News Analysis India

Tag: COVID vaccine

  • Bihar man booked on non-bailable charges for taking 11 jabs of Covid-19 vaccine

    By Express News Service

    PATNA: A police complaint was finally lodged against an 84-year-old Brahmadeo Mandal for allegedly taking at least 11 shots of Covid-19 vaccine at a primary health centre in Bihar’s Madhepura district. He has been on non-bailable charges. The case was lodged on the statement of medical (in-charge) officer of community health centre at Puraini in Madhepura district, Dr. Vinay Krishna Prasad, on Saturday.

    The station house officer (SHO) of Puraini police station Deepak Chandra Das said the accused (Mandal) has been booked under sections 188, 419 and 420 of Indian Penal Code. However, he may get benefit of section 41 for being an elderly citizen, he added.

    Madhepura civil surgeon Dr. Amrendra Pratap Shahi said the case was registered against Mandal to prevent re-occurrence of such an incident. “It will set a precedent if action is not taken against the man in question,” he told TNIE.

    In the complaint, the medical officer of the community health centre alleged that Mandal, a resident of Oray village, duped the health department employees and took jabs repeatedly in a span of 10 months.The records of the health facility showed that Mandal was vaccinated at Puraini community health centre, health camp at Upgraded government middle school and Aray vaccination centre respectively.

    The records revealed that Mandal, a retired employee of the postal department, was administered twin shots of the Covid19 vaccine at Puraini health facility on April 13, 2021.

    In addition, two more shots were given to him on June 21 and July 24 last year. Mandal had earlier said that he used his Aadhar cards and voter identity card for the vaccine. “I felt better after every dose of the vaccine provided by the government free of cost,” he added.

    Puraini medical officer (in-charge) Dr. Vinay Krishna said the case was registered against Mandal on the directive of senior officials of the health department.

  • Over 40 lakh children get COVID-19 vaccine on first day; Parents say it is a big relief

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI/MUMBAI/JAMMU: As India launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive for the 15-18 age group on Monday, over 40 lakh children received their first dose with many of the beneficiaries and their parents saying they feel a sense of relief, especially in the backdrop of the fresh rise in cases.

    From setting up attractive selfie points to putting up imaginative posters and colourful balloons, the designated vaccination centres, mostly schools and educational institutes, were decked up to welcome the youngsters.

    The children, some dressed in school uniforms and others in casuals, were greeted with flowers and were gifted pens and eatables at some places after receiving the vaccine.

    “Well done Young India! “Over 40 Lakhs between 15-18 age group received their first dose of #COVID19 vaccine on the 1st day of vaccination drive for children, till 8 PM. This is another feather in the cap of India’s vaccination drive,” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a tweet.

    Over 51 lakh youngsters had registered on the Co-WIN portal till Monday 8.30 PM after the process started on January 1.

    An estimated 7.4 crore children are there in this age group.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India has taken an important step forward in protecting its youth population against the disease.

    ”Congrats to all my young friends between the age group of 15-18 who got vaccinated. Congrats to their parents as well. I would urge more youngsters to get vaccinated in the coming days!” he said on Twitter.

    The vaccination campaign started on January 16 last year in a staggered manner, and many youngsters like Harmanjot Singh said they were keen to get the jab as soon as it was allowed for their age group.

    “I was waiting for the day to get my dose of the vaccine as the pandemic forced us to stay at our homes most of the time. We want to get back to regular school and other activities as soon as possible,” said Singh, a student of class 11 at a private school in Jammu.

    With the drive starting mostly from schools, many principals and other officials said they received a positive response from students and their families.

    “Whenever schools reopened in the midst of the pandemic, I was hesitant to send my son. It will be a relief now that he has received the vaccine,” said Savita Devi, whose son was waiting to get the jab at a Delhi government school.

    Some students referred to restrictions on travelling and said they did not want to miss out on activities because they are not vaccinated.

    “This was long-awaited. The third wave is already here and considering how aggressive the second wave was, we were all afraid,” said Ritesh Ghosh, a 17-year-old student.

    Echoing similar sentiments, Reema Dutta, 15, said there is a sense of relief among people of her age group and they are looking forward to resuming their normal activities once vaccinated against the coronavirus.

    “We can go outdoors while following COVID protocols once we have received the vaccination. The omicron is already scaring us”, she said.

