‘Will Vaccinate All Adults by Year End’: Centre to Supreme Court

The affidavit comes in response to the SC’s order calling the govt’s vaccination policy ‘arbitrary and irrational’.

Image used for representation.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Centre on Saturday, 26, June told the Supreme Court that it expects 188 crore vaccine doses to inoculate all adults by the end of this year, reported NDTV.

In a 375-page affidavit filed in response to the top court's queries on the government's vaccination drive, the Centre claimed that approximately 186 to 188 crore doses will be required to vaccinate an adult population of 93-94 crore people.

“Out of this requirement, 51.6 crore doses will be made available for administration by 31 July, leaving a requirement of approximately 135 crore vaccine doses for complete vaccination to the eligible population,” the affidavit mentioned.

How Will Centre Procure the Remaining Doses?

The affidavit mentioned that the Centre's vaccine policy is dynamic as opposed to being static, as it laid down a roadmap of how the government plans to procure the remaining doses.

According to the NDTV report, in addition to Russia's Sputnik V — received Emergency Use Authorisation by the DCGI — being administered in India, "domestic pharmaceutical companies Biological E and Zydus Cadila are in the late stages of clinical trials and subject to regulatory approvals".

The affidavit further mentions that walk-in drives are being allowed for people of all age groups to overcome the barrier of digital divide.

It further goes on to state that 56.24% of India's rural population has taken the vaccine.

The affidavit was presented in response to the court’s sharply-pointed order from earlier this month, in which it had called the government’s vaccination policy “arbitrary” and “irrational”.

The Supreme Court will examine the affidavit on Wednesday, 30 June.

(With inputs from NDTV)