News Analysis India

Tag: COVID19

  • Media reports on bodies of COVID-19 victims piling up creating panic: BJP’s Kailash Vijayvargiya

    By PTI
    INDORE: BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Tuesday said panic is spreading by media reports showing bodies of COVID-19 victims piling up, and urged media persons to also show positive stories of those serving the pandemic-affected people.

    He said that doctors, paramedical staff, NGOs and people from other fields are working continuously to serve the COVID-19-affected people. “I request to the people in the media…you are everyday showing piles of dead bodies (of COVID-19 victims), suffering and agony of dying patients. This is creating panic among common people,” Vijayvargiya told reporters.

    “If you look at history, pandemic comes once every 100 years. In such a situation, the media should show how doctors and paramedical staff are working continuously, ” he said adding that many non-medical persons and NGOs are also serving the coronavirus-affected people. “This, too, should be shown to the public as it is very essential for creating a positive atmosphere,” he said.

    On protests by the Congress in Madhya Pradesh on the issue of shortage of hospital beds, Remdesivir injections and medical oxygen for COVID-19 patients, he said in such a difficult situation politicians should come forward to help people by rising above party politics.

    Answering a question, he said that the state’s BJP government is taking all possible measures to deal with the pandemic.

  • No restraining SII from using Covishield name for vaccine against COVID-19: Bombay HC

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to restrain Serum Institute of India Private Limited from using the name ‘Covishield’ for its vaccine against COVID-19 noting that such an order would create confusion and disruption in the vaccine administration programme.

    A division bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and CV Bhadang dismissed an appeal filed by pharmaceutical firm Cutis Biotech claiming trademark of the name ‘Covishield’ and seeking a direction to Serum Institute of India to stop using the name for its COVID-19 vaccine.

    The court in its order said it is now widely known that Covishield is a vaccine to counter coronavirus. “A temporary injunction directing Serum Institute to discontinue the use of mark ‘Covishield’ for its vaccine will cause confusion and disruption in the vaccine administration programme. In this case, thus, the grant of an injunction would have large-scale ramifications traversing beyond the parties to the suit,” the order said.

    It said the Union government had rolled out an extensive vaccination drive and, as on March 16, 66 million doses of Covishield have been supplied to the Centre, while some 59 million doses have been supplied to 72 countries.

    The bench added that the Union government had placed a further order of 10 crore doses of Covishield. “Serum Institute has, to date, made a sale amounting to Rs 37,507 lakh through the sale of Covishield vaccine. With these facts, the balance of convenience is not in favour of Cutis Biotech. Grant of injunction against Serum Institute would have a serious impact on its business,” the court said.

    The court, in its order, noted that neither Cutis Biotech nor Serum Institute have a registration for the trademark ‘Covishield’.

    Cutis Biotech, a Nanded-based pharmaceutical products selling firm, had based its case on the action of Serum Institute passing off a product under the name which has been used by it (Cutis Biotech) for its products in the past.

    In April last year, Cutis Biotech filed an application before the concerned authority for registration of the trademark ‘Covishield’. The name was proposed for some Ayurvedic, Allopathic, medicinal and pharmaceutical products sold by the company.

    Serum Institute counsel Birendra Saraf, while opposing the plea, said on June 6, 2020 that the company applied for registration of trademark ‘Covishield’ for its vaccine against coronavirus but has been using the term since March last year when it sought permission from the Union government to start clinical trials of the vaccine.

    The court in its order said there is adequate evidence to show prior adoption and use, but Serum Institute has also continued its use (of the trademark) without a break, and, till date, the company had produced 60 million Covishield vaccine doses per month, of which 48 million were supplied to the Union government.

    The bench further said that Serum Institute had coined the word ‘Covishield’ and took substantial steps towards its development and manufacture.

  • West Bengal polls: BJP decides not to hold big rallies, public meetings amid rise in COVID cases

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the BJP on Monday said it has decided against holding any big rally or public meeting, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other party leaders, in the ongoing West Bengal assembly poll campaign.

    The decision comes amid the party facing flak from rivals for the big rallies of its leaders in West Bengal amid the COVID-19 tally rising to staggering levels across the country. The BJP said that breaking the chain of coronavirus infection is much needed in such a difficult time and it will leverage its “massive digital footprint” to take across the message of its top leaders to the voters.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders will be addressing only small public meetings to be attended by maximum of 500 people, the party said in a statement.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has already cancelled his rallies in West Bengal while the ruling Trinamool Congress president and the state’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that her party would organise small meetings in Kolkata and she would give short speeches in rallies in districts where polling would be held in the remaining three phases.