    But there were some like Diksha Patel, 17, from Raipur in Chhattisgarh who required some counselling from her family and friends to overcome hesitancy.

    “On Sunday, our class teacher posted a message on our WhatsApp group about coming to school and getting vaccinated. I was worried as many of my family members fell ill after taking the vaccine during the second wave in April and May last year,” Patel, a class 9 student of JR Dani Government High School, said.

    “However, my mother and other family members spoke to me about the benefits of vaccination, especially in view of rising cases and a possible third wave,” she told PTI.

    Reflecting the urgency in the country as it stares at a possible third COVID-19 wave, leaders on Monday called for taking up the drive on a war footing, while Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope suggested that those in the 12-15 age bracket should also be allowed to get inoculated.

    On December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the inclusion of the 15 to 18 age group in the nationwide COVID immunisation programme from January 3.

    The vaccine option for this age group would only be Covaxin, according to guidelines issued by the Union health ministry on December 27.

    Meanwhile, the Centre on Monday dismissed reports alleging expired COVID-19 vaccines are being administered in India as “false and misleading”.

    It clarified that the national regulator had approved the shelf life extension of Covishield and Covaxin in February and October, 2021 respectively.

    “There have been some media reports alleging that expired vaccines are being administered in India under its national COVID-19 vaccination programme.

    This is false and misleading and based on incomplete information,” the health ministry said in a statement.

    India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 3,49,22,882 with 33,750 fresh cases, while the active cases increased to 1,45,582, according to the data updated at 8 AM on Monday.

    “I did not have any fear of vaccination. I will encourage my other friends to come and get themselves vaccinated as soon as possible,” said 17-year-old girl Poorvi Nakar in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

    In Mumbai, a girl student was the first to receive the vaccine dose at a jumbo COVID-19 centre in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), where the drive was virtually launched by Maharashtra Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray.

    Mumbai has witnessed a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases since the second half of last month.

    The city’s civic body said vaccines will be given free of cost to children of all schools.

    In neighbouring Pune, the vaccination campaign for children commenced at 40 centres on Monday, the city civic body’s chief immunisation officer Dr Suryakant Devkar said.

    “The beneficiary children were offered a rose, a pen and a mask after the vaccination,” Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol said.

    Parents accompanied their children to the vaccination centres and the teenagers appeared happy and excited to take to jabs against the viral infection, he said.

    Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha launched the drive at a government school in Jammu.

    “In the coming week, the targeted population (8.33 lakh) will be vaccinated,” he told reporters.

    As many as 822 vaccination sites have been set up across 20 districts for the vaccination of the children, officials said, appealing to the youngsters to come forward and get themselves vaccinated.

    Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin urged people to diligently follow precautions as the country entered the next phase of vaccination.

    “I do not wish to cause trepidation. Experts say the Omicron variant, which has emerged as a new threat, is highly transmissible though its impact is less severe compared to previous COVID variants. So, face-mask and vaccine against Coronavirus would serve as a shield to protect us now,” the chief minister said starting the drive.

    Tamil Nadu hopes to administer the jabs to about 33.46 lakh school children in a month’s time Assam, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Odisha, Karnataka, West Bengal, Puducherry, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh were among the states and Union territories that began the drive on Monday.

    “We have to hold the vaccination drive on a war footing. Crisis management committees, MPs, MLAs, social workers, volunteers, religious leaders, all are requested to appeal to the children to get vaccinated,” Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

    In Gujarat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched the drive at a school in Koba area of the state capital Gandhinagar.

    The Gujarat health department has prepared around 3,500 centres across the state for the special vaccination campaign, and has said it will extend the daily timings of the drive from the current schedule of 9 AM to 6 PM.

    Starting the drive from Dimapur District Hospital, Nagaland Health Minister S Pangyu Phom appealed to the people to come forward and get inoculated.

    Kerala Health Minister Veena George said Pink boards have been put up at Children’s Vaccination Centres to avoid confusion.

  • Madhya Pradesh targets to vaccinate 15 lakh teenagers on first day of COVID vaccination for 15-18 years age group

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh targets to render first dose of the Covaxin to 15 lakh teenagers on the first day of the two dose COVID vaccination starting from Monday for those aged between 15 and 18 years.

