India's COVID-19 vaccine mega-drive - will it succeed?

[MenInG]

One hopes so - the magnitude of the task to vaccinate such a large population makes it the toughest undertaking ever done by GOI

 

[MenInG]

India on Tuesday began the mammoth task of ferrying the first lot of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield doses, developed in Pune’s Serum Institute of India, with 9 flights carrying as many as 5.6 million doses to 13 cities ahead of the vaccination drive scheduled from January 16.

The flights from Pune were scheduled to ferry the vaccines to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Chandigarh on day one of the transportation drive, Union aviation minister Hardeep Puri announced on Tuesday.

Private carriers including SpiceJet, GoAir, Indigo and national carrier Air India were deployed for the transportation of the vaccines.

The first flight operated by Spicejet departed from Pune airport with 1088 kg of the vaccine consignment packed in 34 boxes and reached Delhi airport at 9:54 am. The second flight operated by GoAir ferried 70,800 vials of Covid-19 vaccines to Chennai.

“Some flights post 8 pm will operate from Mumbai airport too due to construction at Pune airport, cargo trucks will ferry the vaccine consignment from Pune to Mumbai. The schedule of flights ferrying consignment of vaccines from Hyderabad will be prepared once the government finalises and places an order with Bharat Biotech,” a senior official said.

The government had on Monday placed orders in advanced commitments for over six crore doses of vaccines from SII and Bharat Biotech for inoculating three crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase.

“Civil aviation sector launches yet another momentous mission. Vaccine movement starts. First two flights operated by SpiceJet and GoAir from Pune to Delhi and Chennai have taken off,” Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri tweeted on Tuesday morning.

“Good news just flew in! The first batch of Covid-19 vaccines reached Delhi Airport today. Our cargo terminal efficiently handled it through temperature-controlled technology, ranging from -20 Deg C to +25 Deg C,” Delhi airport tweeted.

The Centre will bear the entire cost of vaccinating 30 million healthcare and frontline workers — employees across government departments, the police and civic bodies — at the start of the world’s biggest immunization drive against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

The government on Friday put final touches to its Covid-19 vaccine roll-out plan as it held the biggest-yet drill to perfect immunization logistics and last-mile delivery, issued guidelines for safe air delivery of vaccines across the country. The guidelines directed airlines and airport authorities to ensure the vaccines are packaged in dry ice and refrigerated material in a bid to maintain low temperatures.

The guidelines issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) state all scheduled operators who have been currently authorized to carry dangerous goods may carry Covid-19 vaccines packed in dry ice, meeting the regulatory requirements.

“Though there may be different refrigerant options, use of dry ice (Carbon Dioxide Solid) is the most commonly used, affordable and readily available refrigerant material available in the country for transportation of perishables by air. Dry ice continually sublimates (Dry ice that is solid, transforms into Carbon Dioxide gas (CO2) at temperatures higher than -78°C (-108.4O F) under normal atmospheric pressure. At reduced pressures, the sublimation rate of dry ice will increase while all other factors being the same,” it noted.

The Centre had begun preparations for the transportation of the vaccines in December, the aviation ministry had instructed airport operators, including state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI), ground handling service providers and airlines to put in place standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the transportation of Covid-19 vaccines. The aviation ministry held multiple rounds of meetings with airline executives on transport logistics for the vaccine, HT had reported on December 7.

Airlines too had begun preparations for transportation; and started partnering with pharmaceutical transportation companies offering cold storage. SpiceJet had announced the signing of multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with an aggressive push for cold storage transportation ahead of the drive.

“I am happy to share that SpiceJet has carried India’s first consignment of Covid-19 vaccine today. The first consignment of Covishield consisting of 34 boxes and weighing 1088 kg was carried from Pune to Delhi on SpiceJet flight 8937,” Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said.

“We will be carrying multiple vaccine consignments to different Indian cities including Guwahati, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Patna and Vijayawada through the day today. SpiceJet is fully committed and prepared to transport the Covid vaccine both within and outside India. Today marks the beginning of a long and decisive phase in India’s fight against the pandemic and SpiceJet is proud to assist in the biggest vaccination drive in the history of mankind,” he added.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...cities-take-off-on-day-1-101610470423471.html

 

[gani999]

One hopes so - the magnitude of the task to vaccinate such a large population makes it the toughest undertaking ever done by GOI

India has successfully vaccinated and eradicated diseases like small pox in the past and polio more recently. It's not easy but they have procedures, protocols and the logistics in place.

 

[The Viper]

The Centre will bear the entire cost of vaccinating 30 million healthcare and frontline workers — employees across government departments, the police and civic bodies — at the start of the world’s biggest immunization drive against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

That is a huge amount. Good luck to India and I hope this is successful.

 

[moghul]

There is no reason it will not succeed , good luck and best wishes to them.

 

[Slog]

Why not

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Good news, all the best to India!

 

[Itachi]

Logistics are already in place. Even at village level, there are female workers who accompanies with the nurses in order to supervise the upbringing of kids in BPL families. As long as the state govt are sincere, it will succeed.

 

[Varun]

If you look at the time it's taken to implement Aadhaar in this country (and even now it's not fully implemented), then you have to give this the better part of the decade for it to go as planned.

 

[Itachi]

If you look at the time it's taken to implement Aadhaar in this country (and even now it's not fully implemented), then you have to give this the better part of the decade for it to go as planned.

Aadhar was given to agencies. It didn't have it's own implementation.

Vaccination already have it's own system in place without requirement of outside agencies.

 

[The Viper]

India Prepares For Massive Vaccine Drive, But Some Fear It's Moving Too Quickly

As India embarks this weekend on what may become the biggest national vaccination campaign in the world, some scientists have raised questions about one of the two vaccines the country of 1.4 billion people has authorized for emergency use against COVID-19.

More than 5 million vaccine vials arrived early Wednesday at hundreds of hospitals and clinics across India. Inoculations start Saturday. India aims to vaccinate 300 million people by July.

The shipments consist of two formulas: One developed by Oxford University and the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, and another vaccine developed by an Indian company called Bharat Biotech — billed as India's first "indigenous" vaccine. Both vaccines are being manufactured inside India.

Officials say patients will not be able to choose which of the two vaccines they get.

However, some scientists have expressed concern that the one produced by Bharat Biotech is being deployed prematurely. It still has yet to clear phase three clinical trials, and efficacy data isn't expected until March. Activists also allege unethical practices at one of drug's trial sites.

"Our chief concern is the lack of efficacy data," says Malini Aisola, co-convenor of the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), a healthcare watchdog. "It is currently too early for there to be any data. However, the regulator has cleared it for emergency restricted use, in what is being called 'clinical trial mode.' We actually have no idea what this means."

When India's regulator announced the vaccine's approval on Jan. 3, it said it was aimed at offering more options, in addition to the AstraZeneca formula, given that a more infectious COVID strain had been discovered in the UK. But at a news conference, the Drugs Controller of India, V. G. Somani, refused to take questions.

Many scientists, public health experts and opposition politicians are calling for more transparency.

Bharat Biotech's founder & chairman, Krishna Ella, told a Jan. 4 news conference his company's vaccine is "200% safe."

"We are 200% transparent, 200% honest clinical trial! And we get a bashing from everybody," Ella told reporters, accusing them of "bashing" his company.

It's not the first time India's regulator has bypassed the last phase of clinical trials to approve a potentially life-saving medicine. It happened last spring with hydroxychloroquine, a drug President Trump touted without proof as a treatment for COVID-19.

But there's a difference between giving an experimental drug to someone who is already sick, and giving a vaccine to someone who is healthy, says public health activist Dinesh Thakur.

With vaccines, he says, there should be more oversight. In the case of the Bharat Biotech vaccine, "the approval process in India was a secret," Thakur says.

He suspects it may have something to do with a new initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi called "Aatmanirbhar Bharat," or self-reliant India. In addition to a vaccine developed by the big multinational company AstraZeneca, India may also have wanted to approve one that was developed in India.

"There seems to be some sense of nationalism. You know, we can also make a vaccine," Thakur says.

