Centre no longer to procure Covid vaccines for states

HYDERABAD: The Centre will no longer follow its practice of procuring Covid-19 vaccines for the states, health minister T. Harish Rao said on Friday, following a decision taken at a meeting on Covid-19 preparedness headed by Union health minister Dr Mansaukh Mandaviya.

Harish Rao, in a press note, said the Union minister had advised state governments to procure vaccines from the open market where sufficient buffer stock was available. Deccan Chronicle had reported that the government had run out of vaccines.

Harish Rao said he had earlier written to the Centre for the supply of vaccines so that the vaccination drive could start again amid a distinct increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.

“The Centre is alerting the states on the increasing number of Coronavirus cases and on the other hand is neglecting the supply of vaccines. Many states including Telangana had asked for vaccines, but they have not been provided with the required stocks,” Harish Rao said.

He said the Covid-19 situation was under control in the state and the government was ready to tackle the infection in the future as well.

He said the state government would procure 15 lakh doses of Corbevax vaccines from the city-based pharma firm Biological E. He thanked the company’s managing director Mahima Datla for coming forward to ensure vaccine supply in the state.