‘Got 5.16 lakh vaccine doses for 18-44 age group’

2.05 lakh Remdesivir vials allocated: T.N.

The State government on Monday told the Madras High Court that it had received 5.16 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines for inoculating people in the 18-44 age group. Stating that it had paid 100% advance amount to two domestic vaccine manufacturers for procuring 13.85 lakh doses allotted by the Centre in the first phase, the government said it was yet to receive the rest of the 8.68 lakh doses. Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy were also informed by Advocate-General R. Shunmugasundaram that the State had received 76.99 lakh vaccine doses for immunising those aged 45 and above, and that it had utilised 64.13 lakh doses so far. The submissions were made during the hearing of a suo motu public interest litigation petition taken up to monitor efforts to fight the pandemic.