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Tag: India covid vaccine

  • Tests on combined vaccines could begin in a couple of weeks

    India could quickly start testing the feasibility of a routine that mixes two completely different Covid-19 vaccines to see if it helps increase immune response to the virus.
    The testing could also be carried out each utilizing vaccines which can be at present accessible within the nation, and people which can be within the pipeline, The Indian Express has learnt.
    Work is predicted to start “in a few weeks”, in line with Dr N Ok Arora, chairman of the Covid-19 working group beneath the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).
    Approximately eight vaccines could also be combined and matched as a part of the method, Dr Arora mentioned. These embrace the three vaccines which can be at present accredited to be used within the nation, Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, and the Russian made Sputnik V.

    Clinical testing as a part of the train could also be carried out by collaboration between our bodies just like the Indian Council of Medical Research and the businesses that developed and produced the vaccines. The assessments will research components comparable to whether or not vaccines based mostly on completely different platforms might be given collectively, and which vaccines to manage within the first and second doses.
    “We are looking for a combination of vaccines that provide better protection. At the moment, the vaccines used are providing protection against severe disease, but they are not providing protection from infection and transmission of the virus to the extent that we would have liked,” Dr Arora mentioned.
    “Various factors have to be considered here. Proper research studies in actual field conditions have to be done… The whole purpose is to have better immune protection for the population without any adverse effects,” he mentioned.

    “Both the vaccines individually would be safe, but the focus is also to see if they are safe together… These vaccines are produced in different platforms and we don’t want them to create difficulty and create complications, so every vaccine will probably not be possible to mix and match,” he added.
    The mixing of Covid-19 vaccines has been mentioned on the Covid-19 working group, NTAGI, and National Expert Group on Covid-19 Vaccine Administration (NEGVAC), it’s learnt.

    “These trials may be embedded in the country’s existing immunisation programme against Covid-19,” Dr Arora mentioned. “Discussions over the feasibility and value of mixing of Covid-19 vaccines have been proposed at every level.”
    There are at present six Covid-19 vaccines within the pipeline — Serum Institute’s Covovax, Biological E’s Corbevax, Zydus Cadila’s ZyCov-D, Gennova’s mRNA vaccine, Bio E’s model of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and Bharat Biotech’s intranasal Covid-19 vaccine. The authorities has been in discussions with Pfizer to deliver its mRNA vaccine to the nation this yr.

  • Enough vaccines in nation from July-August: Union minister

    Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar on Sunday mentioned India may have sufficient COVID-19 vaccine doses from July-August.
    He hit out on the Congress for attacking the Centre on the dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic and mentioned the opposition celebration didn’t must face such powerful occasions throughout their rule.
    Speaking to reporters right here after attending a disaster administration committee meet, Tomar mentioned, “The Congress leadership has nothing to do with the country or public interest. During their time, they did not have to face a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic.”
    “The Congress is playing politics on vaccines, which is very unfortunate. India will have enough vaccine doses from July-August,” he added.
    A 1000-bed hospital was below building close to the federal government medical school right here and it will quickly begin functioning with 570 beds to start with, the Union minister mentioned.

    Tomar added that particular wards can be arrange for these affected by Mucormycosis, or black fungus, a uncommon and harmful an infection that’s being seen in some COVID-19 sufferers in addition to those that have recovered from the an infection.

  • Second batch of Russian COVID-19 vaccine reaches Hyderabad

    As many as 60,000 doses of the second batch of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V on Sunday landed at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport right here, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories mentioned on Sunday.
    “Pleased to share that the consignment that arrived today in Hyderabad contains 60,000 doses of the second dose component of the #SputnikV vaccine. Samples from the consignment will be sent for release to the Central Drugs Laboratory,” the drug maker tweeted.
    Dr Reddy’s Laboratories on May 14 gentle launched imported COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V vaccine which is priced at Rs 948, with 5 per cent GST per dose (retail value).
    “Given the recent launch of the Russian vaccine in the Indian vaccination campaign, this second delivery has become very timely. The efficacy of the #SputnikV is well-known in the world,” Nikolay Kudashev Russian Ambassador to India tweeted.

    The first consignment of 1.50 lakh doses of Sputnik V vaccine from Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) landed in India on May 1, and obtained regulatory clearance from the Central Drugs Laboratory.

    The Indian drug-maker had earlier mentioned these consignments might be used throughout totally different channels as a pilot to line up the availability chain for the bigger vaccination programme rollout.

