Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian, on Monday, said the state’s COVID-19 vaccine stock will be exhausted in the next two days and added that the state is awaiting more supplies from the Union government.
Addressing reporters in Chennai after inaugurating a 504 Oxygen bed facility at the Chennai Trade Centre, Subramanian read out the list of vaccine supplies from the Union government and explained why the state will be in need of more vaccines immediately. He said the state has five lakh doses of vaccines and these will be exhausted in two days. “We are waiting the Centre’s supply of fresh doses and we hope they will send more doses soon. Once we get it, we can send to the districts,” Subramanian said.
The Union government has given a total of 83 lakh doses, and the Tamil Nadu government has procured an additional of 13 lakh doses through its orders. “We have got a total of 96 lakh doses. We have placed orders worth Rs.85.48 lakh for 25 lakh more doses. We have received only 13 lakh doses and another 12 lakh is expected to come soon,” he said.
Giving details on the global tenders floated by the state government for vaccine procurement, Subramanian said the global tenders for 3.5 crore vaccine doses will be opened on June 5 and the successful bidders will be supplying vaccines within six months of bidding. The state government had already requested the Centre to either use the Chengalpet vaccination manufacturing plant or hand it over to the state for vaccine production.
Pointing out the requests made by the DMK MPs to the Union government for vaccines, Subramanian also said the BJP MLAs in the state should ask the Centre to send the vaccines, rather than blaming the state government.
Health secretary J. Radhakrishnan also gave out the details of the vaccine availability and the immediate requirement, “The Centre is yet to supply 1.74 lakh doses of vaccine to the state promised for May. Though the allocation for Tamil Nadu for June has been increased to 42.58 lakh, the first supply will be on June 6 and the second supply on June 9,” Radhakrishnan said.
He said the state might have to suspend the vaccination drive for a day of two if the Centre delays the supply. Incidentally, the vaccination drive gained pace only a week before, after the new dispensation under M.K. Stalin took it forward vigorously. “For the past few days, barring Sunday, we have been vaccinating 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh people everyday. At this pace, the vaccines will get over on Tuesday. In such a case we will have to suspend the vaccination drive. There is no other way,” Radhakrishnan explained.
With this, the debate over vaccine supply and shortage has reached a high pitch. It all began after the BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan wrote to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asking for special vaccine allocation for Coimbatore. She also asked the minister for a team from the Centre to assess and assist the COVID-19 situation in Tamil Nadu.
Answering to the queries raised by scribes, based on Vanathi’s allegations, on Sunday, Stalin who was in Coimbatore to review the COVID-19 situation said he is “working for the welfare of the state.”