    A total of 48 lakh teenagers aged between 15 and 18 years are to be vaccinated at schools across 52 districts of the state, starting from Monday.

    “We’ve to ensure the success of the vaccination for the children at schools across the state. 18 lakh doses have already been rendered to all districts. Now it’s the duty of all, spanning from district collectors to in-charge ministers to make the vaccination a success. We’ve rendered 25-30 lakh jabs in a single day in the past, the same is needed again to ensure speedy success of vaccination of those aged between 15 and 18 years,” CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said while addressing review meeting of the COVID-19 situation in the state on Sunday.

    Reviewing the preparations for controlling the third wave of COVID-19, the CM said COVID Care Centers should be set up at all blocks.

    Also, process of inking agreements with private hospitals under the free of cost Mukhyamantri COVID Upchar Yojana should be accelerated to ensure that along with 31,000 government hospital beds, the state also has at least 25,000 dedicated beds at private hospitals for free of cost treatment of COVID patients.He also directed to start district control and command centers in all districts to professionally manage treatment of patients in home isolation during the third wave.

    “Most patients during this wave can be treated under home isolation. For proper management of such patients, the district control and command centers will play a pivotal role via distribution of medical kits and tele medicine/consultation. Mobile Medical Units and Rapid Response Teams too should be formed in all districts to ensure timely distribution of medical kits to home isolated patients and their prompt shifting to hospitals in cases of medical emergencies,” the CM directed.

    Laying stress on increasing daily testing from the present 60,000 to 62,000 to 75,000, the CM told the Crisis Management Group meeting that all fever clinics in the state should be re-started again to ensure timely detection of cases.

    Meanwhile, the state reported on Sunday, a single day spike of 151 fresh cases at 0.24% daily positivity rate, which took the total active cases in the state to 608. Out of the 151 fresh cases, 80 were reported in Indore and 42 in Bhopal.

    This was the second day in succession that the state reported over 100 cases in a day. Earlier on Saturday, the state had reported 124 fresh cases. 

  • Over-60s won’t need co-morbidity certificate for precautionary Covid jab, says Centre in U-turn

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: After first announcing that 60-plus people who wish to avail precautionary Covid-19 jabs from January 10 will need a certificate to prove the existence of a co-morbidity, the Centre has now dropped the clause.

    In a letter to the states on Tuesday, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that anyone over 60, on their doctor’s advice, can now take the shot and will not be required to show the co-morbidity certificate at the Covid-19 vaccination centre.

    This, in practical terms, will make the entire 60 plus population in India, who have completed 39 weeks since their second Covid vaccination, eligible for the precaution dose against coronavirus that is being permitted also for healthcare and frontline workers.

    ALSO READ | Boost for India’s COVID fight as country approves vaccines Corbevax, Covovax and Molnupiravir pill

    “All persons aged 60 years and above with co-morbidities will not be required to produce or submit any certificate from a doctor, at the time of administration of precaution dose,” wrote Bhushan to state chief secretaries adding that such people are expected to obtain the advice of their doctor before deciding to avail of the precautionary dose.

    The development comes after a section of people, including several doctors, had protested the requirement of doctors’ certificate to avail precautionary Covid-19 jabs, first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25.

    “There is no provision of such a certificate in India’s healthcare system to avail any service. Then, why create this unnecessary hurdle to get the Covid-19 booster jab administered?” said a senior medical professional attached with AIIMS, Delhi who is also a member of ICMR advisory group on Covid-19 clinical management.

    ALSO READ | BCCI President Sourav Ganguly admitted to hospital after testing positive for COVID-19

    Meanwhile, as Covid-19 vaccination for the 15-17 year age group opens from January 3, the Centre urged district officials to identify dedicated session sites or earmarked Covid-19 vaccination centers for their immunisation as only Covaxin is to be administered to them.

    “lt must be ensured that no mixing of vaccines is done. Hence, preferably separate session sites (Covid-19 vaccination centres) should be identified. Separate queue with proper and prominent signage and separate vaccination team must be used, if the identified session site is the same where adult vaccination is also ongoing,” said the letter.

  • Covovax not yet been approved in country of origin: Govt panel seeks additional data from Serum Institute

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: An expert panel of India’s Central Drug Authority, which recently reviewed Serum Institute’s application seeking emergency authorisation of COVID-19 vaccine Covovax, has sought additional data from the firm, while noting the jab has not yet been approved in the country of origin, official sources said.

