"Kerala In Desperate Need Of Vaccines": Health Minister Veena George To NDTV

"Kerala has received 91 lakh doses. This includes supply from the centre as well as from companies. We are pressuring (the centre) for more," new Health Minister Veena George told NDTV

Days after being sworn in as Kerala's new Health Minister, Veena George told NDTV the focus is on increasing supply of Covid vaccines in the state as soon as possible. She said the state - which has 2.78 lakh active cases - is "in desperate need" of vaccines to help break the chain of transmission. "Kerala has received 91 lakh doses. This includes supply from the centre as well as recent arrivals directly from companies. We are pressuring (the centre) for more," Ms George said on Monday. "We have vaccinated 49 per cent of those above 45 with at least one dose each. Twenty per cent have got both doses. We are in desperate need of vaccines. The state is ready to buy... has floated tenders for three crore doses and June 2 is the last date for vendors to apply," she added. Kerala has seen a worrying surge in the number of Covid-related deaths but there is some good news.