Tag: Coronavirus Vaccination Drive

  • US backing for vaccine patent waiver a game changer in India’s Covid fight?

    Express News Service
    NEW Delhi: A crucial decision by the US administration to support a waiver on intellectual property protection on Covid-19 vaccines could help Indian vaccine makers produce inexpensive foreign-made vaccines, but experts caution that there are still hurdles ahead.

    This initiative on such a waiver was first proposed by India and South Africa in October last year.

    US president Joe Biden on Wednesday expressed his support for the waiver – in reversal to the country’s position earlier – and his remarks were followed by a statement from his top trade negotiator, Katherine Tai, who endorsed the negotiations at the World Trade Organization.

    “This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures,” Tai said in a statement.

    The major decision by the Biden administration comes amid growing concerns that the huge Covid-19 outbreak in India could lead to outbreaks in other countries too, in times to come, even though most of them seem to be recovering from the infectious disease now.  

    ALSO READ | India’s vaccine drive loses steam, second doses delayed

    Experts in India, which has been struggling to ensure vaccine supply to a significant chunk of population due to acute supply shortage, while welcoming the move also said that this development should be seen with caution.

    “To my understanding, it is a laudable step and will help countries like India in procuring higher doses of vaccines at lower costs if the World Trade Organisation agrees to the proposal and vaccine makers transfer their formula with local companies,” said Manisha Gupta, an IPR expert.

    She however also said that a possible hurdle in the way could be ensuring the quality of products if the foreign vaccine makers share the technology.

    “Countries like India will have to ensure that only companies which are capable of maintaining quality get the license to make generic versions of the vaccines,” she added.

    Some others like IPR lawyer Deepshikha Malhotra also stressed that the advantage could ultimately depend on the agreements later between the patent holders and local license seekers once the waiver is granted by the WTO.

    Also, she said, the companies which may get the license through the international agreements may have to fulfill all the regulatory requirements, as is the case now.

    ALSO READ | Fully protected only after second dose of Covid vaccine: Experts

    Former Union health secretary Sujatha K Rao, meanwhile, welcomed the development saying that it brings hope for much-needed vaccine equity to low- and middle-income countries.

    “In days to come, it is likely to enable vaccine production at very affordable prices helping governments provide it free to all and the price will no longer be a barrier to access,” she hoped.

    A few trade experts though pointed out that most Indian vaccine companies seem to be happy to work through exclusive pacts and do not favour free technology transfers.

    Serum Institute of India, for instance, has signed pacts with AstraZeneca and Novavax while Biological E has entered into an agreement with Johnson & Johnson for its Covid-19 vaccine.

  • Over 23 lakh healthcare workers immunized against Covid so far across India, says Centre

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Over 23 lakh healthcare workers have received COVID-19 vaccine jabs in the country so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday while underlining that no case of severe adverse event or death is attributable to the vaccination till date.

    A total of 23,28,779 beneficiaries have been vaccinated for COVID-19 through 41,599 sessions till 6 pm on Wednesday, the twelfth day of the nationwide immunisation drive in the country, as per a provisional report, it said.

    The ministry said “2,99,299 beneficiaries were vaccinated today (Wednesday) through 5,308 sessions held till 6 pm across 28 states and UTs,” adding that the final report would be completed by late in the night.

    ​ALSO READ | More COVID-19 vaccines on their way in India, says Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

    “The countrywide COVID-19 vaccination program was conducted successfully on the twelfth day,” the ministry said.

    Till date, there have been the total 16 hospitalizations which is  0.0007 per cent of the total people vaccinated so far, additional secretary in the Union Health Ministry Dr Manohar Agnani said.

    In the last 24 hours, one person who is suffering from bacterial sepsis has been hospitalized at the Apollo Hospital, Chennai.

    He was vaccinated on January 23 and was hospitalized on January 24, Agnani said.

    “Total nine deaths have been reported so far. None of these deaths have been causally linked with COVID-19 vaccination,” the ministry said.

    In the last 24 hours, one person aged 23 years, a resident of Odisha, has died.

    ALSO WATCH:

    The post-mortem report is awaited, it said.

    “No case of serious/severe adverse event/death is attributable to COVID-19 vaccination till date,” the ministry underscored. It said 123 adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs) have been reported till 6 pm on the twelfth day of the vaccination drive.

    The ministry said 79 per cent of beneficiaries vaccinated on Wednesday are from five states — Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

    The total number of beneficiaries who have been vaccinated on Wednesday till 6 pm include 8,491 in Andhra Pradesh, 606 in Bihar, 10,541 in Kerala,  33,124 in Karnataka, 60,194 in Madhya Pradesh, 4,316 in Tamil Nadu, 6,441 in Delhi, 1,366 in Gujarat and 33,263 in West Bengal, according to the provisional report.