    The Serum Institute of India (SII) had put in an application to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in October for grant of market authorisation of Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations.

    The Pune-based firm had submitted interim safety and immunogenicity data of phase 2/3 bridging clinical trials conducted in the country as well as interim clinical trial data of safety and efficacy from phase 3 clinical trials conducted in the UK and the US along with its application, official sources said.

    “The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which deliberated on the application on November 24, noted that the vaccine is technology transfer of Novavax vaccine and is not yet approved in the country of origin,” a source said.

    ALSO READ: Will Covaxin, Covishield be effective against Omicron? Here’s what experts say

    After detailed deliberation, the committee recommended that the firm should submit additional data and information.

    It has sought correct status of the phase 3 clinical trials in USA and UK along with up to date on the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity, comparative statement of immunogenicity parameters of the subjects from the US, UK and other overseas phase 3 studies with data from phase 3 study in India, besides review status of the application with regulatory authorities of the US and the UK, the source said.

    The government recently permitted the export of two crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine Covovax to Indonesia, produced in India by the SII, as the jab has not yet been approved for emergency use in the country, official sources had said.

    The DCGI office had granted SII permission to manufacture and stock Covovax on May 17.

    Based on the DCGI’s approval, till now, the Pune-based firm has manufactured and stockpiled vaccine doses, they said.

    In August 2020, US-based vaccine maker Novavax, Inc had announced a licence agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India.

    ALSO READ |

  • Lucky draw among strategies planned to improve COVID vaccine coverage

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Weekly or monthly lucky draw programmes for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are among the strategies planned by the government to encourage people yet to take the first dose and those overdue for the second jab to get inoculated, sources said on Sunday.

    The Union Health Ministry has planned other initiatives also such as organising workplace vaccination and providing badges to fully vaccinated employees.

    States and Union Territories may soon be suggested to undertake these initiatives.

    The strategies also include involving influential figures in districts or villages, who themselves are vaccinated, to motivate their peer groups in getting the anti-Covid shots.

    Such people may be appointed as ‘ambassadors’ and oriented about the government’s ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ initiative.

    They can, in turn, provide sound advice to people on the importance of taking both the doses of vaccine and completing the vaccination schedule.

    The government has launched the month-long ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign for house-to-house COVID-19 vaccination of those who are yet to take a dose and those whose second jab is overdue.

    “Workplace vaccination can be organised targeting people who are due for their doses. Employees, both at private and government offices and other workplaces, may be given badges having vaccination messages such as ‘I am fully vaccinated, are you fully vaccinated too’ to encourage their colleagues to get the doses,” a source said.

    “Also, weekly or monthly lucky draw programmes may be organized for the fully vaccinated. Household items like kitchen appliances, ration kit, travel passes, cash prizes can be given to the winners of the lucky draw to motivate the fence-sitters to go for vaccination.”

    Ideas or initiatives at the local level may further help in motivating people and mobilizing the left-out or dropped-out beneficiaries and help in ensuring that all adults are protected against Covid infection, the source said.

    According to officials, around 82 per cent of the eligible population in India have received the first dose of the vaccine while around 43 per cent have been fully inoculated.

    Over 12 crore beneficiaries are overdue for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine after the expiry of the prescribed interval between the two doses.

  • Zydus Cadila’s COVID vaccine to be administered only to adults as of now: Sources

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Zydus Cadila’s COVID-19 vaccine ZyCov-D, which has been cleared by India’s drug regulator for those aged 12 years and above, will only be administered to adults as of now under the government’s national anti-coronavirus vaccination programme, sources said on Sunday.

    The health ministry has given a go ahead to initiate the preparatory work for the inclusion of the indigenously-developed, needle-free jab in the national Covid inoculation drive and it can be introduced in the programme anytime soon.

    The ministry has already placed a purchase order with the Ahmedabad-based firm for one crore doses of the vaccine.

    “ZyCov-D, which has been cleared by India’s drug regulator for those aged 12 years and above, will be given only to adults as of now under the national Covid vaccination drive,” an official source said.

    Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said the government does not want to make haste about administering Covid vaccines to children and any decision in this regard will be taken based on expert opinion.