  • Get us vaccinated on precedence or we cease work: Air India pilots

    The pilots’ union of nationwide provider Air India Tuesday issued a press release asking the airline’s administration to vaccinate all flying crew above 18 years of age on precedence. The pilot’s physique additionally warned of stopping the work if their demand isn’t met.
    Captain T Praveen Keerthi, common secretary of Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), raised the difficulty with Air India Director Captain R S Sandhu, claiming that the administration has left the flying crew “vulnerable”.
    “It is disheartening to witness the top management make a mockery of pilots discharging their duties in a risky environment. We were hoping that Air India will not let down the crew and their families who stand by the nation during this pandemic, but the management never ceases to surprise us,” the assertion learn.

    “We feel let down by the self-serving approach of the management, which sees no injustice in organising vaccine camps at few bases but excludes pilots. The employees who are doing desk jobs and the majority opting to work from home are allowed to get vaccinated, leaving the flying crew vulnerable,” it added.
    Keerthi claimed that many crew members have examined constructive for Covid-19 and are struggling to get hospital beds and oxygen cylinders. He accused the administration of “providing lip service” and “playing to the gallery by issuing circulars and letters with no outcome”.

    Keerthi additionally claimed that they don’t have any healthcare help and no insurance coverage and they’re in “no position” to proceed risking the lives of pilots. “If Air India fails to set up vaccination camps on a Pan India basis for the flying crew above the age of 18 years on priority, we will STOP WORK,” the assertion learn.
    Last month, the nationwide provider had determined to arrange a mass vaccination camp for its staff aged 45 years or above on precedence, information company ANI had reported.

  • Central govt asks Serum, Bharat Biotech to chop vaccine costs

    The central authorities on Monday requested Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to decrease the worth of their Covid-19 vaccines amid criticism from a number of states who’ve accused the businesses of profiteering from the disaster.
    The concern of vaccine pricing was mentioned at a gathering chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. The two firms at the moment are anticipated to provide you with revised pricing for his or her vaccines.
    Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has fastened the worth of Covaxin at Rs 600 per dose for state governments, and Rs 1,200 per dose for personal hospitals.
    Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine maker when it comes to quantity, has introduced a value of Rs 400 per dose for Covishield for state governments, and Rs 600 per dose for personal hospitals.
    Both vaccines can be found to the central authorities at a fee of Rs 150 per dose.
    The Centre has relaxed its vaccination technique within the third section of the mass inoculation programme, below which everybody above the age of 18 can be eligible for a shot from May 1.
    In the brand new vaccine regime, producers will provide 50 per cent of their month-to-month Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL)-released doses to the central authorities, and can be free to provide the remaining 50 per cent to state governments and the open market.
    The authorities has stated that producers must make an advance declaration of the worth for the 50 per cent provide that might be obtainable to state governments and within the open market.
    Objecting to the differential pricing mannequin, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had stated this was not the time for profiteering, and appealed to producers to carry down the worth to Rs 150 per dose.
    The Congress termed the brand new coverage as “discriminatory and insensitive”, and accused the federal government of permitting vaccine makers to profiteer to the tune of Rs 1.11 lakh crore.

    SII has defended pricing Covishield at 1.5 occasions the preliminary fee, saying the sooner value was primarily based on advance funding, and the corporate has to now put money into scaling up and increasing capability to provide extra pictures.
    Announcing the worth of Covaxin, Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna M Ella had stated that recovering price is crucial for innovation.
    With inputs from PTI

  • India turns into quickest nation to manage 13 crore COVID vaccine doses: Health ministry

    India took solely 95 days to manage 13 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the quickest nation to take action, the Union Health Ministry mentioned on Wednesday.
    The US took 101 days to manage 13 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine, whereas China took 109 days to cross the identical quantity, it mentioned.
    The cumulative variety of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered within the nation has reached 13,01,19,310 with 29,90,197 vaccine doses being given in a span of 24 hours, in line with knowledge up to date at 7 am.
    Eight states –Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala — 59.33 per cent of the full doses given up to now within the nation.
    The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare employees (HCWs) getting inoculated and vaccination of frontline employees (FLWs) ranging from February 2.
    The subsequent part of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for these over 60 years of age and for individuals aged 45 and above with specified comorbid circumstances.

    India launched vaccination for all individuals aged greater than 45 from April 1.

    Meanwhile, the federal government on Monday determined to increase its vaccination drive by permitting everybody above 18 eligible to be vaccinated from May 1.

