BHUBANESWAR: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to provide vaccines to all above 18 years of age by the Centre free of cost saying no one is safe until everyone is vaccinated.
Naveen, who had taken a lead to build a consensus among chief ministers that the Centre should buy vaccines for all states, tweeted, “Every life is precious.
No one is safe until everyone is vaccinated.
As a nation we stand united in this fight against #Covid19 pandemic.
Thank PM Shri @narendramodi ji for making vaccination a national mission.” Citing poor response to tenders by states to procure vaccines from global players, Patnaik on June 2 wrote to his counterparts seeking to build a consensus on the Centre procuring Covid vaccines and distributing them among states and for flexibility to the state in vaccine distribution.
Government authorities said Odisha will not proceed further on the global e-tender to buy Covid vaccines after the PM announced to provide the vaccines free of cost to all above 18 years from June 21.
“We are awaiting official communication from the Centre.
The state government will take a decision after that.
However, if the Centre gives vaccines, the state would obviously not proceed further on the e-tender,” additional chief secretary (health) Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said.
Notably, the Odisha state medical corporation limited had floated a tender to buy 3.80 crore doses.
Two bidders have applied to supply vaccines.
The financial bid for the e-tender is scheduled to open on June 9.
On state’s purchase orders already placed with Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India, Mohapatra said things will be clear after the Centre issues fresh guidelines.
Sources said the government, however, will not cancel purchase orders already placed to buy Covaxin and Covishield in a hurry and will wait for the Centre’s advice and guidelines on this.
Since the Centre’s move will be implemented from June 21, the state would continue the existing arrangements of vaccinating people in the 18-44 years age group from vaccines procured by it till then or as advised by the Centre, the government sources said.