    He said children are not being inoculated against COVID-19 on a large scale anywhere in the world, though it has been initiated in some countries in a limited manner.

    “About vaccinating the children, we will take a decision based on expert opinion. We have decided to think and evaluate before going ahead with vaccinating children as they are the future of our country and we need to tread with caution in this matter,” Mandaviya had said.

    Meanwhile, a comprehensive programme for paediatric immunisation, including developing a priority list of comorbidities, is being worked out by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI).

    ZyCov-D is the first Covid vaccine cleared by India’s drug regulator for inoculation of those aged 12 years and above.

    As for the emergency use approval for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in the age group of two to 18 years by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), it is under expert opinion and evaluation, official sources said.

    For administering ZyCov-D to adults, frontline workers and vaccinators will be provided a brief training for using the needle-free applicator in actual field settings.

    At present, every citizen aged above 18 years is eligible for Covid vaccination.

    Drug firm Zydus Cadila on November 8 said it had received an order to supply one crore doses of its Covid vaccine, ZyCoV-D, to the Indian government at Rs 265 per dose.

    “Zydus Cadila has received an order to supply one crore doses of ZyCoV-D, the world’s first Plasmid DNA Vaccine, to the Government of India at Rs 265 per dose and the needle-free applicator is being offered at Rs 93 per dose, excluding GST,” the pharma firm said in a regulatory filing.

    The vaccine will be administered using a needle-free applicator as opposed to the traditional syringes.

    The applicator is called “PharmaJet”.

    PharmaJet is a needle-free applicator to ensure painless intradermal vaccine delivery, which also leads to a significant reduction in any kind of major side effects.

    ZyCoV-D is the first DNA plasmid vaccine in the world for human use, developed indigenously by the company against COVID-19, Zydus Cadila said.

    The three doses of ZyCoV-D are to be administered 28 days apart.

    The vaccine was given emergency use authorisation (EUA) by the Indian drug regulator on August 20.

  • IMA pushes for COVID-19 vaccine for all diabetes patients

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Noticing their vulnerabilities, IMA on Sunday demanded Covid-19 vaccination for all diabetes patients, including a third dose, if needed.

    The IMA on Sunday launched a campaign for early detection and mitigation of diabetes complications with organising of walkathon, marathon, screening camps, and a social media drive.

    The campaign also included research paper promotion among young doctors and an “intense” personal intervention at hospitals.

    The campaign, launched on the occasion of world Diabetes Day, will run for 10 days and will aim to reach one billion people, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said in a statement.

    As part of the campaign, the IMA has joined hands with the association of Physicians of India, RSSDI, Endocrine Society, and many other niche organisations.

    As per the data from the 10th Edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas, diabetes caused 6.7 million deaths in 2021, with 537 million adults (aged 20 to 79 years) around the world currently living with the condition.

    Their number is predicted to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 784 million by 2045, the statement said.

    In India, more than 77 million adults are living with diabetes and researchers predict that this will increase to 134 million by 2045.

    World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225.

    It is held every year on November 14 to mark the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.

    The theme for World Diabetes Day 2021-23 is access to diabetes care.

    Even after 100 years of the discovery of insulin, millions of people with diabetes around the world do not have access to the kind of care they need, the doctors’ body said.

    Its patients require continuous care and support to manage their condition and avoid complications, they said.

    To make insulin accessible, IMA’s state and local branches will set up special centres to help people get insulin therapy at appropriate times, the statement said.

    The World Diabetes Day logo — a blue circle — will be depicted by blue light and blue balloon during the campaign at all IMA branches.

    Also, special sessions will be organised during the week at ‘blue corners’ to make people aware about diabetes and complications caused by it, the statement said.

    According to a 2021 review, people who live in cities and metropolitan areas in India are more likely to develop diabetes than ever before.

    This is due in part to a city lifestyle that is marked by sedentariness, stress, junk food, smoking, and liquor consumption.

    All these factors lead to an increase in a person’s body mass index (BMI) – a major risk factor in causing diabetes, the statement said.

    Overall, women have a higher risk of developing diabetes than males, but as both groups get older, the risk decreases, it said.

    Although diabetes figures are high, researchers estimate that 57 per cent of cases remain undiagnosed.

    This is particularly concerning, as the risk of serious complications increases when people do not take medication to control their blood sugar, it added.

