If there is a need to issue a global tender for COVID-19 vaccines, the Center should: Delhi Health Minister

Amidst the worrying shortage of COVID-19 vaccines across the country, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Friday that if there is a need to issue a global tender, it should be done by the central government.

“Through a global tender, we can only purchase Kovishield, Kovaxin and Sputnik V vaccines in the country. If a global tender is required, it should be done by the central government, ”said Jain.

In the last few days, the state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have spoken of temporary global tenders amid vaccine shortages and rising COVID-19 cases.

The minister said that if all the states issue separate global tenders, the vaccine companies will give different prices to each state on a negotiated basis and the states will start competing with each other.

“There are at least 30 companies in the country that can manufacture enough for the entire country. The Center is telling us that we have sent our country’s vaccine abroad, now we have to buy the vaccine from outside. This is very strange, ”he said.

Several vaccination centers across the country, including more than 100 in the national capital, have been forced to close due to this shortage.

The Health Minister further urged the Center to share the formulation of Bharat Biotech’s Kovaxin vaccine with other manufacturers.