Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami assures free COVID-19 vaccine for state people

File pic: Zee News

New Delhi:  After BJP’s announcement that free COVID-19 vaccine will be provided to all in Bihar once it has been cleared by the ICMR, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Thursday (October 22) assured free immunisation against coronavirus for all sections of people in the state as soon as a vaccine is made available.

During an official visit to Pudukottai, Palaniswami said,  "I would like to announce that as soon as the vaccine is developed (and made available to states) all people in Tamil Nadu will be immunised and the government shall bear the cost." 

The Tamil Nadu CM's came after the BJP’s ‘Vision Document’ for Bihar polls was released by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman, who said that free COVID-19 vaccine will be provided to all in Bihar once it has been cleared by the ICMR. 

The BJP manifesto said, "NDA government in Bihar has set an example before the country in the fight against corona. It's our resolve that once the vaccine against the coronavirus has been cleared by the ICMR, we will make it available to the people of Bihar free of cost." 

Last week, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said India is expected to have a COVID-19 vaccine in a few months and the country should be in the process of delivering it to people in the next six months. The COVID-19 vaccines are in various stages of trials. 

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu on Thursday became the fourth state in the country to cross seven lakh coronavirus cases with 3,077 new infections while the death toll touched 10,825 with 45 more fatalities. While the tally of positive cases stood at 7,00,193, the state capital accounted for 1,93,299, a bulletin said.

Showing the declining trend, the state has taken 21 days to register the last one lakh cases as against the 17 days it took to climb from five lakh to six lakh cases.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka are the other three states with a caseload of over seven lakh.