Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has directed the police department to book under the Goondas Act and detain persons hoarding Remdesivir drug and medical oxygen cylinders and selling them at exorbitant prices to Covid-19 patients.

This comes after several media reports that both are sold at black market at a huge price as the demand for both has zoomed in the recent times due to increasing Covid-19 cases in the State.

The State administration is taking all efforts for vaccine imports; availability of Remdesivir drug; oxygen production; increasing beds for Covid-19 patients and care through Covid-19 care centres, says government press release.

The State government is making available the drug at MRP of Rs 9,480 per vial while it is five to six times in the black market.

Meanwhile, there was chaos at the Nehru stadium in the city where hundreds of friends and relatives of Covid-19 patients converged to get the Remdesivir drug. To manage the crowd, the sale of the drug was shifted from Kilpauk Medical College to Nehru stadium.

Reacting to the huge crowd outside the Nehru Stadium, Prabhdeep Kaur, ICMR scientist, tweeted, "This is perfect setting for Covid19 cluster. Will make lockdown ineffective. Remdesivir is not a life saving drug. Yet, if government wants to help patients in private hospitals - it should be given directly to the hospitals.”

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