News Analysis India

Tag: vaccination

  • India logs 862 new Covid-19 infections in last 24 hours

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: India reported 862 fresh Covid cases and 1,503 recoveries in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs on Tuesday.

    India’s active caseload currently stands at 22,549 which accounts for 0.05 per cent of the total cases.

    A total of 1,503 patients recovered in the last 24 hours which increased the total recoveries to 4,40,93,409 on Tuesday.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.35 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was 1.02 per cent.

    India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 219.56 Cr (2,19,56,65,598) as per provisional reports till 7am today.

    “COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on March 16, 2022. So far, more than 4.12 Cr (4,12,35,971) adolescents have been administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Similarly, the COVID-19 precaution dose administration for the age group 18-59 years also started from 10th April 2022 onwards,” the official statement read.

    It is pertinent to note that health concerns have risen in the country as World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Friday said that there were over 300 sub-variants and XBB being a recombinant virus is a matter of concern as it is immune evasive.

    XBB, a recombinant lineage between two Omicron sublineages BJ.1 and BA.2.75, is a fast-spreading variant, which was seen to have caused a spike across Singapore recently.

    Last week, a high-level meeting of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya with the senior health officials regarding the emergence of Omicron’s new sub-variants concluded with the decision to continue masks and COVID-appropriate behaviour across the country.

    NEW DELHI: India reported 862 fresh Covid cases and 1,503 recoveries in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs on Tuesday.

    India’s active caseload currently stands at 22,549 which accounts for 0.05 per cent of the total cases.

    A total of 1,503 patients recovered in the last 24 hours which increased the total recoveries to 4,40,93,409 on Tuesday.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.35 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was 1.02 per cent.

    India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 219.56 Cr (2,19,56,65,598) as per provisional reports till 7am today.

    “COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on March 16, 2022. So far, more than 4.12 Cr (4,12,35,971) adolescents have been administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Similarly, the COVID-19 precaution dose administration for the age group 18-59 years also started from 10th April 2022 onwards,” the official statement read.

    It is pertinent to note that health concerns have risen in the country as World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Friday said that there were over 300 sub-variants and XBB being a recombinant virus is a matter of concern as it is immune evasive.

    XBB, a recombinant lineage between two Omicron sublineages BJ.1 and BA.2.75, is a fast-spreading variant, which was seen to have caused a spike across Singapore recently.

    Last week, a high-level meeting of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya with the senior health officials regarding the emergence of Omicron’s new sub-variants concluded with the decision to continue masks and COVID-appropriate behaviour across the country.

  • Lumpy skin disease in cattle spreads to over 8 states/UTs; 7,300 animals dead so far

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Over 7,300 cattle have died so far due to ‘lumpy skin disease’ in eight states including one union territory and a vaccination drive has been stepped up to contain the infection, a senior government official said.

    Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a contagious viral disease that affects cattle. It is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain species of flies and mosquitoes, or ticks. It causes fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death.

    LSD has recently spread in Asia following outbreaks in the Middle East and Europe. The disease emerged in Bangladesh in July 2019.

    According to the official, India too saw the first case of LSD in the same year, 2019, in eastern states especially West Bengal and Odisha. But this year, the disease has been reported in western and northern states as well as in Andaman Nicobar.

    “First, LSD was reported in Gujarat and it has spread to eight states/union territories now. Over 1.85 cattle have been affected so far and more than 7,300 cattle have died since the outbreak of the disease in July,” the official told PTI.

    About 74,325 cattle have been affected in Punjab so far, while 58,546 in Gujarat, 43,962 in Rajasthan, 6,385 in Jammu and Kashmir, 1,300 in Uttarakhand, 532 in Himachal Pradesh, 260 in Andaman & Nicobar, he said and added the data from Madhya Pradesh is awaited.

    According to the ministry’s data, 7,300 cattle have died so far, out of which 3,359 animals died in Punjab, 2,111 in Rajasthan, 1,679 in Gujarat, 62 in Jammu and Kashmir, 38 in Himachal Pradesh, 36 in Uttarakhand and 29 in Andaman Nicobar.

    There are reports of LSD infection in Haryana as well. The official mentioned that the mortality rate of LSD is 1-2 per cent and it does not infect humans.

    Currently, a vaccination drive is underway and 17.92 lakh cattle have been vaccinated so far in these states/UT, he added.

