Uttarakhand forms committee to float global tenders for COVID-19 vaccine procurement

In response to a shortage of COVID vaccines, the Uttarakhand government has formed a five-member committee to procure vaccines through global tenders. The government is considering the procurement of vaccines like Sputnik V from different countries. On Tuesday, May 12, the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary appointed the five-member committee to oversee vaccine procurement.

Uttarakhand to procure COVID vaccines from different countries

The official statement issued by the state government read, "It has become necessary to vaccinate the people of the state immediately against COVID-19 in order to contain the outbreak. Considering the shortage of Covishield and Covaxin, a committee has been formed to import these vaccines like Sputnik V from different countries. The committee will work towards procuring vaccines through global tenders."

Also, on Wednesday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat dispatched 80 metric tonnes of oxygen sent by the central government through the Oxygen Express at various stations across the state, including the Harrawala railway station. According to the Chief Minister, this oxygen will be sent to the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions.

Uttarakhand CM dispatches 80 MT of oxygen 

Uttarakhand CM said, There was no shortage of oxygen in the state before but as the oxygen beds are increasing in hospitals, the consumption is also increasing. People of the state will get the benefit of this." 

Tirath Singh Rawat also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, saying that the Central Government is providing enough oxygen to Uttarakhand owing to the state's dire circumstances.

Meanwhile, the state control room in Uttarakhand recorded 7,120 new COVID-19 cases and 118 deaths in the last 24 hours. During that time period, 4,933 patients were cured of the disease. In Uttarakhand, there are currently 76,500 active COVID cases.

However, with 3,70,665 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's daily new infections continue to grow. The total number of active cases in India has reached 37,04,099. Currently, there are 11122 active cases in the country, whereas, 355338 have recovered in the span of 24 hours. Also, 4,205 succumbed to COVID-19 on Tuesday taking the cumulative number of deaths to 2,54,197.

(with inputs from ANI)

Picture Credit: PTI/ANI