Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has placed the order for 1 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday while speaking at the Kerala Assembly.
“The vaccines should be provided to the public free of cost. We have stated this policy time and again,” he added.
The Kerala CM stated that the state government has strongly voiced its opinion to the centre in this regard. Our efforts to minimise vaccine wastage has already been commended by the central government, he said.
Kerala has ordered 70 lakh doses of Covishield and 30 lakh doses of Covaxin via the Kerala Medical Service Corporation. The government has also taken steps to call a global tender for vaccine procurement, he said.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi the CM, had cited the merits of the Centre taking the lead in assessing vaccine requirements of the states and floating a global tender considering the needs of all states.
Kerala has vaccinated 71,80,189 people so far. This is 20.23 per cent of the state's population, according to the government figures.
CM writes to other states
The Chief Minister had written to 11 CMs of non-BJP ruled states seeking a united effort to press the Centre to procure COVID-19 vaccines and ensure free universal vaccination.
In his letter, the Chief Minister said statements to the effect that the responsibility to provide vaccine entirely falls within the realm of the states defy the very basis of the co-operative federal system.
He said vaccine manufacturing companies are engaged in looking for financial gains by exploiting the scarce supply situation and foreign pharmaceutical companies are unwilling to enter into an agreement with the states for procuring vaccines.
Noting that India has public sector pharmaceutical companies which are capable of taking up vaccine production, the CM said the Government of India should take necessary steps to ensure that intellectual property rights and patent laws and conventions do not stand in the way of manufacturing COVID-19 vaccine, which should have the status of a public good.
Vijayan said if the burden of procuring vaccine is left to fall entirely or even substantially on the states, their fiscal situation will be in dire straits.
Vijayan said herd immunity will be effective only when a substantial section of the population is vaccinated.
As on date, only 3.1 per cent of the people have been administered two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, he said.