Making vaccines — or least, mass-producing them — is something India is actually famous for. It's the world's largest vaccine producer, nicknamed 'the pharmacy to the world.'

https://www.npr.org/sections/corona...e-fear-its-moving-too-quickly?t=1610561610082

 

[Bosanquet]

One hopes so - the magnitude of the task to vaccinate such a large population makes it the toughest undertaking ever done by GOI

Let us hope so. However, I have a real concern that their government has chosen to approve the Bharat biotech Covaxin (as well as the Astra-Zeneca Oxford Covishield). The former - Covaxin - has been approved before completion of the Phase 3 trial. This means that nobody knows whether the vaccine works and what it's side effects are. The much smaller phase 2 trials were promising but real proof has to await the phase 3 results. It looks like the drugs authority has given in to pressure to have a "developed in India" product on the table.
The other vaccine - Covishield - is being manufactured by the serum institute of India but was developed and tested jointly by Oxford Uni & Astra. Fortunately the largest proportion of doses will be this one. However, having the other one as part of the roll-out will result in loss of trust; especiallly as the early recipients will be doctors/nurses and other healthcare staff - who will be rightly reluctant to receive an unproven product.
One can only hope that the phase 3 results for bharat biotech Covaxin come out soon and that the vaccine proves to be safe and effective.

 

[MenInG]

New Delhi: Delhi will have 81 sites where Covid vaccine will be administered. Of these the Covishield vaccine -- developed by the Oxford University -- will be given at 75 sites that would include government and private hospitals. Bharat Biotech's Covaxin will be given at six sites -- all of which are hospitals run by the Central government.

Earlier today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the government will roll out the vaccines at 81 centres, progressively increase it to 175, and then to 1,000 centres.

At each of the centres, up to 100 vaccines will be administered in a day and four times a week -- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Other vaccinations will take place the rest of the week. We do not want the vaccination schedules for other illnesses to suffer," Mr Kejriwal had said.

Delhi has received 2.74 lakh vaccines from the Centre, of which 1.2 lakh will be used for healthcare workers, Mr Kejriwal said. But so far, 2.4 lakh healthcare workers have registered for the vaccines, two doses of which are required for each person.

Mr Kejriwal expressed hope that the national capital will receive enough vaccines.

The Centre has purchased 1.10 crore doses of Covishield vaccine from the Serum Institute of India and will acquire another 4.50 crore doses by April. Another 55 lakh doses of Covaxin have been bought.

Over the last 24 hours, the national capital logged 357 new Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths.

Nationally, the corresponding figure is 16,946 fresh Covid cases, which took the total to 1.05 crore. Another 198 people have died, taking the total number of fatalities to 1,51,727, Health Ministry data showed.

 

[MenInG]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched on Saturday one of the world's largest vaccination campaigns, as part of efforts by the populous nation to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control starting with two locally-manufactured shots.

Modi, who addressed healthcare workers through video conferencing, will not immediately take the vaccine himself as India is initially prioritising nurses, doctors and others on the front line.

“This will be the world’s largest vaccination programme covering the entire length and breadth of the country,” Modi’s office said in a statement this week.

Indian authorities hope to give shots to 300 million people, roughly the population of the United States and several times more than its existing programme that targets 26m infants.


The recipients include 30m doctors, nurses and other front-line workers to be followed by 270m others, who are either aged over 50 or have illnesses that make them vulnerable to Covid-19.

Health officials haven't specified what percentage of the nearly 1.4 billion people will be targeted by the campaign. But experts say it will almost certainly be the largest such drive globally.

The sheer scale has its obstacles. For instance, India plans to rely heavily on a digital platform to track the shipment and delivery of vaccines. But public health experts point out that the internet remains patchy in large parts of the country, and some remote villages are entirely unconnected.

India gave the nod for emergency use of two vaccines, one developed by Oxford University and UK-based drugmaker AstraZeneca, and another by Indian company Bharat Biotech, on Jan 4. Cargo planes flew 16.5m shots to different Indian cities last week.

Health experts worry that the regulatory shortcut taken to approve the Bharat Biotech vaccine – without waiting for concrete data that would show its efficacy in preventing illness from the coronavirus – could amplify vaccine hesitancy. At least one state health minister has opposed its use.

India's Health Ministry has bristled at the criticism and says the vaccines are safe, but maintains that health workers will have no choice in deciding which vaccine they would get themselves.

According to Dr S P Kalantri, the director of a rural hospital in Maharashtra, India's worst-hit state, such an approach was worrying because he said the regulatory approval was hasty and not backed by science.

"In a hurry to be populist, the government (is) taking decisions that might not be in the best interest of the common man," Kalantri said.

Against the backdrop of the rising global Covid-19 death toll, which topped two million on Friday, the clock is ticking to vaccinate as many people as possible. But the campaign has been uneven.

In wealthy countries, including the United States, Britain, Israel, Canada and Germany, millions of citizens have already been given some measure of protection with at least one dose of vaccine, developed with revolutionary speed and quickly authorised for use.

But elsewhere, immunisation drives have barely gotten off the ground.

Many experts are predicting another year of loss and hardship in places like Iran, India, Mexico and Brazil, which together account for about a quarter of the world's deaths.

India is second to the US with 10.5m confirmed cases, and ranks third in the number of deaths, behind the US and Brazil, with almost 152,000.

Over 35m doses of various Covid-19 vaccines have been administered around the world, according to the University of Oxford.

While the majority of the Covid-19 vaccine doses have already been snapped up by wealthy countries, Covax, a UN-backed project to supply shots to developing parts of the world, has found itself short of vaccine, money and logistical help.

As a result, the World Health Organisation's chief scientist warned, it is highly unlikely that herd immunity, which would require at least 70 per cent of the globe to be vaccinated, will be achieved this year.

As the disaster has demonstrated, it is not enough to snuff out the virus in a few places.

Even if it happens in a couple of pockets, in a few countries, it's not going to protect people across the world, Dr Soumya Swaminathan said this week.

 

[MenInG]

India’s homegrown coronavirus vaccine developer Bharat Biotech has warned people with weak immunity and other medical conditions including allergies, fever or a bleeding disorder to consult a doctor before getting the shot – and if possible avoid the vaccine.

The company on Tuesday said those receiving its Covaxin shots should disclose their medical condition, medicines they are taking and any history of allergies.

It said severe allergic reactions among vaccine recipients may include difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and throat, rapid heartbeat, body rashes, dizziness and weakness.

The directive by the Indian manufacturer came three days after India started what the government calls the “world’s largest vaccination programme”.

However, the vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech ran into controversy after the country’s drug regulator allowed its use without concrete data showing its effectiveness in preventing COVID-19.

The regulator on January 4 approved the emergency use of two vaccines, one developed by Oxford University and United Kingdom-based drugmaker AstraZeneca, and the other by Bharat Biotech.

The drug regulator took the step without publishing information about the Indian vaccine’s efficacy.

Bharat Biotech has still not published data on its vaccine’s effectiveness but said it is complying with clinical trial guidelines.

The regulator maintains the vaccine is safe and gave its approval in the belief that it could be more effective in tackling a new variant of the coronavirus found in the UK.

The regulator and the company have said efficacy data will be published after continuing late clinical trials conclude.

Most hospitals in India are inoculating healthcare workers with the AstraZeneca vaccine. But turnout, particularly in those hospitals using the Bharat Biotech vaccine, has been relatively low, health officials said.

Hospitals in New Delhi that have been administering the Bharat Biotech vaccine have seen many doctors hesitant to get the shot.

Tens of thousands of people have been given the shot in the past three days after India started inoculating healthcare workers last weekend.

India vaccinated 148,266 people on Monday, taking its total to 381,305, the health ministry said. Indian authorities hope to give vaccines to 300 million people by July 2021.

The recipients are to include 30 million doctors, nurses and other front-line workers, to be followed by 270 million people who either are above 50 or have illnesses that make them vulnerable to COVID-19.

The vaccination drive began at a time when coronavirus infections have fallen sharply, and much of life has returned to normal.

India is second only to the United States in the number of confirmed cases at 10.5 million. The country ranks third in the number of reported deaths, behind the US and Brazil, with more than 152,000 fatalities.

Al Jazeera

 

[KoyoAli]

India, ‘pharmacy of the world’, starts exporting COVID vaccines

India has started exporting coronavirus vaccines with a shipment to the neighbouring Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, as the so-called “pharmacy of the world” looks to bolster its vaccine diplomacy.

Many low and middle-income countries are relying on India, the world’s biggest vaccine maker, for supplies to start COVID-19 immunization programmes and bring an end to their outbreaks.

“First consignment takes off for Bhutan!” MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava said on Twitter on Wednesday. “India begins supply of Covid vaccines to its neighbouring and key partner countries.”

The ministry said on Tuesday “supplies under grant assistance” would be shipped to the Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles, while Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius await regulatory clearances to receive the vaccines.

“The Pharmacy of the World will deliver to overcome the COVID challenge,” Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar posted on Twitter, referring to the exports.

Indian firms produce about half of the world’s vaccine supply, mostly for developing nations, according to the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance.

India will also provide training for personnel involved in the vaccine roll-out in all the neighbouring countries.

