Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that the coronavirus vaccine will be made free of all costs, reported NDTV. Kerala is the latest to join the list of states, including Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, that have promised free vaccines.

“The government does not intend to take money for that [vaccination] from anyone,” he said. “We will take steps for free distribution.” Vijayan, however, said that the quantity of the vaccine allotted to the state by the Centre was not yet known.

Kerala is one of the worst affected states in India. It has reported 6,64,632 Covid-19 cases so far including 2,594 deaths. Talking to reporters on Saturday, the chief minister pointed out that the coronavirus cases in the state were decreasing. “However, it needs to be seen if the local body polls, two phases of which are over, would contribute to [an] increase in cases,” Vijayan said. “That will be known only in the days to come.” If the cases do not increase, this trend of declining infections will continue, he added, according to PTI.

India has not signed a deal for a coronavirus vaccine yet so it is unclear when it will be available for use in the country. The Centre had on Tuesday said three coronavirus vaccines, developed by Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute of India and Pfizer, are under active consideration of the drug regulator. The government said that there is hope that early licensure is possible for all or any of them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also said at an all-party meeting on December 4 that experts believe a coronavirus vaccine could be available in India in the next few weeks.

India registered 30,254 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the country’s tally to 98,57,029, the health ministry data showed. India has reported less than 40,000 cases for 14 consecutive days. The toll rose by 391 to 1,43,019.