Tag: Covishield

  • India to export vaccines soon? Modi government meets amid increasing requests from other countries for supply of COVID-19 jabs

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A multi-ministerial meeting on Monday discussed various aspects of India’s possible export of COVID-19 vaccines in view of requests from an increasing number of countries to procure the vaccines, people familiar with the development said.

    The issue was discussed extensively at the virtual meeting attended by representatives from various ministries and agencies, including the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), they said.

    They said the ministries of health, commerce, external affairs and the Department of Pharmaceuticals are among the key stakeholders involved in the possible export of the vaccines.

    India has already rolled out a massive coronavirus vaccination drive under which two vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, are being administered to frontline health workers across the country.

    While Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, Covaxin is being produced by Bharat Biotech.

    Several countries have approached India for the procurement of the vaccines.

    It is learnt that countries in India’s neighbourhood are likely to get the supplies first.

    On Thursday, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the government is assessing the production schedules and availability of the COVID-19 vaccines, and any decision on their supply to other countries “may take some time”.

    “In so far as requests from countries for vaccines from India, you would recall that Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has already stated that India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity would be used for the benefit of all humanity in fighting this crisis,” he had said at a media briefing.

  • No ‘serious or severe’ adverse effect post COVID-19 immunisation report so far: Government on deaths

    Two men — one each in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka — have died after they received COVID-19 jabs.

  • Maharashtra: Day after COVID-19 vaccination, seven hospitalised in Amravati division

    By PTI
    AMARAVATI/NAGPUR: A day after receiving Covishield vaccine, seven persons were hospitalised in Akola and Buldana districts of Maharashtra on Sunday with complaints of pains and fever, a senior official said.

    “All of them are doing well and will be discharged tomorrow,” Amravati divisional commissioner Piyush Singh told PTI.

    Singh said three recipients of Covishield vaccine were admitted each at the Government Medical College in Akola and at the District General Hospital in Buldana while one person was admitted at Deulgaon Raja in Buldana district.

    “A very few Covishield beneficiaries across the (Amravati) division complained of pains in limbs and fever,” he added.

    Amravati civil surgeon Dr Shyamsundar Nikam said none of the vaccinated beneficiaries was serious and nobody was admitted in hospitals in the district.

    “Covaxin was administered to 100 beneficiaries at the (Amravati) district general hospital on Saturday, but none of them, including me, developed any side effects,” he said.

    Dr Nikam said Covishield was administered to beneficiaries at four other centres in Amravati district and four to five of them complained of pains in limbs and fever.

    “However, nothing was serious to admit them in hospitals,” he said.

    Dr Nikam said Covaxin was administered at only six centres in Maharashtra on Saturday.

    “In Vidarbha, Covaxin shots were given at District General Hospital in Amravati and at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Nagpur,” he said.

    In Yavatmal district, 25 beneficiaries of vaccine in Wani and Pandharkawada developed fever, and are experiencing chills, bodyache and myalgia (pains in muscles), Piyush Singh said, adding that they all are staying at home.

    In Akola, 18 beneficiaries complained of pain after vaccination and three of them were admitted at the GMCH for high grade fever and headache, he said, adding that 16 others are in daycare.

    In Amravati, 20 beneficiaries with mild fever and myalgia have been treated in OPD, while in Washim, one patient is admitted at SDH, Karanja.

    Meanwhile, a senior official of Nagpur division said only few cases of minor reactions like fever were reported following vaccination on Saturday, and all of them are fine.

  • All data pertaining to trials should be made public: Experts on COVID-19 vaccine choices

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A national association of doctors and scientists has demanded that all data pertaining to COVID-19 vaccine trials should be made public to enable scientists and healthcare workers to make informed choices regarding administration of vaccination.

    In a statement issued on Sunday, the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum said the Clinical Trial (PMSF) Phase 3 data should be evaluated in a transparent manner as and when available for India for both vaccines and the decision to grant Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) may be revisited once the Phase 3 trials are completed.

    They demanded that all data pertaining to the vaccine trials should be made public to enable scientists and healthcare workers to make informed choices regarding administration of vaccines for themselves and for their larger communities.

    “All healthcare workers should have an option for opting out without any fear, coercion or any other adverse impact on them, including linking vaccination status to air travel restrictions,” it said.

    The body further demanded that the continuation or eligibility for working as healthcare should not have any precondition of COVID-19 vaccination, as is being done in a few countries.

  • Resident doctors in RML Hospital want Covishield, express ‘bit apprehension’ about Covaxin

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: While the vaccination drive started in the national captial on Saturday, doctors from central government-run hospitals continued to express their displeasure over vaccine being provided to them. While Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital Medical Superintendent Rana A K Singh took the first dose Covaxin by Bharat Biotech at the facility, the Resident Doctors’ Association requested the him to provide them with the Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India.

