Hundreds queued at a government-run counter in southern India that was selling remdesivir, a drug used in treating COVID-19 patients.

Footage from May 4 shows the large crowds lining up in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to purchase the drug for their hospitalised loved ones.

Residents need a doctor's prescription, a photocopy of the patient's CT scan and the hospital name in order to purchase the drug.

Long queues to buy Remdesivir were seen at Chennai’s Kilpauk Medical College sending social distancing for a complete toss as harried people got into arguments with each other and the stationed officials while trying to procure the covid-19 drug for hospitalized loved ones.

To buy the medicine, people need a doctor’s prescription (original not photocopy), the hospital name, photocopy of the patient’s RT-PCR test report, photocopy of Aadhar card (of both the patient and the procurer), and photocopy of CT scan report showing the patient’s lung involvement. People who got the token the previous day started to gather from as early as 4 am. The queue swelled even before the counter opened at 10 am. As only a few officials had been appointed to take care of billing and verification, it took more than 20 minutes for a single person to get the vials.

Remdesivir, an antiviral injection used to treat the Ebola virus, is being used to treat oxygen-dependent Sars-CoV-2 patients with severely affected lungs.