Tamil Nadu: Covid-19 vaccination for 18-44 age group from May 20

Initially, the government will vaccinate those people from whom the coronavirus can spread much faster like auto-rickshaw drivers and factory workers, said Health Minister Ma Subramanian

Tamil Nadu Government will commence vaccinating people of 18-44 age group from May 20, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian.

“Initially, the government will vaccinate those people aged between 18 years and 44 years from whom the coronavirus can spread much faster like auto-rickshaw drivers and factory workers,” the minister said.

Chief Minister MK Stalin will launch the initiative.

Subramanian said the government has allotted Rs 46 crore to procure vaccines. So far, the state has placed orders for 13.85 lakh vaccines for the 18-44 age category of which the Centre government has supplied only 9.62 lakh doses from two manufactures – Serum Institute of India and Bharath Biotech.

A few days ago, the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) floated a global tender for 3.5 crores of Covid-19 vaccines. The move follows a recent announcement by MK Stalin that the State government will float global tenders to procure Covid-19 vaccines to administer to those of 18-44 age group.

According to the tender information available on the TNMSC website, if the bidder is a manufacturer, he should have delivered at least 200 million doses to any of the countries of which 50 million should have been supplied in the last one year. For those bidders who are not manufacturers, they must have supplied 50 million doses to any of the countries of which 25 million does should have been supplied in the last one year.

Also, as part of measures to boost the state’s self-reliance to break the Covid-19 chain, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister directed authorities to take necessary steps to increase the infrastructure within the state to address the shortage of liquid oxygen and also to procure vaccines and other life saving drugs.

According to an official release, companies that are interested in investing a minimum of Rs 50 crore may become part of joint ventures alongside government agencies to set up manufacturing units in the state. The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO) has sought an Expression of Interest (EOI) in this regard within May 31.

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