Karnataka, Delhi, Others To Float Global Tenders For Covid-19 Vaccines 

In a bid to address the shortage of vaccines and move ahead with the plan to vaccinate all adults in the country, several states are now taking the global-tender route to procure COVID-19 vaccines, reports Mint.

Several state governments, including Telangana, Delhi, and Karnataka, on Tuesday, expressed interest in procuring vaccines from around the globe even as domestic supply fails to keep up with rising demand.

It should be noted that Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha had already opted for this option amid the surging Covid-19 cases.

“While we explore possibilities of globally procuring vaccines and also increasing vaccination centres to have one in every municipal ward, the road map for administering the second shot for every age group will be published soon," tweeted Aaditya Thackeray, Maharashtra’s minister of tourism and environment.

"The Delhi government will float a global tender for vaccines," said Sisodia, who is also the nodal minister for Covid management in the national capital.

The development has come at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government is seeking adequate medical supplies for the national capital, including vaccine doses and oxygen, to meet its growing demand in the wake of the raging second wave of the Covid pandemic.

Karnataka said it will procure 20 million covid-19 vaccine doses through a global tender to meet demand.