    The official said central teams have been deputed to Punjab, and Gujarat for taking first-hand stock of the outbreak of LSD and states have been asked to implement strictly the advisories and biosafety measures, restriction of movement and isolation of infected animals, monitoring of stray animals besides safe disposal of carcasses.

    The state governments have set up control rooms toll-free numbers to help address the issues of animal owners and spread awareness.

    A control room has also been established in the ministry to address the concerns of state governments, the official said. India, the world’s largest milk producer, had a cattle population of 192.5 million in 2019, as per the 19th Livestock census.

    NEW DELHI: Over 7,300 cattle have died so far due to ‘lumpy skin disease’ in eight states including one union territory and a vaccination drive has been stepped up to contain the infection, a senior government official said.

    Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a contagious viral disease that affects cattle. It is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain species of flies and mosquitoes, or ticks. It causes fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death.

    LSD has recently spread in Asia following outbreaks in the Middle East and Europe. The disease emerged in Bangladesh in July 2019.

    According to the official, India too saw the first case of LSD in the same year, 2019, in eastern states especially West Bengal and Odisha. But this year, the disease has been reported in western and northern states as well as in Andaman Nicobar.

    “First, LSD was reported in Gujarat and it has spread to eight states/union territories now. Over 1.85 cattle have been affected so far and more than 7,300 cattle have died since the outbreak of the disease in July,” the official told PTI.

    About 74,325 cattle have been affected in Punjab so far, while 58,546 in Gujarat, 43,962 in Rajasthan, 6,385 in Jammu and Kashmir, 1,300 in Uttarakhand, 532 in Himachal Pradesh, 260 in Andaman & Nicobar, he said and added the data from Madhya Pradesh is awaited.

    According to the ministry’s data, 7,300 cattle have died so far, out of which 3,359 animals died in Punjab, 2,111 in Rajasthan, 1,679 in Gujarat, 62 in Jammu and Kashmir, 38 in Himachal Pradesh, 36 in Uttarakhand and 29 in Andaman Nicobar.

    There are reports of LSD infection in Haryana as well. The official mentioned that the mortality rate of LSD is 1-2 per cent and it does not infect humans.

    Currently, a vaccination drive is underway and 17.92 lakh cattle have been vaccinated so far in these states/UT, he added.

    The official said central teams have been deputed to Punjab, and Gujarat for taking first-hand stock of the outbreak of LSD and states have been asked to implement strictly the advisories and biosafety measures, restriction of movement and isolation of infected animals, monitoring of stray animals besides safe disposal of carcasses.

    The state governments have set up control rooms toll-free numbers to help address the issues of animal owners and spread awareness.

    A control room has also been established in the ministry to address the concerns of state governments, the official said. India, the world’s largest milk producer, had a cattle population of 192.5 million in 2019, as per the 19th Livestock census.

  • WHO urges Southeast Asia to scale up Covid vaccination; praises India’s vax drive

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: As Covid-19 cases are seeing a spike in India and other Southeast Asian countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday called on them to accelerate Covid-19 vaccination coverage.

    The world health body also acknowledged India’s impressive efforts and its support to other countries in providing Covid vaccines when there was a constraint globally.

    WHO said India would soon mark 2 billion doses, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all vaccine doses administered in the region.

    It said that while significant progress has been made in the region towards vaccinating populations against Covid-19, several countries missed the global target to fully vaccinate 70 percent of their total population with all primary vaccine doses by June end, responsible for various regions witnessing a surge in cases.

    “We know that the current Covid-19 vaccines provide high levels of protection against severe disease and death for all variants. We must focus on rapidly achieving high vaccination coverage, prioritising health workers, older adults, those with underlying health conditions, and pregnant women,” said Regional Director, WHO (South-East Asia), Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh. 

    The pandemic is not over yet; we must scale up our efforts to protect communities, she said.

    She congratulated countries that have achieved the target of 70 per cent of their population completing the primary series of Covid-19 vaccination.

    Bhutan has 89 per cent of the population vaccinated with all primary doses, Thailand 79.9 per cent, Maldives 70.4 per cent, and Bangladesh 70.2 per cent. Nepal’s 69.3 per cent is close to achieving the global vaccination goal by June end. 

