Is this your policy on vaccination? SC asks Centre

New Delhi, May 31: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it is confident that it can vaccinate all eligible persons above the age of 18 years by the end of this year.

Earlier this month, the court had asked the Centre to revisit the COVID-19 vaccine pricing policy for the 18-44 age group.

A bench, headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud and also comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and L Nageswara Rao, was hearing a suo motu case related to supply of essential medicines, vaccines and medical oxygen to coronavirus patients.

"Several states are issuing global tenders to procure foreign vaccines for COVID-19 and is this policy of the central government?" the bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

The Centre said the entire eligible population would be vaccinated by the end of 2021.

The government is in talks with companies like Pfizer and if it succeeds, then the timeline for completing the vaccination would change, the law officer said.

Earlier, the top court had constituted a 12-member National Task Force to formulate a methodology for the scientific allocation of oxygen to the states and Union territories for saving lives of COVID patients and to facilitate a public health response to the pandemic.