Vaccine stock in Kerala has run out; CM Pinarayi Vijayan urges Centre to call global tender for Covid vaccine

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said that the stock of vaccines in the state has run out. The central government is required to provide the vaccines for those above 45 years of age. It has been days since vaccine stock in the state ran out. This has been brought to the notice of the central government. Following this, the state government called a global tender to buy the vaccine. If each state calls for tenders, prices are likely to rise sharply. The price of vaccines can be kept low if the central government calls for a global tender to procure the required vaccine for the entire country, taking into account the number of vaccines required in each state. The CM said that he had written to the Prime Minister requesting this.

"The most effective way to control the spread of the disease is to vaccinate as many people as possible. That is how social immunity can be acquired. However, the shortage of vaccines has made it impossible to carry out vaccination at the planned pace," the CM said.