    “India, which will soon mark 2 billion COVID-19 doses, accounts for nearly two-thirds of all Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the Region,” Dr Khetrapal Singh said, adding that, “We must acknowledge India’s impressive efforts and its support to other countries in providing Covid-19 vaccines when vaccine supplies were a constraint globally.”

    The regional director said many deaths from Covid-19 can be avoided if vaccinations specifically target groups such as healthcare and other frontline workers, the elderly and those with comorbidities.

    The WHO Southeast Asia Region has 64.1 percent population who have completed their Covid-19 primary vaccination series and 71.7 percent population who have taken at least one dose of the vaccine while being home to a quarter of the world’s population with over 2 billion people.

  • Government releases guidelines for Covid vaccination of children in 12-14 years age group

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday released guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination of children between 12-14 years that will begin from March 16 and said only Corbevax vaccine would be used for the beneficiaries of this age group.

    Two doses of Biological E’s intramuscular vaccine Corbevax would be administered to the beneficiaries in the 12-14 years age group at an interval of 28 days, the guidelines said. The Centre shared also these guidelines with states in a letter issued on Monday.

    COVID-19 vaccination of children between 12-14 years will begin from March 16 and only Corbevax vaccine would be used for the beneficiaries of age group 12-13 and 13-14 years, it said.

    Beneficiaries between 14-15 years have already been covered during the vaccination for 15-18 years’ age group.

    According to the guidelines, as of March 1, 2021 there are as many as 4.7 crore children aged 12 and 13 years in the country.

    Also, precaution dose can now be provided to all persons aged 60 years and above and the prioritization and sequencing of this dose would be based on completion of nine months — 39 weeks from the date of administration of the second dose.

    The guidelines said the vaccination of precaution dose should be with the same vaccine with which primary vaccination was done.

    According to the guidelines, all beneficiaries born in 2010 or earlier — those who have already attained the age of 12 years — will be able to register on CoWIN.

    “The vaccination slots will be booked for 12-14 years age group for “CorBEvax” only through Co-WIN.

    Vaccinator has to ensure that the vaccine is administered to only those children who have completed the age of 12 years on the date of vaccination and if a child is registered but has not attained the age of 12 years, the vaccination is not to be given,” the guidelines said.

    The registration can be done through the following modes — self-registration through an existing account on Co-WIN of a family member or by creating a new account through a unique mobile number (this facility is available for all eligible citizens presently), it said.

    It can also be done through onsite registration by the vaccinator in facilitated registration mode and appointments can be booked online or onsite (walk-in) for 12-14 years.

    Vaccination of 12-14 years would be conducted through dedicated inoculation sessions — that is earmarked COVID-19 vaccination centres for 12-14 years’ age-group — to avoid their unintended vaccination with any other COVID-19 vaccines.

    The guidelines said all citizen irrespective of their income status are entitled to free COVID-19 vaccination at government Covid centres.

  • Foreign pharmaceutical companies manufacturing covid vaccines can do business here, but on India’s terms: Mandaviya

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said major foreign pharmaceutical companies manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines were demanding indemnity and sovereign immunity waiver to supply their vaccines in India, but the government made it clear that these firms are welcome to do business here but on “our terms”.

    He was speaking at the launch of a book titled ‘A Nation To Protect – Leading India Through The Covid Crisis’ and authored by Priyam Gandhi Mody.

    On foreign pharma companies wanting to supply vaccines in India, he said, “From the very beginning, we had clarity that foreign vaccine manufacturing companies are welcome to do business in the country, but it has to be on India’s terms,” the minister asserted.

    He further said the terms and conditions put forth by such foreign companies strengthened the concept and determination of developing indigenous vaccines and increasing the production.

    “India already had the manpower and brand power, the need was to identify the potential. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was determined and kept on encouraging and motivating scientists and companies,” he stated.

    Mandaviya also said that the world is astonished by India’s vaccination coverage which has reached almost 175 crore, adding that the third COVID-19 wave is on the decline.

    He said there have been fewer deaths during the third wave due to large-scale vaccination, except those who died due to co-morbidities and the elderly.

    Talking about the criticism faced by the Centre over the vaccination drive, the health minister said opposition leaders like Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had questioned the effectiveness of India-made vaccines and refused to take them after terming them “BJP vaccines”.

    A political personality has followers who get influenced by their comments….And a recent study showed how those pockets where the vaccination rate is slow or where it began late were impacted by Covid, he said.