India authorised two vaccines this month for emergency use at home, one licensed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca and another developed at home by Bharat Biotech in partnership with the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research. Both are manufactured locally.

However, Bharat Biotech on Tuesday warned people with weak immunity and other medical conditions including allergies, fever or a bleeding disorder to consult a doctor before getting the shot – and if possible avoid the vaccine.

The company said those receiving vaccinations should disclose their medical condition, medicines they are taking and any history of allergies. It said severe allergic reactions among vaccine recipients may include difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and throat, rapid heartbeat, body rashes, dizziness and weakness.

The Bharat Biotech vaccine, called Covaxin, ran into controversy after the Indian government allowed its use without concrete data showing its effectiveness in preventing COVID-19.

At least two other vaccines are expected to be authorised by India in the next few months.

India will initially ship only the AstraZeneca vaccine, made by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s biggest vaccine maker, which brands the shot as Covishield.

Bangladesh said it expected to receive a gift of two million doses of Covishield on Thursday. The country of more than 160 million has yet to start its vaccination programme and has ordered a further 30 million doses of the shot.

India, which has reported the highest number of coronavirus infections after the United States, has vaccinated more than 631,417 front-line workers after the nationwide drive began on Saturday.

The world’s second-most populous country on Wednesday reported 13,823 new cases, taking the total to 10.9 million. The number of deaths from the disease rose by 162 to 152,718, data from the health ministry showed.

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/...ting-covid-vaccines?__twitter_impression=true

 

[Hornbill]

Pharmacy of the world but millions of Indians can't afford most of drugs it produces

 

[finalfantasy7]

Pharmacy of the world but millions of Indians can't afford most of drugs it produces

give credit where credit due, they are manufacturing the vaccine for most of the world.

however it is true, thats many of its citizens cannot afford the drug - its the case for pakistani as well

 

[Rajdeep]

Amazing achievement. It just goes to show what good leadership and governance can do to a nation. India is now one of the most important nations around the world. Then compare it to where we were before 2014.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Looks like a major fire at the Serum Institute of India, the manufacturer of the Covishield vaccine. Hope everyone is safe.<br> <a href="https://t.co/4h92dx9WTO">pic.twitter.com/4h92dx9WTO</a></p>— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) <a href="https://twitter.com/ARanganathan72/status/1352189511132868612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Varun]

Amazing achievement. It just goes to show what good leadership and governance can do to a nation. India is now one of the most important nations around the world. Then compare it to where we were before 2014.

We were just as important. Or not important.

Stop being a Godi shill.

 

[gani999]

Hope everyone is safe.


Won't be surprised if it is a sabotage, given the number of Indians of a certain ideological dispensation hell bent on giving the country a bad name.

 

[gani999]

Pharmacy of the world but millions of Indians can't afford most of drugs it produces

Contrary to what people believe, most Indians can afford Indian-made vaccinations. The country would not have eradicated polio otherwise.

 

[Rajdeep]

We were just as important. Or not important.

Stop being a Godi shill.

Lol no...India was a laughing stock around the world under MMS regime. Check what Obama had to write about Rahul Gandhi and Congress in his book. This pragmatic shift of India's reputation only happened during this current regime.

Another astonishing thing to note is, people who were claiming Modi govt is only busy clapping and beating thalis are now maintaining pedestrian distance from this topic that India is now centre stage to fight Covid 19 by becoming biggest exporter of vaccine.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Hope everyone is safe.


Won't be surprised if it is a sabotage, given the number of Indians of a certain ideological dispensation hell bent on giving the country a bad name.

Who do you think set the fire?

 

[cricketjoshila]

Hope everyone is safe.


Won't be surprised if it is a sabotage, given the number of Indians of a certain ideological dispensation hell bent on giving the country a bad name.

Looks like sabotage. 5 people died. Arrests and sealing of company officials and the plant next?

 

[Rajdeep]

Looks like sabotage. 5 people died. Arrests and sealing of company officials and the plant next?

Its really sad if it is indeed a sabotage. Congress was doing politics and unhappy from the day vaccine distribution started. Randeep Surjewala was doing press conference questioning the credibility of these vaccines. I wont be surprised if they put the factory on fire just to stop the production of these vaccines.

 

[gani999]

Looks like sabotage. 5 people died. Arrests and sealing of company officials and the plant next?

Thankfully, the vaccine production unit is not affected. The fire broke out somewhere else in the plant.

 

[gani999]

Its really sad if it is indeed a sabotage. Congress was doing politics and unhappy from the day vaccine distribution started. Randeep Surjewala was doing press conference questioning the credibility of these vaccines. I wont be surprised if they put the factory on fire just to stop the production of these vaccines.

Those scoundrels will stoop to any level.
The fire must be investigated and those responsible named and shamed.

 

[MenInG]

Concerns over the efficacy and safety of Covid-19 vaccines continue to mount in the country, with even healthcare professionals of coming forward voluntarily in the numbers as expected to take the shot.

When the vaccination drive started on January 16, according to the government data, over 2 lakh healthcare workers took the vaccine. However, after five days of vaccination drive, the number hovers around 8 lakhs.

At this rate, it will take almost a year to vaccinate 3 crore healthcare workers in the first phase because as per the government plan, only four days in a week has been designated for the vaccination process.

At a recent press conference, Dr VK Paul, Member, NITI Aayog made a humble appeal repeatedly to health workers to come forward.

So why is vaccine hesitancy quite high in India? Outlook spoke to a lot of doctors who say that until politicians and parliamentarians come forward and the government releases the data on the safety and efficacy of Covaxin, hesitancy will continue to plague the vaccination drive.

AIIMS Resident Doctors Association president Adarsh Pratap Singh says that in other countries politicians and head of states have taken the vaccine to instil confidence among people.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t heard of any politician in India be it the PM, President, Health Minister or any parliamentarian have come forward for this. Why aren’t they taking the vaccine?” He adds that it will go a long way in inspiring the general public about its safety and efficacy.

Doctors say that when the US President-elect Joe Biden, former Vice President Mike Pence, US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and many others can take the shot, “why our politicians are hesitant?” Singh questioned.

Former RDA president of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital Dr Parv Mittal says, “The nation’s elected representatives taking the jab would go a long way in allaying vaccine fears amongst the country’s frontline workers especially doctors.”

Dr Rahul Bhargava from Fortis Hospital, Gurugram says, “Our Prime Minister is a charismatic leader. We follow his advice in letter and spirit. I believe if he takes the vaccine, the hesitancy will go away among all section of society.”

“Besides, if you see most of the parliamentarians are above 50. They should take the vaccine on priority as we need parliament to function ahead of important issues like budget etc,” Bhargava adds.

Along with supporting this idea, many doctors also questions the unavailability of clinical trial data of Covaxin in the public domain.

AIIMS RDA ex-general secretary Srinivas Rajkumar blames the Health Ministry and ICMR for coming out with inconsistent facts in the past on several issues related to treatment and containment of the infection.

“The ICMR and the Health Ministry have an inconsistent approach towards many issues in the past including the vaccination process and this has dented their credibility. Now the only way forward is to make data public and enable informed decision making,” Srinivas said.

RDA vice-president of Ram Manohar Lohiya hospital Nirmalya Mohapatra says, “At this time of vaccination, the country is looking up to doctors, doctors are the celebrities."

He adds, “A stellar turnout of the medical fraternity will set the pace of the subsequent phases of the vaccination drive. Clearing the doubts of the medical fraternity, and not just brushing our genuine concerns under the carpet, as being victims of rumours will help a lot of healthcare workers to come out of the pehle aap mode, that they are right now.”

 

[Napa]

Let us hope so. However, I have a real concern that their government has chosen to approve the Bharat biotech Covaxin (as well as the Astra-Zeneca Oxford Covishield). The former - Covaxin - has been approved before completion of the Phase 3 trial. This means that nobody knows whether the vaccine works and what it's side effects are. The much smaller phase 2 trials were promising but real proof has to await the phase 3 results. It looks like the drugs authority has given in to pressure to have a "developed in India" product on the table.
The other vaccine - Covishield - is being manufactured by the serum institute of India but was developed and tested jointly by Oxford Uni & Astra. Fortunately the largest proportion of doses will be this one. However, having the other one as part of the roll-out will result in loss of trust; especiallly as the early recipients will be doctors/nurses and other healthcare staff - who will be rightly reluctant to receive an unproven product.
One can only hope that the phase 3 results for bharat biotech Covaxin come out soon and that the vaccine proves to be safe and effective.

