News Analysis India

Tag: Pandemic

  • Second dose of Covid vaccine overdue for over 11 crore people, shows Government data

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Over 11 crore people who have taken the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine have not got themselves jabbed with the second dose even after the expiry of the prescribed interval between two doses, according to government data.

    The data showed that over 3.92 crore beneficiaries are more than six weeks overdue for their second dose, around 1.57 crore are up to four to six weeks late, and more than 1.50 crore are up to two to four weeks overdue for their second shot of either Covishield or Covaxin.

    ALSO READ: ‘Jumla’ version of COVID vaccine story will not save lives, says Rahul Gandhi

    Also, over 3.38 crore people are up to two weeks overdue to becoming fully vaccinated. This issue was discussed in a meeting chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya with health ministers and representatives of all states and Union territories on Wednesday.

    They were asked to focus on such beneficiaries who are overdue for their second dose, official sources said. The gap between the first and second dose is 12 weeks for Covishield and four weeks for Covaxin.

    Both doses are needed for adequate protection against severe COVID-19 infection and hospitalisation. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Bihar together account for around 49 per cent of such beneficiaries who are late for their second dose of vaccine.

    The Union Health Ministry has also written to several states and UTs asking them to prioritise administering the second dose to beneficiaries who have not got themselves jabbed with the second shot even after the expiry of the prescribed interval between the two doses, sources said.

    ALSO READ: Over 103 crore vaccine doses administered in India so far, says government

    More than 76 per cent of India’s adult population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with nine states and union territories administering the first dose to all eligible people.

    The eleven states and UTs which completed second dose coverage to more than 50 per cent of eligible beneficiaries are Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Goa, Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Daman and Diu, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

    Over 32 per cent of the country’s around 94 crore adults have been administered both the doses, Health Ministry officials said, adding the cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 103.53 crore.

  • Over 103 crore vaccine doses administered in India so far, says government

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 103 crore with over 51 lakh vaccine doses administered on Tuesday, the Union health ministry said.

    The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late in the night, it added.

    So far, 41,10,37,440 first doses and 13,11,13,078 second doses have been administered in the age group of 18-44 years since the start of phase three of the vaccination drive, according to health ministry data.

    Cumulatively 72,13,19,294 first doses and 31,35,17,300 second doses have been administered till now.

    “India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 103 crore (1,03,48,36,594) on today. More than 51 lakh (51,56,054) vaccine Doses have been administered till 7 pm today,” the ministry said.

    The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, it underlined.

  • No evidence to suggest AY.4 variant of coronavirus has higher infectivity rate than Delta: Scientist

    Six persons in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh were found infected with AY.4, Chief medical and Health Officer (CMHO) of the state B S Saitya said.

  • Vaccination for children: Apollo says it will offer free jabs for certain categories

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A leading private healthcare group on Monday said it will provide COVID-19 jabs for free to children with “specified co-morbidities”, even as the Centre is yet to announce its approval to it.

    Apollo Hospitals, in a statement, said, however, it is an “indicative list” and the “final list of co-morbidities eligible for free vaccination would be as per the list published by the government”.

    Zydus Cadila’s Covid vaccine ZyCoV-D has already received Emergency Use Authorisation from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in the country and will be administered to those aged 12 years and above.

    It is yet to be introduced in the nationwide Covid vaccination programme. As for the emergency use approval for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in the 2-18 years age group by the DCGI, it is under expert evaluation, official sources had earlier said.

    On October 12, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the central drug authority had recommended granting Emergency Use Authorisation to Covaxin for children and adolescents in the 2-18 years age group with certain conditions.

    Apollo Hospitals sources on Monday claimed that the list of co-morbidities announced by the group on Monday was prepared “after consulting with the government”.

    “It is anticipated that approval will soon be granted for vaccinating children with specified co-morbidities and immediately post-approval, and details of the age-group permitted for vaccination, the free vaccination initiative would be launched by Apollo Hospitals across its units,” the statement said.

    “The list is expected to include children with haematological, neurological, cardiac, liver, gastrointestinal, rheumatic, cancer, respiratory, genitourinary and developmental disorders,” it said.

    Dr Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “Adults have been the focus of vaccination till now as by and large, children have been spared from severe Covid infection.

    However, this is not the case in children with co-morbidities. These children continue to be at high risk of developing a severe infection.

