The Supreme Court on Wednesday has asked the central government to produce “complete” data on its purchase history of three Covid vaccines.
The Apex court has also ordered to submit administration of doses of all the Covid vaccines –
• Covaxin
• Covishield and
• Sputnik – V
A three judge bench comprising Justice DY Chandrachud, L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat passing the order stated –
“The data should clarify the dates of all procurement orders placed by the central government for all three vaccines, the quality of vaccines as ordered on each date, and the projected date of supply.”
The top court also sought to know from the Centre the percentage of population that has been vaccinated with a single dose, as well both the doses (of Covishield and Covaxin), as against eligible beneficiaries in the first three phases of the nationwide vaccination drive. While Covishield and Covaxin were given approval by India’s drugs regulator in January, Sputnik V was granted emergency use authorization (EUA) in April.
Additionally, the bench directed the Union government to outline how it plans to vaccinate the remainder of the population from phases 1, 2 and 3. It also directed the Centre to list steps being taken to ensure availability of the drug to treat mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, which has been seen in several patients who have recovered from Covid-19.
BREAKING : Furnish Complete Data On Vaccine Purchase History; Produce All Documents & File Notings On Vaccination Policy: Supreme Court To Centre https://t.co/sLq4vtc4sx
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) June 2, 2021
The hearing on the central government’s vaccination policy comes at a time when several states have complained of a shortage of vaccine doses.
However, Union minister Prakash Javadekar claimed on May 28 “all citizens will be vaccinated by December 2021,” a claim reiterated on Tuesday by his ministerial colleague G Kishan Reddy and ICMR Chief Dr. Balram Bhargava.
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