  • Mamata Banerjee: Centre’s determination to broaden vaccination hole as provide depleted

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit out on the Centre’s coverage on Covid vaccines, terming it “hollow”. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she mentioned there was “Covid vaccine shortage” in her state and added that the Centre’s coverage didn’t tackle the “key issues” and as a substitute it indulged in “empty rhetoric”.
    Banerjee additionally criticised the Centre’s transfer to introduce vaccines within the open market and its directive to the states to deal immediately with the producers. She mentioned that this might result in “price fluctuation” because of which the widespread folks must bear the results. “More importantly, the supply would also become erratic because the vaccine manufacturers are barely prepared to scale up their production capacities to meet the nationwide demand,” she added.
    Urging the PM to “maintain fairness” within the vaccine coverage, she wrote, “…the Centre announced the much-delayed ‘universal’ vaccine policy which appears to be hollow, without substance and a regrettable show of evasion of responsibility by the Central Government at a time of crisis.”
    The CM claimed, “The (Centre’s vaccine policy) announcement does not address major issues such as ensuring the quality, efficacy, stable flow of supply of required number of vaccines by the manufacturers and also the price at which vaccines are to be purchased by the states.”
    Reminding the PM of her February 24 letter by which she had sought his intervention to permit West Bengal to buy vaccines immediately with the state sources and distribute it free, she wrote, “Now when the number of Covid cases is spiralling in the second wave, the Centre has chosen to tactically indulge in empty rhetoric and shy away from its responsibility for making available vaccines to the people of the country.”

    Mamata additionally talked about the “scarcity” of medicines used within the therapy of Covid-19. She urged the Centre to extend provide of Remdesivir and Tocilizumab. She mentioned, “We need around 6,000 vials of Remdesivir and 1,000 vials of Tocilizumab daily. However, at present only 1,000 vials of Remdesivir are available daily (in Bengal) and no fresh supply of Tocilizumab is coming. Kindly see to it that the authorities concerned step up their efforts to ensure steady supply of these essential medicines as soon as possible.”
    Calling the Narendra Modi-led dispensation a authorities of “monumental incompetence”, Banerjee, who addressed three rallies in Murshidabad on Tuesday, mentioned that the Centre’s determination to export Covid-19 vaccines to different international locations has resulted within the “depletion” of India’s vaccine reserves.
    The TMC chief additionally alleged that such an try by the PM to “boost his image” has resulted in lots of states, together with West Bengal, Maharashtra and the nationwide Capital Delhi, going through a “vaccine crunch”.
    “The Prime Minister said Covid vaccine will be available in the open market. Where is that open market? You have already sent a large chunk of vaccines to foreign countries,” she mentioned, including “We are facing a deficit in vaccines due to the Centre’s faulty planning.”

  • Don’t wash fingers of vaccine, what concerning the poor: Opp states to Centre

    A day after the Centre opened up Covid vaccination to all above 18 from May 1, Opposition Chief Ministers and a few specialists raised questions on shares and pricing given that fifty% has been earmarked for the “open market.” Arguing that no different nation had achieved this to this point, they mentioned this locations a monetary burden on the states.
    While BJP state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Assam each introduced free vaccines for all, different states mentioned the Centre was washing its fingers of the duty.

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reminded the Prime Minister that she had, in a letter to him in February, requested his intervention to permit West Bengal to buy vaccines instantly with state sources and provides free vaccination to folks of the state.
    “No response was received from your end. Now when the number of cases in the second wave is spiralling like anything, the Centre has chosen to tactically indulge in empty rhetoric and shy away from its responsibility for making available vaccines to the people of the country,” Banerjee wrote.
    “It is apprehended that the announced policy might lead to unscrupulous mechanisms in the market, including pricing of vaccines as it appears to be based on market prices which may put the common people under huge financial burden,” she mentioned.
    Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to the PM welcoming the transfer to broaden the beneficiaries however underlined that given the continuing financial misery, “the additional burden of purchasing Covid vaccines will place considerable strain on state finances.”