If I understand it correctly, phase 3 trials have about 30,000 subjects. Covaxin hasn't passed phase 3, but once around 30,000 are vaccinated (there will probably be many millions vaccinated using Covaxin) then one can study the impact. I understand this is not as rigorous as the procedure in Western countries, but the conditions in India are different and there is a push to get people vaccinated earlier rather than later.

I would think that newer vaccine methods (like mRNA) would need to be tested more thoroughly than vaccines that followed the old true and tried route. I could be mistaken, this is your area not mine.

 

[Hornbill]

Contrary to what people believe, most Indians can afford Indian-made vaccinations. The country would not have eradicated polio otherwise.

Polio vaccines and some other are provided free of cost with the help of unicef, millions of Indians die of treatable diseases each year.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Polio vaccines and some other are provided free of cost with the help of unicef, millions of Indians die of treatable diseases each year.

India has its own immunization program. The largest in the world. You try to portray as if Kindian immunization program is run by Unicef.

Can you point out which are these treatable diseases and how many Individuals died because of it.

 

[Hornbill]

India has its own immunization program. The largest in the world. You try to portray as if Kindian immunization program is run by Unicef.

As long as India taking the help of outside organisations there is nothing wrong in acknowledging their important role

Can you point out which are these treatable diseases and how many Individuals died because of it.

Just google

 

[MenInG]

Nagpur in western India is to be the first major city in the country to return to a complete lockdown amid a sharp spike in coronavirus cases.

The week-long lockdown, which starts on 15 March, will extend to adjoining areas of the district as well.

Maharashtra state, where Nagpur is located, has always been a Covid hotspot, with the highest number of active and confirmed cases in India.

India has recorded more than 11 million cases and 157,000 deaths so far.

Caseloads have declined sharply in recent months across the country, but six states, including Maharashtra, have been reporting a fresh surge.

Amaravati district, also in Maharashtra, was put under a week-long complete lockdown in February due to a spike in cases.

Scientists fear that new variants could be one of the reasons for the uptick in the state.

The other is laxity in following Covid-19 safety protocols. Lack of masking and social distancing, and poor test and trace has all added to the spike in Maharashtra, Dr Sanjay Oak, a member of the state's Covid task force, told the BBC recently.

This comes early on in India 's vaccination drive, which began in January. More than 20 million people have been given at least one dose of a Covid vaccine so far.

How is the world's biggest vaccine drive going?
India hunts for new strains as Covid wave looms
The vaccine drive will continue in Nagpur as planned, state cabinet minister Nitin Raut said.

"Except for 25% attendance in government offices and industries, all other establishments and non-essential shops will remain closed," he added.

Essential services such as hospitals and grocery shops will remain open. While restaurants will be shut, home delivery will be permitted. Police have been ordered to impose a strict curfew.

 

[pillionrider]

Lol no...India was a laughing stock around the world under MMS regime. Check what Obama had to write about Rahul Gandhi and Congress in his book. This pragmatic shift of India's reputation only happened during this current regime.

Another astonishing thing to note is, people who were claiming Modi govt is only busy clapping and beating thalis are now maintaining pedestrian distance from this topic that India is now centre stage to fight Covid 19 by becoming biggest exporter of vaccine.

)

Yeah, because the BJP set up the Serum Institute and Modiji invented the vaccine while in the Himalayas

 

[Rajdeep]

)

Yeah, because the BJP set up the Serum Institute and Modiji invented the vaccine while in the Himalayas

Everyone knows that the vaccine was invented by serum institute and medical science. But when covid situation was bad in India you all blamed Modi, remember? Now that India has emerged as global exporter of vaccine...credit should be given to the PM. Correct na?

Even foreigners are appreciating tremendous work done by Indian govt. How long will you liberals remain in denial and keep the hatred alive? Its time to bury the hachet, smell the coffee and embrace the reality.

Thank you India, PM Modi': Canadians put up billboards after receiving COVID-19 vaccines

Canada got the first consignment of Covishield from India last week; India will send another consignment of 1.5 million doses to Canada

https://www.businesstoday.in/curren...receiving-covid-19-vaccines/story/433577.html

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Everyone knows that the vaccine was invented by serum institute and medical science. But when covid situation was bad in India you all blamed Modi, remember? Now that India has emerged as global exporter of vaccine...credit should be given to the PM. Correct na?

Even foreigners are appreciating tremendous work done by Indian govt. How long will you liberals remain in denial and keep the hatred alive? Its time to bury the hachet, smell the coffee and embrace the reality.

Thank you India, PM Modi': Canadians put up billboards after receiving COVID-19 vaccines

Canada got the first consignment of Covishield from India last week; India will send another consignment of 1.5 million doses to Canada

https://www.businesstoday.in/curren...receiving-covid-19-vaccines/story/433577.html

Thank you Modi for inventing(importing?) vaccine. Now can you please take responsibility of 11 million cases and 157,000 deaths in India and resign? Or are you only going to associate your name with famous and good things like Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad or Statue of Unity?

 

[Rajdeep]

Thank you Modi for inventing(importing?) vaccine. Now can you please take responsibility of 11 million cases and 157,000 deaths in India and resign? Or are you only going to associate your name with famous and good things like Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad or Statue of Unity?

No because people died due to Pandemic and its the case among all the countries around the world. No one, including the so called first world countries could save all its citizens from death due to Covid. But where as most countries are still at disarray, India excelled due to its tremendous governance. The mass vaccination programme and India being the biggest exporter of global vaccine is a feat definitely commendable. So much so that even Pakistan is importing Indian vaccines.

#ModiHaiToMumkinHai
#SabChangaSi

Pakistan to get 45 million doses of Indian-made vaccine via Gavi: Report

The doses will be received under an agreement with Gavi, the vaccine alliance, the report said, adding that additional 16 million doses will be received by June this year.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/worl...-vaccine-via-gavi-report-101615316097270.html

 

[gani999]

)

Yeah, because the BJP set up the Serum Institute and Modiji invented the vaccine while in the Himalayas

At least in India, it is quite normal for the government of the day to take credit for any good happening in the country, even if they were not involved in any way. Even the previous Congress regimes did that.

 

[pillionrider]

Everyone knows that the vaccine was invented by serum institute and medical science. But when covid situation was bad in India you all blamed Modi, remember? Now that India has emerged as global exporter of vaccine...credit should be given to the PM. Correct na?

Even foreigners are appreciating tremendous work done by Indian govt. How long will you liberals remain in denial and keep the hatred alive? Its time to bury the hachet, smell the coffee and embrace the reality.

Thank you India, PM Modi': Canadians put up billboards after receiving COVID-19 vaccines

Canada got the first consignment of Covishield from India last week; India will send another consignment of 1.5 million doses to Canada

https://www.businesstoday.in/curren...receiving-covid-19-vaccines/story/433577.html

Just because some NRI clowns are ready to pay for billboards, doesn't mean you get so excited

This is the guy whom you should be thanking. In 2011, he took over his family-company that was started in the '60s. He has the Modi touch of flamboyance and cringe swag, except that this guy actually did something useful for the world and country.

Btw, they didn't invent the vaccine

 

[pillionrider]

Everyone knows that the vaccine was invented by serum institute and medical science. But when covid situation was bad in India you all blamed Modi, remember? Now that India has emerged as global exporter of vaccine...credit should be given to the PM. Correct na?

Even foreigners are appreciating tremendous work done by Indian govt. How long will you liberals remain in denial and keep the hatred alive? Its time to bury the hachet, smell the coffee and embrace the reality.

Thank you India, PM Modi': Canadians put up billboards after receiving COVID-19 vaccines

Canada got the first consignment of Covishield from India last week; India will send another consignment of 1.5 million doses to Canada

https://www.businesstoday.in/curren...receiving-covid-19-vaccines/story/433577.html

Not even a day after nine billboards thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines propped up in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the ad company took down the hoardings following ‘community complaints on creative design,’ Hindustan Times reported.

The billboards were sponsored by an Indo-Canadian community group Hindu Forum Canada (HFC), and displayed an image of Modi in the foreground with Indian and Canadian flags in the background. It read, “Thank You, India & PM Narendra Modi. Long Live Canada India Friendship.”

) As I said, don't get excited when we all know who is usually behind all this self-praise.

 

[MenInG]

India records over 26,000 new COVID cases, its highest single-day spike this year

 

[OMB]

Covid-19: India records 26,291 fresh infections in 24 hours


India reported 26,291 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours.
Total COVID cases in country mounted to 1,13,85,339.
Union Health Ministry reported 17,455 recoveries in last 24 hours which took the recovery tally to 1,10,07,352.
Active cases in the country are 2,19,262.
With 118 new deaths, death toll due to COVID-19 stood at 1,58,725.
So far, 2,99,08,038 beneficiaries have been inoculated for the virus.

