total cost for 10.3 lakh vaccines as per the Government of India’s instructions and we are waiting for supply of vaccines from these two vendors. Once the vaccines arrive, we will commence vaccination for the 18 to 45 age group,” he mentioned.
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