    Less variety of folks got here for vaccination at a vaccination heart throughout weekend curfew known as by Delhi Government (Express picture/Praveen Khanna)
    Urging the Centre to rethink, Vijayan mentioned: “State governments…do need an assured quota of Covid 19 vaccine which has to be provided free in the pandemic situation. It is imperative that vaccines are provided to the States as a public good, free of cost.”
    “Instead of having a Government of India channel, we need to have a Government channel which will include the State governments through whom the vaccine will be distributed,” he mentioned. Vijayan mentioned open market distributors could also be permitted to have a specified quota of vaccine for which reasonably priced value must be fastened in order that “unscrupulous players” don’t exploit the general public.
    Although the coverage states that the Centre will present vaccine freed from value to state governments from its 50% quota primarily based on standards, Vijayan mentioned the state wants a reassurance that they won’t be left to compete with open-market gamers.
    Echoing this Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot informed The Indian Express: “This new policy is wrong. The Centre should not burden the state governments. What they should have done is that they should give vaccines free of cost to all age groups in government hospitals and allow 25% supply of vaccines to private nursing homes and hospitals where those who can afford can go and get themselves vaccinated.”
    Chhattisgarh Health Minister T S Singh Deo mentioned the decentralisation of buy of vaccines was “completely wrong and short-sighted” and demanded a rollback.
    The Maharashtra Government urged the Centre to permit it to import Covid vaccines from the worldwide market. The state authorities would ask the Centre for permission to import its selection of vaccines like AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Sputnik, state minister Jitendra Awhad mentioned.
    The Opposition Congress criticised some facets of the brand new coverage. “In a country where the median age is 28 years, to leave those who are below the age of 45 years out of a public-funded programme is, to say the least, callous,” senior Congress chief P Chidambaram mentioned.

    “…The Union Government is running away from taking responsibility, overburdens the states, encourages vaccine manufacturers to profiteer, and will worsen the inequality between states as well between poor and rich Indians. Nowhere in the world has any government left its vaccination programme to be determined by the vagaries of market forces, and for good reason,” he mentioned.
    “No other country is doing this (putting vaccines in the open market) as yet, because all these vaccines are still under restricted or emergency use permissions and have not yet been fully licensed in their countries of origin, except perhaps in Russia,” mentioned vaccine knowledgeable and Christian Medical College professor Gagandeep Kang.

    “As more vaccines are permitted entry into India or are produced in India, the supply chain will expand. This may happen by the end of June,” mentioned Public Health Foundation of India President Okay Srinath Reddy.
    “Since the Centre will provide free vaccinations only to persons above 45, state governments must provide free vaccinations to all younger adults from low-income families. Migrant workers and their families should receive free vaccinations in whichever state they are located, without domicile requirements,” he added.

  • Covid-19: White House refuses to touch upon lifting ban on vaccine uncooked supplies export to India

    The White House on Monday didn’t reply to questions on the request by Serum Institute of India to raise export ban on sure uncooked supplies wanted for ramping up manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccine.
    The query on this regard was requested twice on Monday — as soon as in the course of the morning White House briefing on COVID-19 and later in the course of the every day information convention by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
    “The Serum Institute of India has been saying that the Biden administration is blocking exports of raw materials that it needs to make COVID vaccines, and the Serum Institute has also urged President Biden to lift that embargo. So I wanted to ask which raw materials are at issue here? And do you have any plans to address Serum’s concerns?” requested a reporter in the course of the morning information convention by the White House COVID-19 Response Team.
    Both Dr Anthony Fauci, Director on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Dr Andy Slacitt, the White House COVID-19 response senior advisor stated they’d no reply.
    “I don’t… I’m sorry. We could get back to you on that, I’m sure. But I don’t have anything for you right now,” Fauci stated.
    “Let us get back to you. Suffice to say we are taking very seriously the global threat from the pandemic. We’ve been a leader in the funding of COVAX, have done several bilateral transfers of vaccines, and are looking very hard and taking very seriously all of these complex issues, we’ll get back to you on the specifics,” Slavitt stated.
    An analogous query was requested in the course of the every day information convention.
    “India is facing a critical shortage of raw materials necessary to make vaccines. And officials there are urging the US to lift embargo on exporting those raw materials. My colleagues in India are reporting today that the Biden administration recently told India that its request was being considered and would be acted ‘at the earliest’. Could you provide some more details on that and maybe some timeline?” a reporter requested Psaki.
    In response Psaki referred to a latest speech at WTO by US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
    “The significant inequities we are seeing in access to vaccines between developed and developing countries are completely unacceptable. Extraordinary times require extraordinary leadership, communication, and creativity,” she stated.

    “We, of course are working with WTO members on a global response to COVID. That includes a number of components, whether it’s USD 4 billion commitment to COVAX, or discussions about how we can aid and assist countries that need help the most.”

    “But our focus is on determining the most effective steps that will help get the pandemic under control. We don’t have anything further in terms of next steps or a timeline, but we are considering a range of options,” Psaki stated.