 

[pillionrider]

India records over 26,000 new COVID cases, its highest single-day spike this year

I think the Gujaratis who packed the stadium for the T20s thought that since Modi has taken the vaccine, they had become immune to COVID-19

 

[OMB]

I think the Gujaratis who packed the stadium for the T20s thought that since Modi has taken the vaccine, they had become immune to COVID-19

yes pretty awful to see that. Didn't look like there was any social distancing happening. 50% just doesn't work when the seats are so close. Should have been 20% attendance to have at least 6 ft gap between seats.
Hope the IPL would not keep the crowds away and safe.

 

[OMB]

Cricket legend Viv Richards thanks India for Covid vaccine

Four former captains of the team had thanked India for their help in a video.
Four legendary former captains of the West Indies cricket team put out a video thanking India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for procuring Covid vaccines for their nation.

A video put out on the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ socials shows legends Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Richie Richardson, Jimmy Adams and Ramnaresh Sarwan thanking India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and other CARICOM countries with the Astrazeneca vaccine.

“We thank all the people of India for such a kind gesture,” Sir Vivian Richards says in the video.

India had been supplying multiple Caribbean nations with free Covid vaccines, and has also “gifted” or sold millions of doses to its neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

 

[pillionrider]

I think the Gujaratis who packed the stadium for the T20s thought that since Modi has taken the vaccine, they had become immune to COVID-19

In the wake of sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) has decided to organise remaining T20 International Matches between India and England at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad behind closed doors without audiences.

In a late night press statement, the GCA said it will refund the money to the spectators, who have purchased the tickets for T20Is scheduled on March 16, March 18 and March 20, 2021.

https://www.thehindu.com/sport/cric...-at-narendra-modi-stadium/article34078051.ece

 

[OMB]

Digvijaya Singh Slams Centre On Diluted Covid Rules At Maha Kumbh; Contrasts With Cricket


Congress leader Digvijaya Singh took a jibe at the Centre over allowing lakhs of people to gather in Uttarakhand for Kumbh Mela in view of rising COVID-19 cases

View attachment 107970

On Tuesday, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh took a jibe at the Central government over allowing lakhs of people to gather in Uttarakhand's Haridwar for Kumbh Mela as the country is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases. He tweeted in Hindi, "While there is a ban on cricket fans to go to the stadium to enjoy a match, lakhs of devotees are being allowed to congregate in Uttarakhand's Kumbh. Thanks!

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Tuesday, in the last 24 hours, as many as 24,492 new COVID-19 cases and 131 deaths were reported in India taking the total number of active cases in the country to 2,23,432.

'Negative Covid report not needed for Kumbh'- Uttarakhand CM

On Monday, Uttrakhand's new Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat had said that a COVID-19 report would not be necessary to participate in the upcoming 'Shahi Snan' (holy bath) during the Kumbh Mela.

"I had asked not to stop people from coming here but they must follow COVID guidelines. Devotees were afraid that they will not be allowed to enter if their COVID report will not negative on which I confirmed, the report is not needed," said Rawat.

CM Rawat said that the Uttarakhand government has decided to limit the Kumbh this year to 30 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has increased the bus services.

"Around 32-33 lakh devotees people participated in first 'shahi snan' and they left for their home peacefully. However, the upcoming three 'snans' will be challenging. We have increased bus services four times to help people reach Kumbh Mela easily from the border," CM added.

"No Spectators allowed": GCA
Digvijaya Singh's tweet referred to the late-night press statement released by the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), in which it announced that in the wake of a sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases in Ahmedabad, the remaining T20 International matches between India and England at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will be organised behind closed doors. On the other hand, the Uttarakhand government has said that the COVID-19 report would not be necessary for attending the Kumbh, raising questions.

Maha Kumbh Mela 2021
The Maha Kumbh Mela that is organised once every twelve years, and goes on for over 100 days, will be hosted for 30 days this year. The Uttarakhand government has taken this decision considering the ongoing situation of the Coronavirus pandemic, where cases are still piling up across India and the world even as vaccinations have begun.

 

[OMB]

How effective has been the Vaccination roll out in India?

Just a sham: Rahul Gandhi criticises Centre over handling of Covid crisis


Gandhi’s attack comes in the wake of India reporting an unprecedented increase in Covid-19 cases with over 200,000 cases being reported on Thursday, the biggest single-day hike since the beginning of the pandemic

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government over the handling of the Covid-19 crisis in India on Thursday, and alleged that the “tika ustav” was just another sham by the government. He also alleged that there are no beds, ventilators or vaccines available.

Through his official Twitter handle, he tweeted, “There are no tests, no beds in hospitals. There are no ventilators, no oxygen. There are no vaccines also. The utsav is a pretence”. The Wayanad MP also took a dig at the Prime Minister asking what PM-CARES is doing, as huge donations were allocated to the fund for managing the Covid-19 situation.

Gandhi’s attack comes in the wake of India reporting an unprecedented increase in Covid-19 cases with over 200,000 cases being reported on Thursday, the biggest single-day hike since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the health ministry data, the overall tally of infections in India is currently at 14,075,564.

Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi gestures as he addresses a rally during an election campaign at Shibmandir on the outskirts of Siliguri.
Rahul Gandhi criticises Centre’s vaccine festival, calls it a ‘sham’

The former Congress president has been critical of the government’s way of handling the Covid-19 crisis since the pandemic spread. Last week, Gandhi raised questions over conducting the tika ustav when the country is facing a vaccine shortage and vaccination centres are being shut down.

On Wednesday, the Congress leader also took a dig at the Centre over its decision to fast-track approval for foreign vaccines. Gandhi, who had been earlier criticised by BJP for his demand to fast-track more vaccines, tweeted, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

On Monday, he had endorsed the vaccine against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for all and said that “everyone has the right to a safe life”. From his official Twitter account, Gandhi also shared a video as part of the Congress’ #SpeakUpForVaccinesForAll campaign on social media and urged citizens to protect themselves from the virus by making themselves and everyone else aware of the appropriate vaccine. The Congress leader has been actively using Twitter to criticise the government.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/just-a-sham-rahul-gandhi-criticises-centre-over-handling-of-covid-crisis-101618475579831.html

 

[OMB]

India has administered over 114 million Covid vaccine doses

In all, 114,318,455 vaccine doses have been given in the country till now. This includes 9,063,976 healthcare workers who have had their first dose and 5,603,568 who have got their second dose as well

India had administered over 114 million coronavirus vaccine doses across the country by Wednesday evening, with Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh giving over 10 million doses on the day.An alarming rise in cases -- many states registerd their highest single-day spike -- also saw the Centre announce scrapping of this year’s CBSE class 10 boards while it postponed those of class 12.

In all, 114,318,455 vaccine doses have been given in the country till now. This includes 9,063,976 healthcare workers who have had their first dose and 5,603,568 who have got their second dose as well. As many as 10,209,443 frontline workers have had their first dose while 5,061,571 have got their second dose too.

In the 45-59-year age group, 37,334,924 people have got their first dose and another 894,077 have had their second dose as well. In the 60+ category, 43,413,349 people have been administered their first dose while 2,737,547 have had their second dose as well.

As many as 3,139,063 vaccine doses were given on Wednesday till 8pm, as per the provisional report, on the fourth day of the Tika Utsav. Of this, 2,719,964 beneficiaries were vaccinated with the first dose and 419,099 beneficiaries received their second dose as well.


https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-has-administered-over-114-million-covid-vaccine-doses-101618459856669.html

 

[RajBan]

It's bad management. There are several articles on how the centre has mismanaged and some of them looks to be pretty solid argument.

 

[MenInG]

Akhilesh Mishra started getting a fever and a cough last Thursday but he initially thought it was just the flu.

Akhilesh began to worry the next day, when his father Yogendra developed similar symptoms. The two men decided to get Covid RT-PCR tests done and tried to book a slot online but the next available appointment was three days later.

They finally managed to get a slot on Sunday. In the meantime, Yogendra was running a very high fever and his doctor advised him to look for a hospital bed, which turned out to be another daunting task. They were turned away by many private hospitals in the city of Noida and also in the capital, Delhi.

The family finally managed to get a bed for him in a private hospital in Delhi and he is now recovering.

Akhilesh had thought he would lose his father.

"I felt depressed," he said. "I feared that he was going to die without getting treatment. No son should have to go through what I went through. Everybody should have equal access to care."

The family's story is not unique. Accounts of family members struggling to find a bed, or life-saving drugs or oxygen cylinders, are being reported all over India. In some cities, there is a long waiting list at the crematoriums.

