Budget 2018-19

  They said the new vaccine design, described in the PNAS journal, could help fill global vaccination gaps and could be applied to vaccines against other diseases. Scientists have developed a new protein-based vaccine candidate for COVID-19 that they say is much easier to produce and does not need refrigeration. The research team at Boston Children’s Hospital, US, noted that currently available Covid vaccines require cold storage and sophisticated manufacturing capacity, which makes it difficult to produce and distribute them widely, especially in less developed countries. They said the new vaccine design, described in the PNAS journal, could help fill global vaccination gaps and could be applied to vaccines against other diseases. The new vaccine candidate elicited strong immune responses against  SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19, and its variants in mice, the researchers said. The vaccine was successfully freeze-dried and later reconstituted without losing efficac...

  Covid-19 vaccines for younger children and booster shots for at least those over 65 years old are being prepared in accordance with a tight schedule in the US Covid-19 vaccines for younger children and booster shots for at least those over 65 years old are being prepared in accordance with a tight schedule in the US, as the Americans stagger into the 19th month of their fierce battle against the pandemic. A lower dose of the  Pfizer-BioNTech  coronavirus vaccine, one-third the amount given to adults and teens, is safe and triggered a robust immune response in children as young as five years old, the drug companies announced in a news release on Monday morning. “The finding, eagerly anticipated by many parents and paediatricians, is a crucial step toward the two-shot coronavirus vaccine regimen becoming available for younger school-aged children, perhaps close to Halloween,” Xinhua news agency quoted The Washington Post as saying on Monday. However, the companies must pr...

  Amid surging Delta variant cases in the US, COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 12 years could be available by the end of next month, a media report has said. Amid surging  Delta variant  cases in the US, COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 12 years could be available by the end of next month, a media report has said. A report in The New York Times quoted two health experts as saying that COVID vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 could be available as soon as the end of October, bringing relief to parents of younger children since vaccines are only available for children aged 12 and above. The NYT report quoted Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration who also sits on the board of Pfizer, as saying that getting the green light for younger children will require careful and expeditious review of the clinical data. Gottlieb said on the CBS show Face the Nation that in a best-case scenario, the  Pfizer  vaccine c...

  A single dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine offers around 60 per cent protection against infection A single dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine offers around 60 per cent protection against infection from SARS-CoV-2 in adults aged 65 years and above, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. To obtain real-world data on the effectiveness of these vaccines in care homes, the researchers from the University College London (UCL) in the UK used data from the VIVALDI study. That research investigated SARS-CoV-2 transmission, infection outcomes, and immunity in residents and staff in long-term care facilities in England for adults aged 65 years and older since June 2020. This analysis included long-term care facility residents undergoing routine asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 testing between December 8, 2020 — the date the first vaccine was administered in the study cohort — and March 15, 2021 using national testing data linked within the COVID-19...

  India has a robust mechanism to evaluate data, says Union Health Minister Discussions are underway whether India should revert to four or eight weeks interval for Covishield vaccine and the emerging evidence regarding efficacy of partial versus full immunisation is also being considered, Chairman of India’s COVID-19 Working Group of NTAGI, Dr N K, Arora said. He stressed that the decision to increase the gap between two doses of  Covishield  from 4-6 weeks to 12-16 weeks was based on scientific decision and there was no dissenting voice among the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) members. “COVID-19 and the vaccination are very dynamic. Tomorrow, if the vaccine platform tells us that a narrower interval is better for our people, even if the benefit is 5%-10%, the Committee will take the decision on the basis of merit and its wisdom.On the other hand, if it turns out that the current decision is fine, we will continue with it,” Arora said. Meanwhil...

  Covid vaccine doses will be administered on a priority basis to all those going abroad for studies and jobs Covid vaccine doses will be administered on a priority basis to all those going abroad for studies and jobs from Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayana said on Monday. “The National Health Mission (NHM) has added students and persons going abroad for higher studies and jobs in the revised list of preferential groups for vaccination from June 1,” Narayan told reporters here. The vaccination campaign for students and workers going to foreign countries will be launched at the Bengaluru City University from Tuesday. “The NHM has also included workers of milk cooperative societies and cable operators in the priority list for vaccination,” Narayan said. Those going overseas will have to show their visa, admission receipt, job order and relevant documents to get inoculated on a priority basis. District commissioners across the state have been instructed to issue el...

  Suitable for 12 yrs and above, Pfizer tells govt Seeking a fast-track approval for its COVID-19 vaccine, US major Pfizer has told Indian authorities that its jab has shown “high effectiveness” against the SARS-CoV-2 variant prevalent in India and on people of Indian ethnicity or nationality, while it is suitable for everyone aged 12 years or above and can be stored for a month at 2-8 degrees, sources said on Wednesday. Pfizer, which is ready to offer 5 crore doses to India between July and October this year and has sought certain relaxations including indemnification, has held a series of interactions with the Indian government authorities recently including one this week, during which it shared the most recent data points regarding efficacy trials and approvals for its vaccine in various countries and by the World Health Organisation (WHO). “The current situation in India, and across the world, is not business as usual’ and we must not respond to it with processes as usual too,”...

  The Serum Institute of India said on Wednesday it would sell the AstraZeneca vaccine to the country’s state governments at 400 rupees per dose and to private hospitals at Rs 600 rupees NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The Serum Institute of India said on Wednesday it would sell the AstraZeneca vaccine to the country’s state governments at 400 rupees ($5.30) per dose and to private hospitals at 600 rupees ($7.95). “Furthermore, owing to the complexity, and urgency of the situation it is challenging to supply it independently to each corporate entity,” it said in a statement. “We would urge all corporate and private individuals to access the vaccines through the state facilitated machinery and private health systems.” ($1 = 75.4620 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Krishna N. Das and Euan Rocha, editing by Louise Heavens)

  The COVAX vaccine facility expects to deliver COVID-19 doses to all participating economies that have requested it in the first half of the year despite reduced supply, according to the WHO The COVAX vaccine facility expects to deliver COVID-19 doses to all participating economies that have requested it in the first half of the year despite reduced supply availability as well as increased demand for the jabs in India, according to the World Health Organisation. The COVAX facility, which is a global initiative to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide, has now delivered life-saving vaccines to over 100 economies since making its first international delivery to Ghana on February 24, 2021. So far, more than 38 million doses across six continents, supplied by three manufacturers, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and the  Serum Institute of India  (SII) have been delivered. Of the over 100 economies reached, 61 are among the 92 lower-income economies receiving vaccines...