Budget 2018-19

  A third Chinese vaccine, produced by CanSino Biologics , has submitted clinical trial data, but no WHO review has been scheduled. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it has approved a COVID-19 vaccine made by drugmaker Sinovac Biotech for emergency use listing, paving the way for a second Chinese shot to be used in poor countries. A WHO emergency listing is a signal to national regulators on a product’s safety and efficacy. It will also allow the shot to be included in COVAX, the global programme to provide vaccines mainly for poor countries, which faces major supply problems due to an Indian export suspension. The independent panel of experts said in a statement it recommended Sinovac’s vaccine for adults over 18, with a second dose 2-4 weeks later. There was no upper age limit as data suggested it is likely to have a protective effect in older people. The WHO’s technical advisory group, which began meeting on May 5, took the decision after reviewing the latest c...

  Congress leader says ‘inaction is killing people’, wants government to protect the poor in the pandemic. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the only way to stop the spread of coronavirus now was a full lockdown with the protection of minimum income guarantee scheme, NYAY, for the vulnerable sections. “GOI doesn’t get it. The only way to stop the spread of Corona now is a full lockdown- with the protection of NYAY for the vulnerable sections,” Gandhi said in a tweet. “GOI’s inaction is killing many innocent people,” he said. The  Congress  has been asserting that the central and state governments move to control the situation by resorting to partial curfews, travel restrictions, closure and lockdowns will again be restricting economic activity that will hit the poor and, therefore, it was imperative to provide monthly income support. Gandhi has been pushing for the implementation of the party’s proposed Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) providing minimum income guarant...

  Photos of the Tianhe module launch and its fuel burn-off were compared with what appeared to be a mass outdoor cremation in India, and captioned “China lighting a fire versus India lighting a fire” A social media post by China’s top law enforcement body juxtaposing the country’s successful launch of a module into space with grim cremation pyres in India was deleted after it sparked online criticism in China. Photos of the Tianhe module launch and its fuel burn-off were compared with what appeared to be a mass outdoor cremation in India, and captioned “China lighting a fire versus India lighting a fire.” The post on Saturday by the Communist Party’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission on its official Sina Weibo account was accompanied by a hashtag noting that new Covid-19 cases in India had surpassed 400,000 a day. Later that day, it could no longer be found. Many Chinese social media users expressed shock and anger at the insensitivity of the post. “We hope everyone gi...

  Banerjee lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the second COVID-19 wave in the country and its management is a “Modi-made disaster”. Addressing an election rally at Balurghat in Dakshin Dinajpur district, the TMC chief asserted that West Bengal will be run only by a “Bengal engine government” and not by “Modi’s double-engine”. “The second COVID wave is more intense. I would say this is a Modi-made disaster. There are no injections or oxygen. Vaccines and medicines are being shipped abroad even as there is a scarcity of these items in the country,” she told the rally. She claimed that this election is a fight to save  West Bengal  and “protect the honour of the Bengali mother”. “Our state will be run by a Bengal engine government and not by Modi’s double-engine government. We will not allow Gujarat to capture our state or run it from Delhi. Bengal will r...

  Covid-19 is spreading at a fast pace with an increase in the intensity of the pandemic and the next four weeks are going to be very critical, the Centre said on Tuesday COVID-19 is spreading at a fast pace with an increase in the intensity of the pandemic and the next four weeks are going to be very critical, the Centre said on Tuesday as it stressed on people’s participation to control the second wave of the contagion. At a press conference, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr V K Paul said the pandemic situation in the country worsened with a sharp rise in cases and a large part of the population is still susceptible to the virus. The tools to fight the pandemic remain the same. COVID-appropriate behaviour, containment measures, testing have to be implemented more efficiently, medical infrastructure has to be ramped up and vaccination drive intensified, he said.  COVID  appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, staying away from crowds have to be followed in a campaign mode...

  Despite the surge in Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra, a massive crowd was seen at the Dadar vegetable market in Mumbai on Friday morning Despite the surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, a massive crowd was seen at the Dadar vegetable market in Mumbai on Friday morning.The people in the market were seen flouting social distancing norms.In order to control the new infections, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has declared a night curfew across the state, from Sunday under its ‘Mission Begin Again’ programMeanwhile, Maharashtra had reported 43,183 new COVID-19 cases, 32,641 recoveries, 249 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the State Health Department on Thursday. The total cases in the state rose to 28,56,163 including 3,66,533 active cases and 24,33,368 total recoveries. The death toll mounted to 54,898 including the new deaths Mumbai reported 8,646 new  COVID-19  cases, 5,031 recoveries and 18 deaths yesterday. The cumulative infections in the c...

