At a time when the state needs the doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Tamil Nadu has set a blemished record in India by becoming the state with the highest level of vaccine wastage. The development has come as a shock even as thousands of people still wait to receive their second dosage of the vaccine amid peaking Corona cases. 

When Tamil Nadu is claiming to be unfolding one of the biggest vaccination programs in the country, the RTI query reply has put out the fact that the state has the highest amount of wastage of vaccine. On Tuesday, the RTI response has said that Tamil Nadu stood first in vaccine wastage in the country. As per the data by the Union government in an RTI reply, Tamil Nadu has reported the highest vaccine wastage at 12.10% till April 11, followed by Haryana at 9.74% and Punjab with 8.12% wastage. 

The RTI reply has sparked outrage across the state as the reports have shedded light on the dearth of the vaccines with thousands of people are still waiting to receive their second dose of the vaccine. However, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Vijayabaskar has maintained that the vaccine wastage will reduce when the state begins to inoculate the doses to the people above 18 years of age from May 1, as part of the nation's third phase of the vaccination drive. 

On Tuesday, Vijayabaskar said, "Our main aim is to make everyone take the vaccine and wastage is secondary. We will definitely try to reduce the wastage and we have given instructions to nurses. The vaccine shortage will eventually come down once we start vaccinating people above 18 years." However, DMK President MK Stalin has slammed the ADMK-led state government over the revelation. 

By expressing his disappointment, Stalin has accused the Central ruling BJP of not being transparent. He further questioned the Union government for exporting 9,200 metric tonnes of oxygen to foreign countries and diverting 45 tonnes meant for Tamil Nadu without allegedly even informing officials of the state government. The DMK President said in a statement, "It appears that Modi only sees elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The Prime Minister has campaigned for being an able leader but can we fail like this?"

On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu has reported 11,681 fresh cases, the highest single-day rise recorded by the state since the outbreak. The state has been reporting unprecedented spikes in fresh cases for the past few days, which had contributed to a surge in active cases. On Wednesday, the state has reported 7,071 fresh discharges, and 53 deaths. According to the state health department, Tamil Nadu has reported 10,25,059 cases so far as of Wednesday of which 84,361 are active, 9,27,440 have been discharged, and 13,258 had succumbed to the viral infection.