Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to supply 20 lakh doses of covid vaccines to ensure assured stock for the next ten days, besides fast tracking the commissioning of Integrated Vaccination complex at Chengalpattu.
In a Demi-official letter to PM Modi, he said amid sharp increase in cases so far 47.31 lakh doses of vaccine has been administered and is expected to continue at least two lakh vaccinations per day.
He said with the vaccination gaining pace in the State, he requested PM Modi to ensure an assured supply of at least ten days consumption of vaccine, of about 20 lakh doses, well in advance to ensure that the vaccination drive in the individual sites are not affected and persons coming for second dose are assured of vaccination on the date and in the site they report.
CM Palaniswami said it has come to notice that directions are being issued by National and certain State regulators, prioritising supplies by individual manufacturers to certain States and restricting Remdesivir sales only within the state where Remdesivir is being produced.
Noting that this would be very damaging to the availability of such valuable life saving drugs in places of need, he said at this stage, any restrictive orders by individual States should be strictly barred to ensure easy accessibility of Remdesivir.
He also urged the Centre to take up this issue with such states where the companies have their production facilities located.
Palaniswami also appealed to PM Modi to fast track some pending works at the Integrated Vaccine complex at Chengalpattu, for early commissioning of this facility to augment vaccine production.
He said the ‘Integrated Vaccine complex’ located at Chengalpattu in Tamil Nadu, a Centrally executed project of national importance, with an aim to ensure vaccine security at a National level, is structurally and functionally ready and awaiting commissioning and validation.
