Karnataka will procure two crore Covid vaccine doses through global tender.
Karnataka today reported a slightly greater number of fresh COVID-19 cases than yesterday at 39,510, a day after it overtook Maharashtra to become the state reporting the highest number of daily infections. Bengaluru alone reported 15,879 fresh cases, although this was lesser than a day before.
The number of deaths in the state stood at 480, with Bengaluru, again, reporting the bulk of them at 259. The overall positivity rate for the state stood at 33.99 per cent today after having conducted 1,16,238 tests, state government figures show.
Up to 22,584 Covid patients were today discharged, leaving the state with 5,87,452 active cases, continuing to put the state's medical system under huge pressure. The first COVID-19 case in Karnataka was detected on March 8, 2020.
The state's BS Yediyurappa government today said that it will procure two crore Covid vaccine doses through global tender. This is to meet the increased demand and facilitate vaccination of those aged 18-44 years, Deputy Chief Minister and state Covid task force head, CN Ashwath Narayan, said today.
In addition to this, an order has already been placed for three crore vaccine doses -- one crore Covaxin and two crore Covishield -- he said, according to a PTI report.
"Till now, we had depended only on vaccines supplied by the central government and it was not procured from the open market by floating tender. Now, it has been instructed to float the tender and to complete the process within seven days," Mr Narayan said.
Authorities have also been instructed to procure one lakh pulse oximeters and these will be distributed to all the districts and taluks.