In recent days in India, social media has been awash with desperate requests for help finding the drugs remdesivir and tocilizumab. The effectiveness of the two drugs is being debated across the world but some countries, including India, have given emergency use authorisation to both.

The antiviral drug remdesivir is being prescribed by doctors across the country, and it is in high demand. India has banned exports, but manufacturers are still struggling to meet the demand. India has reported more than 150,000 Covid cases a day for the past three weeks.

Hetero Pharma, one of seven firms manufacturing remdesivir in India, said the company was trying to ramp up production. The BBC has found that the shortage in supply is leading to black marketing of the drug in Delhi and several other cities. At least three agents contacted by the BBC in Delhi agreed to supply each 100mg vial of remdesivir for 24,000 rupees ($320; £232) - five times the official price. India's health ministry recommends six doses of 100mg vials for a patient for one course of the drug, but doctors say up to eight doses are needed in some cases.

That is a lot of money for a middle-class family. "I had to spend so much money to get the drug, said Atul Garg, whose mother was admitted to a private hospital in Delhi. Finding the drug required "hundreds of calls and many anxious hours", Atul said.

Tocilizumab, a drug normally used to treat arthritis, has been proven to save lives in some clinical trials. But it has almost disappeared from the market in India.

Rajiv Singhal, general secretary of the All India Chemists and Druggists Association, said his phone was ringing through the day as people asked him to help find the drugs.

"The situation is so bad that I can't even get the drugs for my own family members," he said. "We are trying to take action against those who are black marketing, but I admit that there are leakages in the system."

Oxygen, X-rays and Covid tests

The demand for medical oxygen has also soared in several Indian sates. Several hospitals are turning patients away because they lack supplies. Maharashtra state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked the federal government to send oxygen by army aircraft, as road transportation was taking too long to replenish the supply in hospitals.

The situation is much worse in small cities and towns. When patients are not able to find a hospital bed, doctors advise them to arrange oxygen cylinders at home.

Nabeel Ahmed's father was diagnosed with Covid on Friday in a small town in northern India. Five days later, he started having difficulty in breathing.

The doctor advised Nabeel to get an oxygen cylinder at home. He had to drive for four hours to another city to pick one up. "It took me eight hours to get a cylinder for my dad while he was struggling to breathe," he said.

Another major problem patients are facing in smaller towns is that private labs are refusing to conduct chest X-rays and CT scans. Doctors often ask for these tests to assess the progress of the disease.

Yogesh Kumar, who lives in the northern town of Allahabad, said the only way for him to get an X-ray done was to either get admitted to a hospital or to get the test done at a government-run hospital, where the waiting list was too long.

A doctor in Allahabad told the BBC: "It's unbelievable that I am unable to get X-rays done for my patients. We have to just rely on blood reports to assess the disease in some cases, which is not ideal."

Crematoriums in many badly affected cities are running day and night. In some cases, families have to wait for several hours to cremate the deceased. A recent report said that the metal structure of the furnaces inside a crematorium in the western Indian city of Surat had started melting because it had been running day and night without any break.

A short video clip went viral recently showing dozens of funeral pyres burning in the northern city of Lucknow in the middle of the night.

Many staff members at crematoriums are working without a break. They are getting exhausted. Many around India are asking if these situations were avoidable.

"We did not learn lessons from the first wave. We were aware that the second wave was coming but we didn't plan to avoid unfortunate incidences like shortages of drugs, beds and oxygen," said epidemiologist Dr Lalit Kant.

"We didn't even learn from other countries which faced similar circumstances," he said.

Some names have been changed on request.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56757405

 

[OMB]

Shortage of vaccine raw materials, SII CEO to Biden: End export embargo

In a Twitter post, tagging the US President, Poonawalla said: “Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details.”

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla Friday urged US President Joe Biden to lift the embargo on export of raw materials needed to ramp up production of Covishield and Covovax, the Covid-19 vaccines it is making in India.

In a Twitter post, tagging the US President, Poonawalla said: “Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details.”

He later told The Indian Express: “The vaccine industry, outside the United States, needs plastic bags, filters and media solutions which are critical in the manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccine. For a month, we have been asking the US authorities, but they have not responded.”

“We are hoping that the Biden administration takes a more global perspective than the previous administration which was looking at only America and America first – that is our hope, our umeed,” he said.

Indian government officials have raised the issue with their US counterparts in Delhi and Washington DC to allow ingredients crucial for vaccine manufacturing. Taranjit Sandhu, India’s ambassador to the US, has flagged the issue to officials in the US administration.

For a month now, vaccine manufacturers and upstream suppliers have been increasingly reporting shortage of raw and packaging materials, critical consumables and equipment. Over time, such shortages, if left unaddressed, will lead to shortage of vaccines and impact delivery commitments.

The SII is currently manufacturing the Covishield vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford university. The vaccine is not only being used in the country but is also exported to other countries. It also has an agreement with Novavax to make around a billion doses of Covovax, but the Pune firm’s ability to make and stockpile this vaccine has reportedly been halved as a result of the US restrictions.

The US restrictions are expected to hit the output of major suppliers for the world. The continued restrictions, a result of the US Defence Production Act that has been invoked frequently throughout the course of the ongoing pandemic, may not only cause a fight for limited resources, but may also delay regulatory clearances of some of these products, according to some experts.

The materials flagged by Poonawalla — plastic bags, filters and cell culture media — are relevant to most vaccines being made to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Products like the microcarrier beads, used in the process of growing the cell lines to make several vaccines that use a virus, are also in shortage, said an expert requesting anonymity.

While some experts have said that the US is not the only supplier of these products — some capacity for specific input materials exists in other countries as well — it does contribute a major role.

For instance, the sterile filters used by companies as part of the final process of purification of the protein are majorly supplied by companies like New York-headquartered Pall Life Sciences and Merck Millipore, owned by Germany’s Merck but headquartered in Massachusetts.

Most suppliers for the single-use bioreactor systems, which use disposable bags for cell culture and fermentation include American multinational company Baxter Healthcare, Massachusetts-headquartered ThermoFisher and Cytiva. However, Germany-headquartered Sartorius AG also provides such end-to-end disposable systems.

Cytiva-owned HyClone and Merck Millipore supply cell culture media and serums used in them, but these are also made by Germany’s CellGenix, India’s HiMedia and Switzerland’s Lonza Group AG.

The shortage of crucial inputs like bioreactor bags, cell culture media and filters were flagged as potential roadblocks by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) early in March. Apart from this, chromatography consumables have also been highlighted as a concern.

An issue with companies switching to other suppliers also includes the complex regulatory processes that they have to undergo for seeking approvals for their vaccines in different regions.


https://indianexpress.com/article/india/covid-vaccine-export-raw-material-sii-adar-poonawalla-serum-institute-7277089/

 

[OMB]

Very sad that in this fight we still have an embargo over - plastic bags, filters and cell culture media. One month is too long a time to wait when thousands are dying everyday.

 

[MenInG]

New Delhi: Amid the record surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a meeting to review the coronavirus and vaccination situation.

Various aspects related to medicines, oxygen, ventilators, and vaccination were discussed during the review meeting.

The PM also directed that additional supply of beds through temporary hospitals and isolation centers should be ensured. He also spoke about the need to utilize the full potential of India's pharmaceutical industry to meet the rising demand for various medicines.

The PM also said that all necessary measures must be taken to ramp up the availability of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients.

Use of Remdesivir, other medicines must follow approved medical guidelines; Their misuse, black marketing must be strictly curbed, he added.

Directing the officials to ensure close coordination with states in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, the PM said India defeated the virus last year.

We can do it again with the same principles but faster speed and coordination, he added.

Taking to his Twitter, the PM said: "Reviewed preparedness to handle the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Aspects relating to medicines, oxygen, ventilators, and vaccination were discussed. Like we did last year, we will successfully fight COVID with even greater speed and coordination."

Top officers across various ministries participate in the meeting that started at 8 pm today.

The country is currently facing a second and more severe wave of the pandemic.

The highest-ever single-day spike of COVID-19 cases was reported today with over 2.34 lakh new cases and more than 1,300 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Over the last few weeks, many states have flagged a shortage of hospital beds, oxygen supply, and COVID-19 vaccines.

Meanwhile, Congress has attacked the Centre accusing it of gross unpreparedness in foreseeing and managing the COVID-19 crisis.