    The BJP said all its public meetings will be held in open places following all COVID-19 guidelines and that it will distribute six crore masks and sanitisers in the state. The party asserted that it is also very necessary for the constitutional and democratic obligations to be fulfilled, noting that the assembly polls are underway in the state.

    Amid a massive surge in the COVID cases, the BJP said the country had earlier overcome big challenges under Modi and will do it again. BJP’s IT wing head Amit Malviya, also the party’s co-incharge for the state, said the BJP will leverage its “massive digital footprint” and take the message of Modi and other leaders to lakhs of people.

    “We did that successfully during Bihar elections, which too was conducted under the cloud of COVID. The opposition had then complained that it gave us an edge,” he said.

  • Some states hampering oxygen supply to Madhya Pradesh, claims CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: Police officers in some states were blocking the movement of tankers bringing medical-grade oxygen to Madhya Pradesh for coronavirus patients, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan alleged on Monday.

    However, Chouhan did not name any state. “There is an adverse situation due to coronavirus infection. It is a time of crisis. Oxygen is life saver. In such a situation, police officers of some states are stopping the (MP-bound) oxygen tankers, which is unfair and also a crime, Chouhan said in a tweet.

    कल मध्यप्रदेश राज्य के ऑक्सीजन टैंकर्स को अन्य राज्यों में कुछ अधिकारियों द्वारा रोका गया। इससे समय बर्बाद होता है और इस दौरान कुछ मरीजों की जान जाने का खतरा बना रहता है।
    — Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) April 19, 2021

    In another tweet, Chouhan said that oxygen tankers of Madhya Pradesh were intercepted by some police officers in other states on Sunday. “I appeal to the chief ministers of these states to take strict action against such police-officers, who are stopping the tankers carrying life-saving oxygen without any reason,” he said.

    Several parts of MP are facing a shortage of medical oxygen, which is used to treat critical coronavirus patients. Earlier in the day, Chouhan told a meeting that efforts were being made on a war footing to ensure adequate oxygen supply for COVID-19 patients in the state.

    On Sunday, the Chief Minister had said by April 30, the state will have 700 metric tonnes of medical oxygen supply.

  • Johnson & Johnson seeks permission for phase-III trial of its COVID vaccine in India, import licence

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Multinational pharma giant Johnson & Johnson has applied to India’s drug regulator seeking permission to conduct phase-3 clinical trial of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in India as well as import licence, sources said.

    They said the company has sought an early meeting of the subject expert committee on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to take a decision on its application.

    This comes close to the heels of the central government last week deciding to fast-track emergency approvals for all foreign produced coronavirus jabs that have been given a similar nod by the World Health Organization or regulators in the United States, Europe, Britain or Japan.

    Such vaccines will be given emergency use approval mandating the requirement of post-approval parallel bridging clinical trial in place of conduct of local clinical trial under the provisions of the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules 2019, the health ministry had said.

    According to sources, Johnson & Johnson had applied on April 12 in the Global Clinical Trial Division through the Sugam online portal, instead of applying to the biological division which deals with vaccines and other biologicals. “Due to the technicalities involved, Johnson & Johnson has resubmitted its application on Monday,” a source said.

    Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is a single-dose jab, whereas the three vaccines cleared by India so far are of doubles doses.

    So far, two vaccines — Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine COVISHIELD manufactured by Serum Institute in India and indigenously developed COVAXIN by Bharat Biotech — are being administered in India, while a third vaccine Sputnik V — developed in Russia and to be imported and sold in India by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories — has also been approved by the Indian drug regulator.

    The government, meanwhile, on Monday decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 years of age eligible to be vaccinated from May 1 and permitted state governments, private hospitals and industrial establishments to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.

  • COVID-19: Priyanka Gandhi tells Uttar Pradesh government to simplify hospital admission process

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI/ LUCKNOW: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed “red-tapism” in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that lives were lost because Covid patients needed permission from the district chief medical officers to get admission in hospitals.

    In a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Congress general secretary urged the creation of a database of available hospitals and beds to that people can seek admission directly. She claimed there are reports from many places in the state that COVID-19 patients require the CMO’s permission for hospital admission.

    Patients are waiting for hospitalisation for a long time and their families are running around from one place to another, she said citing “information” received by the party. “Many people have lost their lives due to this system,” the letter in Hindi alleged.

    ALSO READ| ‘No place in crematoriums, no beds in hospitals’: Akhilesh Yadav slams Uttar Pradesh government

    Priyanka Gandhi said she has been told that people who try to get oxygen cylinders face a similar situation as they need permission from the district magistrate. “An unfortunate incident took place outside the oxygen factory in Lucknow’s Talkatora Industrial area, when people standing in a line attacked government officials,” she said.

