Covid-19: Moderna refuses to supply vaccines directly to Punjab, says will only deal with Centre

The Punjab government on Sunday said that pharmaceutical company Moderna has refused to supply its coronavirus vaccines directly to the state government, ANI reported.

Punjab Nodal Officer for vaccination Vikas Garg said that Moderna has informed Punjab government that the company, according to its policy, would only deal with the central government. Apart from state governments, Moderna has refused to do business with private players as well, he said.

Garg added that Punjab was exploring possibilities to procure vaccines through global tender from various manufacturers, including Sputnik V maker Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, NDTV reported. Only Moderna has responded to the Punjab government’s proposal so far, but has denied to enter a deal.

He also said that Punjab was forced to stop vaccination for priority groups in the last three days due to non-availability of doses. The state has been been able to buy only 4.2 lakh vaccine doses, including 66,000 received on Saturday for those in the age group of 18-45, NDTV quoted Garg as saying.

Earlier this month, the Punjab government had also decided to join the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative. However, it is not clear yet if state governments are allowed to enter the joint initiative by various global health bodies to ensure…

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