    In the letter, the resident doctors said that they were “a bit apprehensive” about Covaxin and might not participate in the immunisation drive in large numbers. “We have come to know that the Covid-19 vaccination drive is being conducted by the hospital today. Covaxin manufactured by Bharat Biotech is being preferred in our hospital over Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute.The residents are a bit apprehensive about the lack of complete trial in case of Covaxin and might not participate in huge numbers thus defeating the purpose of vaccination.

    We request you to vaccinate us with Covishield which has completed all stages of trial before its rollout,” the letter stated. A security guard named Ramakant was the first one to receive the shot at the hospital. This newspaper has earlier reported that the hospitals in the city which are under the Central government, have been administered with the Covaxin while those under Delhi government and private ones have received Covishield.

    A doctor from the Lady Hardinge Medical College who was assigned on vaccination duty said on the condition of anonymity that a person who was scheduled to get the vaccine on the first day backed off on hearing that Covaxin will be administered. “There are many who were eager to take it up but changed their mind last minute when they heard that it is Covaxin and not Covishield. There’s no harm in taking Covaxin, afterall it is an indigenous product but we are upset over such a decision. Our opinion should have been taken in consideration before wrolling it out,” the worker said.

    Apprehensive about CovaxinIn a letter to the medical superintendent, the resident doctors said that they were “a bit apprehensive” about Covaxin and might not participate in the immunisation drive in large numbers, thusdefeating the purpose of the exercise

  • SII CEO Adar Poonawalla takes Covishield jab, wishes success on launch of COVID-19 vaccine drive

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Adar Poonawalla, whose Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactured the first lot of COVID-19 vaccines, was among those who got vaccinated on Saturday, as India kicked off world’s largest immunisation campaign to bring the pandemic under control.

    He wished the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi success for the vaccination programme. As sanitation and healthcare workers around the country got the first inoculation, Poonawalla tweeted a short video of him getting the vaccine.

    I wish India & Sri @narendramodi ji great success in launching the world’s largest COVID vaccination roll-out. It brings me great pride that #COVISHIELD is part of this historic effort & to endorse it’s safety & efficacy, I join our health workers in taking the vaccine myself. pic.twitter.com/X7sNxjQBN6
    — Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 16, 2021

    “I wish India & Sri @narendramodi ji great success in launching the world’s largest COVID vaccination roll-out. It brings me great pride that #COVISHIELD is part of this historic effort & to endorse it’s safety & efficacy, I join our health workers in taking the vaccine myself,” Poonawalla tweeted.

    SII manufactured Oxford University-AstraZeneca’s vaccine Covishield, while Bharat Biotech developed the other vaccine Covaxin that is being administered in the inoculation drive. Over 3 lakh healthcare workers will be inoculated on the first day of the much-anticipated drive against coronavirus. The vaccination drive has been planned in a phased manner, identifying priority groups.

    Healthcare workers, both in government and private sectors, including ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) workers, will receive the vaccine during this phase, according to the health ministry.

    Earlier in the day, the prime minister launched the vaccination programme covering the entire length and breadth of the country, and urged people to show patience during COVID-19 immunisation drive as they had shown till now in fighting the pandemic.

    Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan described COVID-19 vaccines as “Sanjivani” in the fight against the infectious disease as he urged people not to pay heed to hearsay and instead believe in experts and scientists.

    The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had earlier this month approved Covishield and the indigenously developed Covaxin for restricted emergency use in the country. The government has already bought 1.1 crore doses of Covishield and 55 lakh doses of Covaxin.

  • COVID-19 vaccination begins in West Bengal; great day for humankind, says first recipient

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The COVID-19 vaccination drive began in West Bengal on Saturday morning, with a doctor of a private hospital receiving the first shot, officials said.

    Bipasha Seth is the first person who got inoculated in the state, the hospital authorities said.

    “It’s a great day for humankind. I feel elated to get the first dose,” said Seth.

    West Bengal’s Minister of State for Labour Nirmal Maji also received the Covishield vaccine at the Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, the officials said.

    The vaccination programme started around 10.30 am at 212 session sites, including medical colleges, urban primary healthcare centres and a few private hospitals, they said.

    ALSO READ: PM Modi launches India’s coronavirus vaccine drive, first shot administered

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination drive via video conferencing earlier in the day.

    Around 1,800 health workers have been selected for inoculation on Saturday, the officials said.

    “Today is a big day for us. It seems we are slowly coming out of the pandemic, which has claimed so many lives. We were in a state of depression for the last one year. From today, we will again relive our lives,” Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said.