    In addition, children with comorbidities have also seen a significant psychosocial impact as the lockdown resulted in their missing out on the personalised attention and specialised treatment and care that they require.”

    The government’s approval of vaccination for children with co-morbidities, when it comes through, will be a “welcome step in the right direction”, he was quoted as saying in the statement.

    “Realising the criticality of this vaccination, we will be extending the Covid vaccines completely free of cost to children with co-morbidities and giving them the necessary ‘kavach’ (shield) against Covid,” Reddy said.

    Both vaccines would be available at Apollo Hospitals’ vaccination centres across the country once all approvals by the government are in place and the vaccines are made available, the statement said.

  • New cases of COVID mostly among those who are fully vaccinated: Mamata

    West Bengal has in the last four days witnessed a sudden surge in the number of COVID-19 cases post Durga Puja festivities.

  • India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage crosses 102.8 crore, says government

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 102.8 crore with more than 58 lakh vaccine doses administered on Monday, the Union Health Ministry said.

    The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late in the night, it added.

    In the 18-44 age group, 40,92,47,732 first doses and 12,86,74,750 second doses have been administered since the start of phase three of the vaccination drive, according to health ministry data.

    The ministry further said that cumulatively 71,88,31,679 first doses and 30,98,37,374 second doses of Covid vaccine have been administered so far.

    India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 102.8 Crore (1,02,86,69,053) on Monday. More than 58 lakh (58,87,981) vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm on Monday, it said.

    The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, the ministry underlined.

  • At 889, Maharashtra logs lowest COVID-19 cases since May 5, 2020; deaths at 18-month low

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra on Monday reported 889 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily infection since May 5, 2020, and 12 fresh fatalities, the least number of one-day death count in more than 18 months, while nearly 1,600 patients recovered from the infection, a health department official said.

    The official said with these additions, the statewide tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 66,03,850, while the death toll increased to 1,40,028. As many as 15 districts out of the total 36 did not report any fresh cases.

    The state had logged 841 COVID-19 cases May 5, 2020, and nine fatalities on April 20, 2020. Generally, the state reports less cases on Monday, mainly due to limited number of coronavirus tests as compared to other days.

    Less than 85,000 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. The official said with 1,586 patients discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the number of recovered cases surged to 64,37,025.

    The state now has 23,184 active cases. Maharashtra has 1,83,092 people in home quarantine and another 957 in institutional quarantine, he said.

    The official said Maharashtra’s COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 97. 47 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.12 per cent.

    The cumulative number of coronavirus tests in the state climbed to 6,19,78,155 after 84,460 tests, the lowest in recent times, were conducted in the last 24 hours, he said.

    In Maharashtra, 15 districts and 10 municipal corporations, including Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli, did not report any new COVID-19 cases, according to the official.

    Mumbai district reported the highest 263 new infections, followed by Thane district (excluding Thane civic body areas) at 110.

    Among the eight regions of Maharashtra (each consisting of a set of districts), the Mumbai region reported the highest 464 new COVID-19 cases, followed by the Pune region at 238, he said.

    The Nashik region reported 127 new cases, Kolhapur 22, Aurangabad 18, Latur 13, Nagpur five and the Akola region two.

    According to the official, among the 12 fresh fatalities, the highest eight were reported from the Mumbai region, followed by two each from Kolhapur and Pune regions. Nagpur, Nashik, Akola, Aurangabad regions did not report any fresh fatalities in the last 24 hours.

    The official said Mumbai witnessed 263 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths, while Pune city reported 57 ases, but no fresh fatalities.

    Among the 23,184 active patients in the state, Pune district has the highest at 6,923, he said. Out of the 64,37,025 recovered patients across the state, the highest 11,26,571 were from Pune district, the official said.

    Coronavirus figures for Maharashtra are as follows: Total cases 66,03,850, new cases 889; total deaths 1,40,028; total recoveries 64,37,025; active cases 23,184; total tests 6,19,78,155.

  • Citizens have dropped guard after vaccination; COVID-19 cases may rise, says Bombay HC

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Monday said there was a chance of active COVID-19 cases rising despite large-scale vaccination as people were dropping their guard after getting inoculated.

    A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni said chances of Maharashtra witnessing a spike in cases was likely, especially during the festive season, since several citizens had stopped following safety protocols imposed by the government.

