Insta
Tamil Nadu Global Tender For Covid-19 Vaccines Draws A Blank With No Takers
Swarajya Staff
Jun 05, 2021, 07:26 PM | Updated 08:01 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
In what is likely to be a further setback to Tamil Nadu's tardy Covid-19 vaccination campaign, the global tender floated by the state government drew a blank with no takers, The Times Of India reported.
On May 15, Tamil Nadu government had issued a global tender for 3.5 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
The last date for submission of tenders, floated by Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) , was today. TNMSC will now decide whether to extend the submission date or relax the norms.
The government had sought a delivery schedule of 180 days progressively from the date of purchase order for 3.5 crore (35 million) vaccines for ₹2,00,00,000 (20 million).
The last date for submission of tenders, floated by Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) , was today.
"The vaccine should meet current requirements published by the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation, or requirements of an established body of equivalent stature such as the US Pharmacopoeia, the British Pharmacopoeia, the French Pharmacopoeia, or the International Pharmacopoeia," tender document had stated.
The state also wanted a vaccine that can be stored in 2–8-degrees Celsius.
Serious concerns already being raised about Tamil Nadu’s poor performance overall in terms of vaccination coverage when compared to other States.
State Health Minister Vaccine M Subramaniam had flagged vaccine hesitancy a major challenge for Tamil Nadu government
On Thursday, the Union government rebuffed reports suggesting a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in Tamil Nadu and clarified that more than 1 crore vaccine doses have been supplied to the southern state.
"There have been some media reports suggesting a shortage of vaccines in Tamil Nadu. These reports are factually incorrect and without any basis."
"As on June 2, more than 1 crore doses of COVID vaccines have been distributed to Tamil Nadu, of which 93.3 lakhs doses have been consumed. Total 7.24 lakhs doses are currently available with the state," it added.
The Tamil Nadu government had also reached out to US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson (Sr) to help ensure that at least 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the excess reserves in the US are shipped to at the earliest.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.