    However, police said nobody was attacked. Priyanka Gandhi asked what should those in home quarantine do if their condition worsens and they need oxygen. The Congress leaders said there is already a terrible crisis of oxygen beds in hospitals and in such a situation, “this step of your administration is fatal for those who are treating COVID-19 at home”.

    She said at a time when families of patients are suffering, such red-tapism is increasing their misery. “Please simplify the process of admission of COVID-19 patients in hospitals by considering every life essential,” she said.

    “Also, release a centralised database of hospitals and available beds, so that people can directly enroll COVID-19 patients in hospitals. This is the time to help people in distress. In this difficult time, we all need to work above politics. The Congress party is united with the people of the state and is ready to help the government in every way,” she said.

    ALSO READ| Allahabad HC orders week-long lockdown in five cities, Uttar Pradesh government ‘refuses’

    She also wished a speedy recovery to Adityanath who recently tested positive for COVID-19.

    Earlier on Twitter, she levelled the same charge about the hospital admission system. “Information is coming from many places that many serious patients are not being admitted without the letter of the CMO. “Mr. Chief Minister, people are losing their lives while waiting for the CMO’s letter. Please put an end to such rules, save the lives of people,” the tweet in Hindi said.

    कई जगहों से सूचना आ रही है कि कई गंभीर मरीजों को CMO के पत्र के बिना एडमिट नहीं किया जा रहा। मुख्यमंत्रीजी CMO के पत्र के इंतजार में लोगों की जानें जा रही हैं। कृपया ये नियम बंद कराएँ, लोगों की जान बचाएँ।ऐसी व्यवस्था बनाएं जिससे कि गंभीर मरीजों का अस्पताल में एडमिशन आसान हो सके
    — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 19, 2021

    “Make such a system in which serious patients can be admitted to the hospitals easily,” she said. Uttar Pradesh on Monday registered the highest single-day rise in COVID-19 deaths with the disease claiming 167 more lives, while 28,287 fresh cases pushed its tally to 8,79,831.

  • Staggered working hours, limited attendance announced in central government offices amid COVID surge

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday announced guidelines for its employees, including staggered office hours and 50 per cent attendance of officers of the level of Under Secretary and below, in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

    All officers of the level of Deputy Secretary, equivalent and above are to attend office on a regular basis, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said. It said that physical attendance of the officers of the level of Under Secretary or equivalent and below to be restricted to 50 per cent of the actual strength

    “Secretary/head of Department (HoD) may regulate the attendance of officials and may, on administrative grounds, direct more officials to attend office,” the statement said. The persons with disabilities and pregnant women employees may be exempted from attending office, but they shall continue to work from home, until further orders, it said.

    MoS (Personnel) Jitendra Singh said that the guidelines, which were issued in view of the unprecedented rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and to take measures to prevent its spread, “shall come into effect immediately and will remain in force until 30.04.2021 or further orders”.

    He hoped that all these instructions will be followed in letter and spirit in the interest of the well-being of all the citizens and government employees and their families. Singh expressed hope that the state/Union Territory governments will also contemplate on similar guidelines, according to the statement.

    The Personnel Ministry said that the officers/staff shall follow staggered timings — 9 AM to 5.30 PM, 9.30 AM to 6 PM and 10 AM to 6.30 PM — to avoid overcrowding in offices. “All officials who do not attend office on a particular day are to make themselves available on telephone and other electronic means of communication at all times from their residence and work from home,” it said.

    The statement said that all officials residing in containment zones shall continue to be exempted from coming to office till the containment zone is denotified. All officials who attend office shall strictly follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour including wearing of mask, physical distancing, use of sanitiser and frequent hand washing with soap and water, it said.

    The Personnel Ministry said that crowding in lifts, staircases, corridors, common areas including refreshment kiosk and parking areas is to be strictly avoided.

    “The meetings, as far as possible, to be conducted through video-conferencing and entry of outside visitors to be curtailed appropriately. Proper cleaning and frequent sanitization of the workplace, particularly of the frequently touched surfaces may be ensured,” the statement said.

    Biometric attendance shall continue to be suspended and physical attendance registers to be maintained until further orders, it said.

  • PM Narendra Modi to meet COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers on Tuesday

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: With the government opening the COVID-19 vaccination drive to everyone above 18 years of age, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting with vaccine manufacturers on Tuesday, sources said.

    During the meeting, scheduled to be held through video conference at 6 pm on Tuesday, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) will make a presentation and also coordinate with all the participants, sources added.