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/...sensitive-to-people-s-concerns-pm-modi/746380

 

[IndoorCricket]

Centre allows 'vaccine for all', those above 18 to get Covid shots from May 1

In a significant step, the Central government on Monday announced that people above 18 years of age will be eligible to get coronavirus vaccine from May 1. The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with leading doctors from across the country and with top pharma companies on the prevailing COVID-19 situation

PM Modi said that the government has been working hard from over a year to ensure that maximum numbers of Indians are able to get the vaccine in the shortest possible of time.


"India is vaccinating people at world record pace and we will continue this with even greater momentum," he added.

Major points of the third phase of 'liberalised and accelerated' Covid-19 vaccination:

• Everyone above the age of 18 to be eligible to get vaccine against Covid-19.
• Vaccine manufacturers incentivized to further scale up their production, as well as attract new national and international players.
• Vaccine manufacturers empowered to release up to 50% of their supply to State Govts. and in the open market at a pre-declared price.
• States empowered to procure additional vaccine doses directly from the manufacturers, as well as open up vaccination to any category of people above the age of 18 for the same.
• Vaccination drive to continue as before, providing free vaccination for essential and priority populations as defined earlier i.e HCWs, FLWs and population above 45 years.

https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/in...m-may-1-pm-modi-meeting-latest-updates-698895

 

[IndoorCricket]

Government of India announces a Liberalised and Accelerated Phase 3 Strategy of Covid-19 Vaccination

The main elements of the Liberalised and Accelerated Phase 3 Strategy of the National Covid-19 Vaccination program that would come in effect from 1st May 2021, are as follows:-

(i) Vaccine manufacturers would supply 50% of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to Govt. of India and would be free to supply the remaining 50% doses to State Govts. and in the open market (hereinafter referred to as other than Govt. of India channel).

(ii) Manufacturers would transparently make an advance declaration of the price for 50% supply that would be available to State Govts. and in open market, before 1st May 2021. Based on this price, State governments, private hospitals, industrial establishments etc would be able to procure vaccine doses from the manufacturers. Private Hospitals would have to procure their supplies of Covid-19 vaccine exclusively from the 50% supply earmarked for other than Govt. of India channel. Private Vaccination providers shall transparently declare their self-set vaccination price. The eligibility through this channel would be opened up to all adults, i.e. everyone above the age of 18.

(iii) Vaccination shall continue as before in Govt. of India vaccination centres, provided free of cost to the eligible population as defined earlier i.e. Health Care Workers (HCWs), Front Line Workers (FLWs) and all people above 45 years of age.

(iv) All vaccination (through Govt. of India and Other than Govt. of India channel) would be part of the National Vaccination Programme, and mandated to follow all protocol such as being captured on CoWIN platform, linked to AEFI reporting and all other prescribed norms. Stocks and price per vaccination applicable in all vaccination centres will also have to be reported real-time.

(v) The division of vaccine supply 50% to Govt. of India and 50% to other than Govt. of India channel would be applicable uniformly across for all vaccines manufactured in the country. However Government of India will allowthe imported fully ready to use vaccines to be entirely utilized in the other than Govt. of India channel.

(vi) Govt. of India, from its share, will allocate vaccines to States/UTs based on the criteria of extent of infection (number of active Covid cases)& performance (speed of administration). Wastage of vaccine will also be considered in this criteria and will affect the criteria negatively. Based on the above criteria, State-wise quota would be decided and communicated to the States adequately in advance.

(vii) Second dose of all existing priority groups i.e. HCWs, FLWs and population above 45 years, wherever it has become due, would be given priority, for which a specific and focused strategy would be communicated to all stakeholders.

(viii) This policy would come into effect from 1st May 2021 and will be reviewed from time to time.

https://www.narendramodi.in/governm...y-of-covid-19-vaccination-from-1st-may-555050

 

[IndoorCricket]

A very much needed and a critical move. Appreciate this decision by the government.

 

[Muddaser]

A very much needed and a critical move. Appreciate this decision by the government.

Recipe for disaster if you ask me. Watch the chaos this creates.

 

[cricketjoshila]

A very much needed and a critical move. Appreciate this decision by the government.

Its a good decision but it has many flaws.

1. Now government wont supply vaccines to private centers. 100s of 1000s of people preferred the orivate centers to govt centers because of convenience comfort and hygiene. Now what will they do?

2. Those who took their 1st dose in a pvt center, where will they go? To a government one? There by causing huge queues and chaos?

3. Most big hospital chains will secure the doses meant for pvt hospitals, taking the vaccines out of reach of common people.

4. Many people chose small to medium hospitals or clinics for vaccines, avoiding big hospitals that have covid patients. Where will they go?

 

[IndoorCricket]

Its a good decision but it has many flaws.

1. Now government wont supply vaccines to private centers. 100s of 1000s of people preferred the orivate centers to govt centers because of convenience comfort and hygiene. Now what will they do?

2. Those who took their 1st dose in a pvt center, where will they go? To a government one? There by causing huge queues and chaos?

3. Most big hospital chains will secure the doses meant for pvt hospitals, taking the vaccines out of reach of common people.

4. Many people chose small to medium hospitals or clinics for vaccines, avoiding big hospitals that have covid patients. Where will they go?

From what I understood existing mechanism would remain in place as 50% of manufactured vaccines would go to government and remining 50%can be sold in open market.

Vaccination drive to continue as before, providing free vaccination for essential and priority populations as defined earlier i.e HCWs, FLWs and population above 45 years.

(vii) Second dose of all existing priority groups i.e. HCWs, FLWs and population above 45 years, wherever it has become due, would be given priority, for which a specific and focused strategy would be communicated to all stakeholders.

Its up to the state government to decide how to vaccinate its people. Vaccination drives can be held at community level not necessary to be in a hospital. Local leaders has to step up. Central government would carry on with its existing plan

Corporates now can get (any) vaccines for their employees which might be a game changer for the working class.

 

[cricketjoshila]

From what I understood existing mechanism would remain in place as 50% of manufactured vaccines would go to government and remining 50%can be sold in open market.



Its up to the state government to decide how to vaccinate its people. Vaccination drives can be held at community level not necessary to be in a hospital. Local leaders has to step up. Central government would carry on with its existing plan

Corporates now can get (any) vaccines for their employees which might be a game changer for the working class.

Pvt hospitals can now only buy from state government or supplier, no more central govt supply to them.

On top of that opening up the market for corporates is a disaster. The big corporations and hospital chains will hoard the supply chain. Right now there is equitable distribution of vaccines between govt centers, big hospitals and small and medium clinics.


This is recipe for chaos, watch it unfold on May 1st.

 

[MenInG]

India has widened its vaccination programme as infections surge and the capital goes into lockdown.

All adults over the age of 18 will be offered a coronavirus jab starting from 1 May, the government said on Monday.

However, with vaccines in short supply in many states, it is unclear where the additional doses will come from.

The government said last week that it only had 27 million doses - or enough jabs for nine days at current rates of vaccination.

India is currently vaccinating health workers, front line workers and people over 45 but a number of states - including the worst affected Maharashtra state - have reported insufficient supply. There have been reports of people being turned away from vaccination centres in many areas.

Vaccine suppliers such as the serum institute have been unable to meet international requirements and have also warned of raw material shortages affecting production, which it attributed to US export bans on specific items needed to make vaccines.

With vaccines in short supply in many states, it is unclear where additional doses will come from

So how will vaccines be ramped up?

The process so far has been controlled by the federal government, but the government is changing the rules, a move it says will increase production and availability and attract more domestic and foreign players.

Vaccine manufacturers will now have to supply 50% of the doses to the central government and the rest to state governments and the open market at a pre-determined price.

Three vaccines were initially approved for use in India - two manufactured by Indian companies Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech, and the third Russia's Sputnik V. Since then, it has said that vaccines approved for use in other countries could also be used in India.

The government has also approved a $600 million grant for Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech.

How bad is the situation in India?

India has been reporting around 200,000 cases daily since 15 April - this is well past its peak last year, when it was averaging around 93,000 cases a day.

Deaths too have been rising. The government confirmed 1,619 deaths from the virus on Monday.

The capital Delhi ordered a six-day lockdown from Monday with city hospitals reporting shortages of beds, oxygen and key medicine.

Over the weekend, Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted saying that oxygen has become an emergency in Delhi."In view of sharply increasing cases, Delhi needs much more than normal supply," he said.

Several major cities have made similar complaints.

This has prompted officials to start using the country's behemoth rail network to start ferrying oxygen around the country in special trains.