    “Despite large-scale vaccination, there are chances of increase in COVID-19 cases. This can be attributed to people dropping their guard after getting vaccinated and not following COVID appropriate behaviour,” HC said.

    The bench made the observations while hearing public interest litigation filed by social worker Firoz Mithiborwala seeking quashing of Maharashtra government’s Standard Operation Procedure (SOPs) and its notification not permitting local train travel for those who were yet to complete both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

    Mithiborwala, in his PIL, claimed the government’s SOP, dated August 10, and the notification, dated August 11, breached people’s fundamental right to equality before the law guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution.

    The HC, however, refused to pass any interim order to stay the SOPs or the local train travel notification and said the restrictions were imposed in the larger public interest, and the same could not be held illegal or malafide.

    The bench said after Onam, there was a spike in cases in Kerala, and added that people were responsible for such a situation as they tend to become negligent after vaccination. The HC will hear the PIL further next month.

  • Serum Institute of India seeks regular marketing authorisation from DCGI for Covishield

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Pointing out that over 100 crore doses of Covishield have been supplied in India and many other countries, Serum Institute of India on Monday sought regular marketing approval for the COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently authorized for emergency use in the country, official sources said.

    The application sent to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) by Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India (SII) comes just a couple of days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with domestic COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers.

    If the DCGI grants regular marketing authorisation, Covishied will be the second vaccine in the world to receive such approval.

    Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine has received full US FDA approval for use in individuals 16 years of age and older.

    The cumulative COVID-19 vaccines administered in the country has exceeded 102.27 crore. Of all the vaccine doses administered, around 90 per cent are Covishield and close to 10 per cent are Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

    Less than one per cent of the doses given are Sputnik V. The Pune-based SII has submitted the final phase 2/3 clinical study report of India with its application for grant of regular market authorization for Covishield, an official source said.

    According to the application by Singh, the firm has already submitted phase-3 clinical study results of 24,244 subjects from the UK, Brazil and South Africa on June 8, 2021, to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

    Also, phase-3 clinical study results of 32,379 subjects from the US, Chile and Peru were submitted on July 9.

    “In addition to the successful completion of our phase 2/3 clinical study in India, till now more than 100 crore doses of our Covishield has been administered to people in our country and worldwide.

    “Such a large-scale vaccination with our Covishield vaccine and containment of COVID-19 infection is in itself a testimony to the safety and efficacy of Covishield,” the official source quoted Singh as having stated in the application.

    Singh thanked the DCGI office and Subject Expert Committee for granting restricted emergency use approval to Covishield on January 3, because of which, he said, the vaccine played a crucial role in the pandemic control and has been the mainstay of India’s Covid inoculation drive.

    “It is a matter of pride for us that we have been a part of the world’s largest vaccination drive under the dynamic and visionary leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji,” Singh is learnt to have said in the application.

    Under the kind guidance of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Team Government of India and leadership of CEO Adar C Poonawalla, Team Serum Institute of India has been working relentlessly to manufacture and supply Covishield vaccine for making the world’s largest Covid vaccination drive successful, he said.

    “In line with our prime minister’s clarion call of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, we have made our country Aatmanirbhar for COVID-19 vaccine. In view of the above-mentioned facts, we request for your kind approval for regular market authorization of Covishield,” Singh is learnt to have written in the application.

  • Mumbai sees 276 fresh COVID-19 cases, lowest after August 24; seven die

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The financial capital on Monday reported 276 fresh coronavirus positive cases, the lowest after August 24, and seven fatalities, a civic official said.

    The tally of infections now stands at 7,53,956 and the death toll at 16,220. Mumbai had logged 270 cases on August 24. So far this month, Mumbai reported the highest number of fatalities (7) due to COVID-19 two times- on October 6 and 25.

    The day before Mumbai had recorded 408 cases and six fatalities. Generally, the city logs a fewer number of cases on Mondays due to a lesser number of tests.

    With 27,185 new tests, the number of samples examined so far in Mumbai rose to 1,12,41,005, the official said. Mumbai’s average recovery rate is 97 per cent.

    The average doubling rate of cases is 1,314 days. The average growth rate of cases stood at 0.05 per cent for the period between October 18 and October 24, the official said. Currently, 43 buildings in Mumbai remain sealed due to COVID-19 cases, he said.