    Those expected to be present include representatives of top drugmakers from India and abroad, including the companies whose vaccines have already been approved by the Government of India.

    So far, two vaccines — Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine COVISHIELD manufactured by Serum Institute in India and indigenously developed COVAXIN by Bharat Biotech — are being administered in India, while a third vaccine Sputnik V — developed in Russia and to be imported and sold in India by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories — has also been approved by the Indian drug regulator.

    Other vaccines available globally and expected soon in India include those made by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. While the total number of COVID-19 cases is rising at a record pace in India with the total caseload crossing 1.5 crore, the government has allowed everyone above the age of 18 years to be eligible to get vaccinated from May 1.

    It has also decided to liberalise the vaccination drive by allowing states, private hospitals and industrial establishments to procure a portion of doses directly from the manufacturers. The scheduled meeting with vaccine manufacturers will follow discussions held by the prime minister with the country’s top doctors and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry on Monday.

    The prime minister has also held a series of meetings with government officials and other stakeholders over the COVID-19 situation and the vaccination drive.

  • ‘No place in crematoriums, no beds in hospitals’: Akhilesh Yadav slams Uttar Pradesh government

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Attacking the Yogi Adityanath dispensation in the state over the coronavirus crisis, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday alleged the government has lost control over administration which is why the pandemic was spreading fast in the state.

    In a statement issued here, he also slammed the chief minister for campaigning in elections in West Bengal and other states. “The BJP government has lost its control over administration. Ignoring warnings of scientists and doctors, the CM became star campaigner and left for election campaigning in other states and his Team 11 (core team of 11 officers) went in the rest mode. Due to this, neither the spread of coronavirus nor the number of deaths due to it could be controlled,” Yadav said in a statement issued here.

    ALSO READ| Allahabad HC orders week-long lockdown in five cities, Uttar Pradesh government ‘refuses’

    “The government is still doing formality in meetings and not bothered about lives and problems of people. The state never had such an insensitive government. The news that are coming are very horrifying. In Bareilly, there is no place left in crematorium. In Agra, Ghaziabad and Kanpur too, there is similar situation,” he alleged.

    He said the situation is miserable in Lucknow too where one could not get ambulance and admission in hospitals have become impossible, leaving people to die.

    “Is this the manner in which the BJP made the state happy? There is no place in ‘shmashan’ (crematoriums) and no beds in hospitals. The government has become deaf and dumb. There are the arrangements which the prime minister and the chief minister used to advertise about. It will be better if the BJP leaves the government and stops playing with the lives of people,” Yadav said.

    Meanwhile, the state BJP on Monday said it will start a “helpdesk” to provide medical and other help to people.

    BJP state media in-charge Manish Dixit said that the helpdesk will have district presidents, medical cell office-bearer and on other senior party office-bearer and it will coordinate with the local administration, people’s representatives and ministers to help people.

    The decision was taken at a meeting of the party state president with other party leaders.

  • Full lockdown may not help curb COVID-19 cases: Gujarat deputy CM Nitin Patel

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government on Monday said at present it is not thinking of imposing a total lockdown in the state as experts are not sure if such a measure will help break the chain of COVID-19 infection.

    Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said thT a full-scale lockdown can lead to large-scale job losses. “Different opinions are coming on lockdown, some experts say wear face masks, follow social distancing norms and sanitise hands and then you do not require a lockdown,” Patel said addressing reporters.

    “A lockdown can be an important measure to break the chain of transmission, but due to it lakhs of people become jobless,” he said. Despite shutdowns, the COVID-19 spread has not been curbed in many states in India and other countries, Patel said.

    “There is also no guarantee that a lockdown will definitely break the chain of infection. In many countries and (Indian) states, we have seen that even after persistent lockdowns many cases of coronavirus have emerged,” Patel said.

    The Deputy Chief Minister said the COVID-19 infection is spreading rapidly in the ongoing second wave. “In the first phase (in 2020), we had implemented a long lockdown to break the chain of virus. But in this second phase, the infection is spreading very fast and if you go for a partial lockdown, it will not help,” he said.

    “No state has approved a total lockdown…no scientist or expert has given specific opinion that a total lockdown will be helpful in breaking the infection chain,” Patel said.

    He said the state has already imposed night curfew in 20 cities and towns as part of measures to stem the spread of COVID-19. “People tend to get together at night unnecessarily and without any work and to stop that we have imposed night curfew,” he said.

    Patel said many business associations, municipalities and citizen groups have imposed self-imposed lockdowns in their areas, which is a welcome step. Gujarat reported a record 11,403 new COVID-19 cases and 117 deaths on Monday.