    The IMA campaign includes holding programmes in both urban and rural areas to promote detection of these hidden and Pre-diabetes cases.

    It also spoke about the diabetic foot, terming it a dreaded complication, and saying that 80 per cent of amputations of leg In India are due to this condition.

    The association said such complications are preventable if proper care is given.

    To improve dietary habits of the patients, IMA has also joined hands with the Food Safety department of government of India and propagate an ‘Eat Right campaign’.

    Under it, IMA is organising a one-day training programme to teach the trainers in each state with the help of FSSAI, so that they can coach people on their diet further in their respective states.

  • British envoy says travel restrictions row happened due to ‘transition’ in UK policy

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Days after the resolution of the UK-India travel restrictions row, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis on Thursday rejected claims that there was any racism angle to it and asserted that it happened due to the “transition” in the UK travel policy.

    He also said that the centre of the world is coming to India and the Euro-centric world is coming to an end.

    Speaking at the Times Now Summit, he said the AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) alliance, a trilateral security partnership, signifies Britain’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific Region and to keep it open and secure.

    On whether AUKUS complements the Quad, the British envoy called it another addition to the global patchwork of institutions.

    The Quad is a grouping comprising the US, India, Japan and Australia.

    The AUKUS should compliment the Quad, Ellis added.

    Asked about the British seemingly taking a skeptical view of India’s vaccination programme, he said, “I completely reject it.”

    “India’s vaccine programme is absolutely fantastic. Now about over a billion vaccines delivered, that is an astonishing achievement,” he asserted and pointed out that 80 per cent of those vaccines are the result of the UK-India cooperation — Covishield.

    “Worth remembering the story of Covishield — British government funded, researched by one of the greatest universities of the world at Oxford. The absolute quality of the people at Oxford that they went to the people of a commercial firm and said that if we are going to produce a vaccine, it has to be done at cost not profit, a rare thing to do. More impressively, the company, AstraZeneca, says we agree,” he said.

    Putting an end to the vaccine certification row, the UK on October 7 announced that Indians, fully vaccinated with Covishield vaccine, will no longer require to undergo quarantine on their arrival in Britain from October 11.

    On the row over the recognition of Covishield, Ellis said the UK did recognize the vaccine and made it “abundantly clear”.

    “What is happening that all countries, including India, are making a transition in their rules for travel.

    Travel in the pandemic is a complicated thing as we have all learnt.

    We (the UK) were shifting from a rule based on which country you are coming from to what you have been double jabbed with,” he said, explaining the reasons that led to the row.

    Asked about what he would say to those calling the British action racist and patronizing, Ellis’s said, “That it isn’t and it never was.

    ” He went on to name Indian-origin British ministers such as Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel to underline that “India is creating an enormous success story in the UK”.

    Describing the vaccine certification row as a “ruffle”, he said it was mainly the result of a transition in travel policy which India then reciprocated.

    “We recognized Covishield, we are recognizing Covaxin for the purpose of people coming into the country.

    We would now like to end restraints on travel which limit the number of flights between UK and India which we would like to increase, we want to enable British citizens to join the citizens of every other country in the world in getting e-visas as that will attract tourist and investment into India,” the British envoy here said.

    On whether the matter could have been handled better, he said everything can be handled better and added that “we should have been clearer at the start that Covishield was recognized” as part of the various Astrazeneca vaccines around the world.

    “If we would have said that on the day of the start of the change in policy, people here would have understood,” he said.

    The UK recognised Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India but retained the 10-day quarantine period for fully vaccinated travellers from India.

    The move did not provide any relief from quarantine rules for Indian travellers vaccinated with two doses of Covishield.

    Later, British officials said the UK has issues with India’s vaccine certification process and not with the Covishield vaccine.

    However, the UK then decided to scrap tough COVID-19 quarantine travel rules for 47 destinations, including India.

    Following this, India also withdrew the reciprocal Covid checks and restrictions it had imposed on those arriving from the UK.

  • Ensure all adults get first dose of Covid vaccine during Har Ghar Dastak campaign: Mandaviya to states

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Noting that over 12 crore beneficiaries are due for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday urged state health ministers to ensure they are motivated to take it and the entire adult population is administered the first dose during the ongoing ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign.

    During a virtual interaction with the health ministers of states and union territories, Mandaviya observed that the fight against COVID-19 is at the final stage.