    Hakim said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will hold a virtual meeting with officials at 1 pm to monitor the vaccination process.

    Around 90,000 frontline health workers at government and private hospitals have been enrolled for the first phase in West Bengal.

    Kolkata has been allocated the highest number of 93,500 doses, followed by North 24 Parganas district (47,000) and Murshidabad (37,500).

  • Brazilian aircraft in India despite no clarity on COVID-19 vaccine supply

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Brazil sent an aircraft to India on Thursday to procure 2 million doses of Covid vaccine even as India said it was too early to respond to vaccine requests from other countries.

    “As you know, the vaccination process is just starting in India. It is too early to give a specific response on the supplies to other countries as we are still assessing production schedules and availability to take decisions in this regard.  This may take some time,” the MEA  said in response to this development.

    It is unclear whether Brazil will be supplied the Serum Institute of India manufactured vaccine under a government-to-government agreement, commercial agreement or under procedures of the vaccine alliance — GAVI.

    According to Brazilian health minister Eduardo Pazuello, the plane was sent after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s request to expedite the consignment of vaccines.

    The move also comes days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the supply of vaccines to other countries would be cleared only after a few weeks and after domestic needs had been satisfied. Modi is scheduled to launch the vaccination drive on Saturday.

    With more than 80 lakh cases, Brazil has the third-highest Covid infections in the world and over 2 lakh deaths. While there is a rush to buy vaccine from abroad, Bolsonaro has refused to be vaccinated. 

  • Assessing availability, decision on COVID vaccines supply to other nations ‘may take some time’: MEA

    The remarks come in the backdrop of media reports that Brazil is sending an aircraft to procure doses of the coronavirus vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII).

  • Irresponsible statements of vested interests: Experts slams critics of India’s approval process for COVID vaccines

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A group of doctors and scientists on Thursday hit out at the critics of the government’s approval to two COVID-19 vaccines, especially the one produced indigenously by Bharat Biotech, alleging that their “reprehensible” utterances are causing huge credibility crisis for the Indian scientific community.

    In a statement signed by 45 medical professionals and scientists, the group expressed shock at the “irresponsible statements of vested interests” and accused these critics of casting aspersions on Indian experts’ integrity by making politicised statements to doubt the recent research in the field of COVID-19 vaccines.

    The statement, whose signatories include former AIIMS directors T D Dogra and M C Mishra, former CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, chief scientist A Gangagni Rao and Manipal Education and Medical Group’s Chairman of Board Ranjan Pai, said these vaccines are our gift to the humanity.

    India had recently approved two vaccines, Oxford-Astra Zeneca’s Covishield being manufactured by Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, for emergency-use authorisation.

    Some experts and a few opposition leaders had questioned the decision, noting that the phase three trial of Covaxin was not yet complete and its efficacy data was not available.

    The government has insisted that it has followed all procedure.

    “We urge upon our fellow countrymen to reject the manipulations of vested interests aimed at politicisation and defamation of our nation’s scientists, doctors and scientific community for their narrow vested interests. They need to realise that by doing so, these vested interests are wrecking the highly valued and credible scientific edifice created by us, which has made India a global leader in the export of vaccines all over the world,” the statement said.

    “Such reprehensible utterances are causing huge credibility crisis for the Indian scientific community who have devoted their lifetimes to make India a name to reckon with in export of vaccines all over the world,” it added.

    The statement’s signatories noted that India has emerged as a global leader in supply of vaccines to the world due to the efforts of its doctors and scientists.

    Vaccines are exported from India to over 188 countries, and the Indian vaccine market reached a value of Rs 94 billion in 2019 and has still got unused potential for the future, they said.

    Defending the vaccines, they said Covaxin has been developed on ‘Vero cell platform’, which has a well established track record of safety and efficacy globally.

    Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of Covaxin were conducted in approximately 800 subjects and the results have demonstrated that the vaccine is safe and provides a robust immune response, they noted and said more than 22,000 volunteers have been enrolled to determine its efficacy for phase three studies.

    Though efficacy data is not available for Covaxin but safety parameters are very good, and there is a robust immune response seen with this vaccine, they said.

    “Further this vaccine is a whole virus inactivated vaccine which may have better protection even against mutant strains of the virus as the immune response will be against multiple antigens and not only against spike protein,” the experts said.

    They noted that Covishield still needs data from India on immunogenicity and efficacy but has been given emergency use authorisation keeping in mind the difficult times due to COVID pandemic.

    This vaccine has undergone phase I, II and III clinical trials of safety, immunogenicity and efficacy abroad, and its overall efficacy was found to be 70.42 per cent, they added.