  • Covid vaccines don’t cease one from getting contaminated, however assist in decreasing severity: Health economist

    Covid-19 vaccines don’t cease one from getting contaminated however as an alternative assist in curing the illness sooner and decreasing its severity, stated well being and improvement economist Professor Anup Malani.
    He additionally stated that reinfection could be one of many causes behind the latest surge in instances within the nation.
    Malani, a professor on the University of Chicago Law School and the college’s Pritzker School of Medicine, has been main a collection of Covid-19 serosurveys in cities and states throughout India with financial development-focused think-tank IDFC.
    In an interview with PTI, Malani stated, “I fear this is the biggest misunderstanding around India and even in other countries today. Previous infection and vaccines do not stop you from being infected. That was never how immunity worked. Instead, natural and vaccine-acquired immunity is helpful because it helps you clear the infection faster once you are infected.”

    “This has two benefits — it helps you avoid death or other serious health harm from the infection, and it helps reduce the probability you will infect someone else. So it is possible to be reinfected, but the harms of the infection will be lower,” he stated.
    The stage of reinfection within the inhabitants is dependent upon the prevalence of the an infection and the prevalence of immunity, pure or vaccine acquired, Malani stated.
    “The level of reinfection is driven up by more activity (like large gatherings), and down by immunity rates. What may be going on in India is that activity recently increased at a faster rate than immunity. This is the most optimistic interpretation of the surge,” he stated.
    Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava earlier this month had stated that reinfection of instances are round one per cent.
    “We have studied the data of reinfection cases in India. Globally, reinfection cases are around 1 per cent,” he had stated.
    India is battling to an enormous surge in Covid-19 instances.
    The variety of new coronavirus instances hit a document each day excessive because the outbreak of the pandemic with 2,34,692 new infections being reported in a span of 24 hours, pushing the nationwide Covid-19 tally to 1,45,26,609, in accordance with well being ministry knowledge up to date on Saturday.
    Malani stated there could be two prospects behind the latest surge in instances — one is persons are not sporting masks and gathering, and the opposite is emergence of latest strains of the coronavirus.
    “First is that people are not wearing masks and gathering more. The second is that there are new strains that are more transmissible. But the question we must ask is why people are more non-compliant now? Is it that they are just tired of Covid, or they think the vaccination campaign is reducing risk — even if they personally are not vaccinated — or fatality rate has fallen as more people are naturally immune,” he stated.
    On methods to deal with the second wave, Malani stated sporting masks, extra testing, monitoring peoples’ restoration or loss of life, and sequencing constructive instances could be among the many methods to deal with the surge.
    “What is best to do in response to the surge really depends on what the explanation is for the surge. If the optimistic explanation is correct (that is activity increased faster than immunity in February and March), then the solution is that we should increase vaccination,” he stated.
    The well being and improvement economist stated elevating immunity ranges is best than decreasing actions like gatherings as he fears that persons are much less compliant with or tolerant of lockdowns now.
    “If the pessimistic scenario holds, which is new strains have emerged and existing or vaccine immunity is less effective against them, and so they have the same or higher infection fatality rate, then we have to start first with lockdowns. But we should be smarter about them,” Malani stated, including that beforehand, “we seemed to mainly want to stop activities”.
    The intention ought to be to cease crowding, “while contact tracing and quarantining are helpful, it also causes people to avoid being tested or reporting symptoms. This can just mask the problem”, he stated.
    On nationwide lockdown, Malani stated lockdowns appear to hurt the poor greater than the wealthy.
    “But the new thing we’ve discovered is that lockdowns can cause people to move to escape them.? Perhaps we will see lockdowns in Maharashtra causing people to leave the state to return to their ancestral homes in other states.? This could actually increase crowding at train stations and thus, the level of infection,” he stated.
    “It could also spread the infection. If a national and abrupt lockdown is not possible, and I don’t think it is feasible, then we need to use more intelligent strategies. Wearing masks is the easiest. We can engage in economic activity and mask, so opposition to this form of control should be less,” he stated.
    Maharashtra is among the many 12 high-burden states within the nation. Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are additionally a part of this group.
    The variety of energetic coronavirus instances within the nation has surpassed the 16-lakh mark, the well being ministry’s knowledge confirmed.

    Registering a gradual improve for the thirty eighth day in a row, the tally of energetic Covid-19 instances has climbed to 16,79,740 within the nation, accounting for 11.56 per cent of its whole caseload, whereas the nationwide Covid-19 restoration price has dropped to 87.23 per cent.
    Of the contemporary instances reported on Saturday, Maharashtra reported 63,729, adopted by Uttar Pradesh(27,426) and Delhi (19,486), in accordance with the information.