Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Monday that vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna had communicated to them that they will not sell vaccines to states, but will deal only with the government of India.
While many states have issued a global tender for vaccines, Delhi is also in the process of finalising one and has also been talking to manufacturers globally.
Kejriwal had said on Sunday that he is personally speaking to manufacturers globally and cost will not be a barrier in procuring vaccines.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also said Monday that companies like Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have told them that they are in touch with the centre and will not deal with state governments.
“We contacted Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer and they said they are in touch with the Government of India and will not give vaccines to the states. The Centre has asked us to place global tenders but it is also talking to these companies separately. When they asked us to buy from manufacturers in India, we placed orders but the supply is being regulated by the Centre. The Centre puts curbs on how much we can get from private companies. The international manufacturers are saying they are talking to the Centre only. I ask the Centre to show some seriousness since this is a very serious disease,” Sisodia said.
He also flagged the lack of clearances for the vaccines being used internationally.
Surjitt Sahani