    Mandaviya also referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioning the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.

    He said the prime minister had asked them not to indulge in politics and stay committed to ensuring that each and every citizen gets vaccinated.

  • Oscar 2022 ceremony: Attendees not required to provide COVID-19 vaccination proof

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: After a 2021 ceremony that saw the Academy Awards downsize to a smaller gathering at Los Angeles’ Union Station, the Oscars will return to its traditional setting and also will not require in-person attendees to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

    According to Variety, the Oscars will return to its traditional setting in the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard for its upcoming ceremony on March 27. It is not yet known if the audience size might be reduced this year.

    Amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, the 2021 ceremony featured strict COVID-19 testing and masking policies for in-person attendees, in accordance with health and safety protocols. Since then, vaccines against the virus have become widely available to the general public.

    This year, although the Academy will suggest attendees to be vaccinated, the 2022 Oscars ceremony will also require attendees to be tested prior to attending, with unvaccinated guests having additional and more stringent testing requirements, Variety has learned.

    Under this rule, the Academy is technically complying with Los Angeles County’s policy on “indoor mega-events,” which require either full vaccination status or day-of negative COVID-19 tests to all attendees ages 2 and older.

    ALSO READ: ‘Ant-Man’ star Evangeline Lilly opposes US vaccine mandates: I’m pro-choice

    The Academy has yet to release an official COVID-19 policy for its upcoming ceremony. Reports indicate that the Academy may have elected to take a less strict position on vaccination status as a no-entry policy could have prevented some unvaccinated nominees or presenters from attending the ceremony.

    However, other awards events this season, such as the Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice Association, are still requiring attendees to provide proof of vaccination for their ceremonies.

    L.A. County has still not lifted its indoor mask mandate.

    Variety informed that on Tuesday, public health director Barbara Ferrer indicated barring extremely low case levels, the earliest time that masks requirements would likely be reversed is late April; that means after the ’27 March 2022′ Academy Awards’ ceremony date. 

  • SII urges Mandaviya to reduce gap between 2nd, precaution dose of Covishield from 9 to 3 months

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Serum Institute has urged Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to consider reducing the gap between the second and the precaution dose of Covishield from current nine months to three, in line with Centre’s revised guidelines for officials on election duty, official sources said on Thursday.

    The Pune-based firm also requested the minister to allow it to administer Covishield’s precaution dose for all individuals aged above 18 years.

    In a letter to Mandaviya, Prakash Kumar Singh, director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, is learnt to stated that the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine is being administered within 6 months of the second dose in various countries and this schedule is giving very good results to control the infection, an official source said.

    Singh also mentioned that private companies, educational institutions, social organisations, central government organisations as well as public undertaking companies etc are continuously requesting the firm for the third dose of Covishield for their staff members and families.

    He referred to Union Health Ministry’s letter dated January 21 according to which the precaution dose can be administered 3 months after the second dose of the vaccine was given to officials and staff deployed on election duty in the poll-bound states of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

    For this, necessary changes have been made on the CoWIN portal to facilitate early administration of the precaution dose.

    Till January 28, more than one crore people were administered the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine out of which more than 90 lakh doses were of Covishield.

    “In view of the above facts, we request for your kind intervention and consideration on our following submissions: The administration of third dose of our Covishield vaccine should be allowed for all individuals above the age of 18 years.”

    “The gap between second and third dose to be reduced and the administration of third dose of Covishield vaccine to be allowed after the completion of 3 months in line with revised guidelines of GoI for the officials and staff deployed on election duty,” the official source quoted Singh as having said in the letter.

    “Sir, it is need of the hour and in the interest of public at large. This will help to control unpredictable and fast spread of various strains of COVID-19 which is disrupting economy and social stability of our country,” Singh said in the letter.

  • PM Modi lauds first dose vax of over 50 per cent of youngsters

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the first dose of vaccination of over 50 per cent of youngsters between the age group of 15 and 18 years.

    In response to a tweet by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the Prime Minister tweeted, “Young and youthful India showing the way! This is encouraging news. Let us keep the momentum. It is important to vaccinate and observe all COVID-19 related protocols. Together, we will fight this pandemic.”

