MUMBAI GETS BIDS TO IMPORT AT LEAST 10MN COVID VACCINES

Mumbai’s civic body has received bids from three companies to import 10 million Russia-made Sputnik V vaccines against coronavirus and expects more proposals as authorities attempt an ambitious plan to vaccinate every resident of the world’s second-most densely packed city within two months. BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said in an interview to a news channel on Wednesday that BMC estimates to spend about ₹700 crore to buy the shots. “Once we get 15 million vaccine shots, I plan to vaccinate the entire city in the next 60 days and by doing so, I am very sure we will be able to stop the third wave from coming.”

MUMBAI : Mumbai’s civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has received proposals from three companies for supplying Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccines, its commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said in an interview with a news channel on Wednesday.

Chahal’s comment comes a day after the civic body extended the deadline for a global tender for the supply of 10 million Covid vaccine doses to the city. The last date for submission was May 18, but after failing to receive any bids, BMC extended the deadline to May 25.

Mumbai has 11 million people over the age of 18 years, the current eligible group for vaccines.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Chahal said BMC estimates that it will spend about ₹700 crore to buy the shots. “Once we get 15 million vaccine shots, I plan to vaccinate the entire city in the next 60 days and by doing so, I am very sure we will be able to stop the third wave from coming.” Meanwhile, the three proposals for Sputnik V vaccines have come from a United Kingdom-based firm and two companies from India.

According to BMC officials, their paperwork was incomplete so the companies have been asked to send revised proposals as formal bids. The identity of the companies was not revealed by BMC; nor was it immediately clear.

Additional municipal commissioner P Velrasuadded: “We have received three proposals. All of them are for Sputnik vaccine but have come with incomplete paperwork. So we have given the extension.”

MUMBAI HAS 11 MILLION PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS, THE CURRENT ELIGIBLE GROUP FOR VACCINES.