  Doctor says people should remain vigilant, as the infection can “spread to the elderly” and trigger “serious symptoms” v A fresh wave of coronavirus   cases in Delhi   has “mainly affected” the young with most of the patients reporting “relatively milder symptoms”, AIIMS   director Dr Randeep Guleria told  Indian Express .People should remain vigilant, as the infection can “spread to the elderly” and trigger “serious symptoms”. If so happens then the healthcare resources would come under strain yet again, he said.. Guleria told  Indian Express  that having more containment zones within a city would be a better strategy in containing the spread as some states mulled over imposing another lockdow Delhi   has been witnessing over 1,500 daily cases over the past five days, with 995 cases reported on Wednesday. This has resulted in Delhi   getting back in the top 10 of most cases. “As of now, most of the patients who are comi...

b Dr Reddy’s Laboratories said on Friday it has initiated the process with the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use authorisation of human adenoviral vector-based platform vaccine candidate Sputnik V. As part of the review process, Dr Reddy’s will present the safety profile of phase two study and interim data of phase three study which is expected to complete by February 21. “The efficacy of Sputnik V was reported to be 91.6 per cent by the Lancet, which is an impressive development in the fight against Covid-19,” said Co-chairman and Managing Director G V Prasad. “The initiation of the emergency use authorisation process will be a critical step forward for us in ensuring speedy access to the  Sputnik V vaccine  in India,” he said in a statement. In September 2020, Dr Reddy’s partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct clinical trials of Sputnik V and for its distribution rights in India. Sputnik V has demonstrated an efficacy rate...

  Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not record a single fresh COVID-19 case in the last two days Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not record a single fresh COVID-19 case in the last two days, a health department official said on Thursday. The coronavirus tally in the Union Territory remained at 4,994, while 62 people have so far died due to the contagion, he said. “No fresh COVID-19 case was reported for the second day in a row on Wednesday,” the official said. Five people were cured of the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 4,922, the official said. Altogether, 2,454 health workers have so far received the shots of COVID-19 vaccine in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Union Territory now has 10 active cases. The overall  COVID  19  situation is under control in the archipelago as the local administration has been strict to ensure that health safety protocols are followed to contain the spread of the disease, he said...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will interact with chief ministers of all states via video conferencing to discuss the Covid-19 situation and coronavirus vaccination rollout Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will interact with chief ministers of all states via video conferencing to discuss the COVID-19 situation and coronavirus vaccination rollout. “At 4 PM on Monday 11th January, PM Narendra Modi will interact with Chief Ministers of all states via video conferencing. They will discuss the COVID-19 situation and the vaccination rollout,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had tweeted. Days after COVID-19 vaccines of Serum Institute of India and  Bharat Biotech  were been granted permission for restricted use in an emergency situation by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced that the coronavirus vaccination drive in the country will start from January 16. The Prime Minister had earlier chaired several m...

  33,000 passengers who arrived from the UK to India between November 25 to December 23 are being tracked and tested Six passengers who returned from the United Kingdom have tested positive for new variant of Covid-19 strain, the union health ministry said today. Last week, the ministry had ordered tracking and testing of over 33,000 persons who arrived from the UK between November 25 to December 23 as a part of its preventive strategy to contain the virus. About 114 returnees were found Covid-19 positve and their samples were sent to laboratories for genome sequencing. “All these persons ( with new variant of Covid-19) have been kept in single room isolation in designated health care facilities by respective state governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on,” the ministry said. “The situation is under careful wa...

  India plans to immunise 200-250 million people–a sixth of its population–with 400-500 million Covid-19 vaccine shots by July 2021 Whenever a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, India potentially has two advantages: Indian companies already supply the bulk of vaccines to the world, and India already conducts one of the world’s largest immunisation programmes for children and mothers. India plans to immunise 200-250 million people–a sixth of its population–with 400-500 million COVID-19 vaccine shots by July 2021, the health minister announced on October 4. Vulnerable population groups including healthcare workers will be prioritised in the first round. Does India have a logistical advantage to manufacture and distribute enough vaccines to Indians? Is India’s existing mother and child vaccine programme a backbone strong enough to bear the weight of a mass COVID-19 vaccination effort? IndiaSpend unpacks the infrastructural and administrative issues that may arise for a COVID-19 vacci...