    “The two weapons of vaccination and CAB (COVID-19-appropriate behaviour) will be our greatest defence against it and we should not let our guard down before it is completely over,” he said.

    The minister stated that at present 79 per cent of the adult population has got the first dose of vaccine and 38 per cent has also received the second dose.

    “Let us ensure collectively through collaborative and multi-stakeholder efforts that no eligible citizen is left without the ‘suraksha kawachh’ of COVID-19 vaccine in the country. Let us reach each corner and household across the country and motivate people to take both the doses under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign,” he said.

    He emphasised that while vaccination reduces the severity of the disease, adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour is of utmost important to ensure that the gains made collectively by the country so far are not frittered away and there is not any other surge of COVID-19 cases, according to a Health Ministry statement.

    The meeting also reviewed the public health measures for containment and management of COVID-19 in states and UTs.

    Noting that more than 12 crore beneficiaries are due for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Mandaviya urged state health ministers to ensure they are motivated to take the second dose and all the adult population is covered with the first dose during the door-to-door campaign ongoing ‘Har Ghar Dastak’, according to the statement.

    Underlining that children can be the best ambassadors for behaviour change, he urged states and UTs to rope them in for taking forward the message of full vaccination.

    “Let the children motivate their parents and other family members to take both the vaccine doses,” he stated.

    Mandaviya reiterated Prime Minister Modi’s mop-up strategies for strengthening the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign, including deploying ‘Prachar Toli’ in advance to villages which would ensure mobilisation and counselling of the eligible population along with awareness campaigns, followed by the ‘Vaccination Toli’ which would ensure that all eligible citizens are vaccinated, the statement stated.

    A strategy of multiple vaccination teams to ensure 100 per cent coverage in the targeted area in a time-bound manner and development of a ranking mechanism for identifying and felicitating the vaccination teams which administer the maximum number of doses every 24 hours for motivated progress of the drive were stressed by Mandaviya, the statement said.

    He also laid emphasis on utilising weekly bazaars and haats for creating awareness and providing vaccination services, collaborating with local religious and community leaders, roping in civil society organisations, NGOs, etc.

    for motivating the unvaccinated in village/urban areas; multi-media awareness campaigns to effectively counter anti-vaccine rumours; and emulating innovative approaches and practices followed by high coverage districts.

    “Let us start Covid vaccination centres at bus stations, railway stations, etc., especially in large metros, as these are the primary points for a large number of people entering the city. Some states have started a ‘Roko and Toko’ campaign where the passengers alighting from buses, trains, rickshaws, etc., are motivated to take the vaccine doses,” he said.

    He also suggested that each day of the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign can be dedicated to mobilisation and vaccination of different groups of beneficiaries.

    “One day can be dedicated for traders, hawkers, vendors, shopkeepers, etc., other days we can mobilise rickshaw-pullers and auto drivers. One day can be dedicated to labourers and farmers,” he added.

    The minister cautioned all states and UTs that COVID-19 was not over.

    “We shouldn’t think that Covid is over. Cases are rising globally. In Singapore, Britain, Russia and China cases are rising again despite more than 80 per cent vaccination. Vaccination and Covid-appropriate behaviour should go hand in hand,” he stressed.

    Health ministers Veena George (Kerala), Dhan Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand), Banna Gupta (Jharkhand), Lalthangliana (Mizoram), Mangal Pandey (Bihar), K Sudhakar (Karnataka), Rajesh Tope (Maharashtra), Prabhuram Choudhary (Madhya Pradesh), Jai Pratap Singh (Uttar Pradesh), Ma Subramanian (Tamil Nadu), Vishwajit Rane (Goa), Rushikesh Ganeshbhai Patel (Gujarat), Keshab Mahanta (Assam), and Satyendar Jain (Delhi) were present at the meeting.

    Principal Secretaries/Additional Chief Secretaries/Mission Director (NHM) of all states were also present, the statement stated.

    The state health ministers expressed their gratitude to Mandaviya for the supply of vaccines, drugs, financial and technical resources for the COVID-19 management, according to the statement.

    They also shared the innovative steps being taken to ensure saturation of vaccination, especially in low-performing districts.

    Mandaviya thanked all states and UTs for their overwhelming support and urged them to emulate the best practices being undertaken by others, the statement said.