    Over 50 per cent of adolescents of 15-18 age group have been vaccinated with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Since the beginning of inoculation drive for this age bracket, a total of 3,81,26,520 teens have received their first dose as per the CoWIN portal.

    Union Health Minister had called it “Big day for India’s fight against Covid-19” as India achieved the milestone of administering over 50 per cent adolescents of this age group with first dose of vaccines on Tuesday night.

    “Big day for India’s fight against COVID-19! Over 50 per cent of our youngsters between 15-18 age group have received their 1st dose of COVID19 vaccine. Well done, my Young Friends! Your enthusiasm for vaccination is inspiring people all over India”, he had said in a tweet.

    As Covid-19 cases began to surge in India, the nationwide drive to vaccinate teenagers in this age group of 15-18 years began on January 3. As of now only Bharat Biotech’s indigenously-made Covaxin is available for vaccinating this age bracket.

  • Vaccination added great strength to fight against Covid: PM Modi

    The countrywide vaccination drive against Covid-19 on Sunday completed one year, during which over 156.76 crore vaccine doses were administered.

  • Walk-in, online registration for Covid-19 vaccination for 15-18 age group

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI:  The government said on Tuesday that both walk-in and online registration through CoWIN would be available for vaccination of children in the 15-18 age group, who would start getting doses against COVID-19 on January 3.

    Union Health Secretary on Tuesday chaired a workshop through video conference with all states and UTs to review the rollout of vaccination for the age group 15-18 and precautionary third dose for vulnerable categories – healthcare workers (HCW), frontline workers (FLW), and those in the 60+ age group who have co-morbidity.

    As announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, 2021, the vaccination for the age-group 15-18 is scheduled to begin from January 3, 2022, while administration of precautionary third dose for the vulnerable categories will commence from January 10.

    In the context of the vaccination of the age group 15-18 years, the Union Health Secretary informed the states and UTs that only ‘Covaxin’ is to be administered in this population category and additional doses of the vaccine will be sent to them.

    A Health Ministry release said that the Union Government will share the supply schedule of Covaxin with all the States and UTs in the next few days.

    “Potential beneficiaries can either register themselves on Co-WIN from January 1, 2022, or avail of a walk-in registration when vaccination commences from January 3. Those with the birth year of 2007 or before will be eligible for vaccination under this category,” the release said.

    It said all established protocols regarding vaccination are to be followed for the 15-18 age group and beneficiaries are to wait for half an hour when they will be monitored for AEFI. They will be eligible for the second dose only after 28 days.

    States were informed that they have the option to designate some COVID Vaccination Center (CVC)s as dedicated CVC for the 15-18 age group exclusively which can also be reflected on Co-WIN. Dedicated CVCs would ensure that there is no confusion in administering the vaccines.

    For CVCs that are intended to serve categories in addition to the 15-18 age group, the States were requested to ensure separate queues for the 15-18 age group and separate vaccination teams.

    States were advised to form two separate vaccination teams at the same CVC, one for 15-18 age groups and the other for all adults to avoid confusion in the administration of the right vaccines.

    With regards to the administration of the precautionary dose, Union Health Secretary highlighted that nine months (39 weeks) must have elapsed since the administration of the second dose to make the beneficiary eligible.

    Drawing attention to misinformation being propagated through various media regarding the requirement of a doctor’s certificate to establish co-morbidity at the CVC, the Health Secretary categorically emphasized that the Union Government has not issued any directions “and prescriptions/certificates are not mandated to be produced at the CVC for the administration of the precaution dose”.

    He also informed that CoWIN will send reminder messages to all those eligible for precaution dose and it will be reflected in the digital vaccination certificates.

    States were advised to ensure the orientation of vaccinators and vaccination team members for vaccination of 15-18 years age-group and the identification of dedicated session sites for vaccination of 15-18 years age-group.

    They were exhorted to undertake proper planning in advance for the distribution of Covaxin to identified session sites.

    “To avoid the mixing-up of vaccines during administration, separate CVCs, separate session sites, separate queue (if at same session where adult vaccination is ongoing) and separate vaccination team (if at same session site) are to be strived for,” the release said.

    States, UTs were also advised to share their requirement of vaccine doses through district-wise estimation of beneficiaries using Co-WIN. They are to publicise sessions where vaccination will be available for the 15-18 year age group.

    “Sufficient vaccines will be provided to states to cover these beneficiaries,” the release said.