The first train with seven tankers left from Mumbai in the western state of Maharashtra and is expected to reach Vizag in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Many states have diverted industrial oxygen to be used for medical purposes.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56797689.amp

 

[OMB]

Joe Biden’s wartime law use blocks India’s vaccine ramp-up


Joe Biden’s wartime law use blocks India’s vaccine ramp-up
Supplies of raw materials have been affected by a law known as the Defense Priorities and Allocations System Programme (DPAS) under the Defense Production Act (DPA)

Indian officials are in touch with their counterparts in the US to resolve a hold-up in supplies of raw materials needed by Covid-19 vaccine makers that has been caused by Washington’s decision to prioritise local buyers under a war-time law invoked earlier this year by President Joe Biden to boost vaccine production.

Supplies of nearly 30 such items have been affected by this wartime law, known as the Defense Priorities and Allocations System Programme (DPAS) under the Defense Production Act (DPA).

Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) is understood to be in dire need of raw materials as it ramps up its production of Covid-19 vaccines amid an alarming surge in infections across the country.

These raw materials include reagents, tubing materials, nano-filters, plastic bagging material and equipment that are understood to be needed for ramping up vaccine production.

The Indian side has raised the issue with the US as part of the growing bilateral cooperation on healthcare. External affairs minister S Jaishankar discussed it with US secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, and the Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has brought it up in his conversations with US officials.

The Americans have promised to “give the matter due consideration” and work with India to “find appropriate solutions”, according to people familiar with the developments.

The raw materials are not subject to any explicit export ban, it has been argued. But American sellers of these items are obligated to meet contractual requirement from US buyers before anyone else, which include Indian buyers, who have been being told to expect delayed delivery, according to the people familiar with these discussions.

Biden invoked the DPA in February to boost vaccine production, especially to aid Pfizer-BioNTech’s effort.

The supply crunch for Indian vaccine makers was first noticed in March, according to the people cited above. SII’s CEO and owner Adar Poonawalla went public with his plight in an appeal to Biden last week.

Now that the US has administered at least one dose of vaccine to half of its population and built up a sizable stockpile of millions of doses, its need for these raw materials may be tapering off, which would allow American suppliers to resume full and timely delivery of shipment ordered by outside buyers, such as vaccine makers from India, it was said.

The issue of raw material supply crunch has, however, been confused in some quarters for India and South Africa’s appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) last October for a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights (IPR) related to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, “until widespread vaccination is in place globally, and the majority of the world’s population has developed immunity”.

The US and Europe, home to leading Covid-19 vaccines makers, have blocked that move, which has been backed by 80 WTO members.

Asked about the bottleneck in raw material supplies, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, spoke on Monday about the WTO discussions. “We are, of course, working with WTO members on a global response to Covid. That includes a number of components, whether it’s $4billion committed to COVAX, or discussions about how we can aid and assist countries that need help the most,” she said.

Psaki also referred to US trade representatives Katherine Tai’s speech at a WTO-hosted discussion on Covid-19 vaccine and the need for their equitable distribution around the world.

While sympathetic to the cause, Tai did not concede any ground on the question of the waiver of Covid-19 vaccine-related IPR.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/joe-biden-s-wartime-law-use-blocks-india-s-vaccine-rampup-101618984303659.html

 

[PakLFC]

I am amazed how Pakistan compared to India is much safer from the Covid. It is looking terrible in India at the moment. One guy who arrived from Delhi some days back tells me of it being a nightmare scenario. Perhaps they should consider cancelling the IPL if it stops the spread off it.

 

[Gabru]

Yes, things are quite bad at the moment but it has nothing to do with the IPL, infact its giving people an incentive to stay at home and watch the game instead of socialising outside.

For Pakistan and Bangladesh, no idea how the numbers are down with so much population density. I hope its not like the backward Indian states like U.P. and Bihar, where they've just given up testing and tracing, and not reporting correct numbers. They're literally hoping for herd mentality or a miracle cure.

 

[PakLFC]

Yes, things are quite bad at the moment but it has nothing to do with the IPL, infact its giving people an incentive to stay at home and watch the game instead of socialising outside.

For Pakistan and Bangladesh, no idea how the numbers are down with so much population density. I hope its not like the backward Indian states like U.P. and Bihar, where they've just given up testing and tracing, and not reporting correct numbers. They're literally hoping for herd mentality or a miracle cure.

Sadly from what I am seeing things are very bad. It is the players participating in the IPL who will be in more danger then the spectators if there are any in attendance.

By comparison things in Pak are much better, alhumdolillah. I am praying for the people of India even if they send similes and jokes to each other when Pakistanis are suffering Remember karma or the law of nature.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Unsure whether vaccines are effective against Indian Covid-19 variant: UK

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he cannot give any assurances that the current vaccines the UK will be as effective against the new variant of the virus that originated in India

https://www.business-standard.com/a...ndian-covid-19-variant-uk-121042000167_1.html

If this is true, it may not work on most people. So a new vaccine or booster needs to be developed.

 

[cricketjoshila]

https://www.business-standard.com/a...ndian-covid-19-variant-uk-121042000167_1.html

If this is true, it may not work on most people. So a new vaccine or booster needs to be developed.

Well Covaxin blocks the Indian variant of the Chinese virus.

 

[Giannis]

Well Covaxin blocks the Indian variant of the Chinese virus.

lol no, indian recently discovereda double mutant - there's no way covaxin was tweaked in such a short time to protect against it

 

[KingKhanWC]

Well Covaxin blocks the Indian variant of the Chinese virus.

I think we will have to wait & see but I truly hope it does. Regardless of our differnces its really sad to see so many people in India suffering.

 

[cricketjoshila]

lol no, indian recently discovereda double mutant - there's no way covaxin was tweaked in such a short time to protect against it

The double mutant was discovered in October. If the original vaccine works against it, why will it be tweaked?

Covaxin is whole virus inactivated vaccine and not a selective spike protein vaccine. Hence they are having better efficacy.

 

[OMB]

COVID-19 [LIVE]: India becomes fastest country in world to administer 14 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine

The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 14,08,02,794 as per the 8 pm provisional report today.

India has become the fastest country to administer 14 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine in just 99 days, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday.

The ministry said that the country has administered more than 24 lakh vaccine doses administered till 8 pm on April 24.

India has for the third consecutive day reported over 3 lakh coronavirus cases now. On Saturday, the Health Ministry said COVID-19 cases in the country surged by a staggering 3,46,786 new infections. A total of 2,624 deaths were also reported over the last 24 hours, as per the data updated at 8 am this morning.

Maharashtra and Delhi remain the worst-affected states/UTs in India by the COVID-19 pandemic as they reported 773 and 348 deaths on Friday.

After a group of IIT scientists predicted that the second COVID-19 wave is likely to wane post-mid-May, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) blamed the UK variant of the virus for the grim situation in the national capital of India.

Authorities in the United States are piling pressure on President Joe Biden to send COVID-19 vaccines and other life-saving supplies to India at the earliest while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also expressed intent for helping India in its fight against the pandemic.

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/blog/coronavirus-cases-in-india-live-news-updates-covid-vaccine-death/622

 

[pillionrider]

Covaxin is whole virus inactivated vaccine and not a selective spike protein vaccine. Hence they are having better efficacy.

There is no data or science to support such claims. As a doctor, you shouldn't be spreading such stuff.

 

[kaayal]

There is no data or science to support such claims. As a doctor, you shouldn't be spreading such stuff.

That post from CJ is actually true.

But about its efficacy against the Indian variant, i will wait to see it in a acclaimed medical journal like Lancet. In this Modi era, the ICMR claims should also be taken with a pinch of salt.

 

[pillionrider]

That post from CJ is actually true.

I was referring to the claim that Covaxin is better against the Indian variant.

It’s too early to make such claims and the only data released shows Covaxin and Covishield to be identical in effectiveness against reinfection.

By the science bit, I was referring to the claim that Covaxin being based off an inactivated virus makes it more potent.

Is there any scientific basis to such a claim?

A lot of the love for Covaxin seems to come from Modi allegedly having taken it. There are older people in my family who delayed taking their shot so that they could get Covaxin because Modi got it apparently.

I personally think he actually took the Oxford one

 

[Itachi]

I was referring to the claim that Covaxin is better against the Indian variant.

It’s too early to make such claims and the only data released shows Covaxin and Covishield to be identical in effectiveness against reinfection.

By the science bit, I was referring to the claim that Covaxin being based off an inactivated virus makes it more potent.

Is there any scientific basis to such a claim?

Its true by theory (mechanism of action) as of now.

 

[pillionrider]

Its true by theory (mechanism of action) as of now.

Can you point me to a study that has shown Covaxin to be superior to Covishield in tackling the Indian, UK or other variants?

What about it’s mechanism of action makes it different from Covishield and therefore superior?

 

[Thomaskutty]

I personally think he actually took the Oxford one

He almost certainly did.