Mumbai Plans To Import Millions of Vaccines to Avert Third Covid Wave

Mumbai is open to any approved vaccine -- be it Russia's Sputnik, ones from Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, or the formula from Pfizer. The city will also pay the firms extra to maintain a cold chain or other necessary logistics, Commissioner Chahal said.

Authorities in Mumbai are seeking to import millions of vaccine doses to help avert a third potential coronavirus wave. The municipal corporation is in talks with the state government to allow it to invite bids from global manufacturers, Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said in an interview Monday. "The state government tender might be very huge, like 40 million, and no foreign supplier can match that kind of number, but if I just float 5 million vaccines, bids may come up from two-three companies," he said. "I am working on that and it's a matter of days that we will finalize something." Mumbai is open to any approved vaccine -- be it Russia's Sputnik, ones from Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, or the formula from Pfizer. The city will also pay the firms extra to maintain a cold chain or other necessary logistics, Commissioner Chahal said.