The Tamil Nadu government is trying to procure 23.5 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines for ₹85 crore, besides the procurement of 3.5 crore doses through global tenders, Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian said here on Saturday.
The last date for the submission of bids for the supply of 3.5 crore doses is June 5; thereafter, the lowest bidder will be identified. The bidder who gets the contract will have to supply the doses in six months, Mr. Subramanian said after reviewing the measures taken to control the pandemic in the district.
He said the State had received 82.49 lakh doses from the Union government to vaccinate those aged above 45. “To seek additional doses from the Centre, Member of Parliament T.R. Baalu has been camping in New Delhi on the advice of the Chief Minister,” he said.
Mr. Subramanian said Tamil Nadu had so far administered 84.5 lakh doses, out of the 95.59 lakh it had received. Of the remaining stock, six lakh doses would be used to vaccinate those aged above 45 and two lakh doses to inoculate those aged above 18 in the next two-three days, he said.
To a question on the sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in Coimbatore, Tiruppur and Erode, he said some industries were said to have operated without the knowledge of the authorities. “Officials will engage in surveillance of industries to check whether any unit functions illegally,” he said.
Mr. Subramanian said a reply was expected from the Centre in a week to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s appeal to hand over the Integrated Vaccine Complex in Chengalpattu to Tamil Nadu.
