News Analysis India

Tag: WHO

  • Government widened COVID vaccination drive without considering stock, WHO guidelines, says Serum Institute

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Amid an acute shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the country, executive director of Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) Suresh Jadhav on Friday alleged that the government began inoculating people from multiple age groups without taking into account the available stock of vaccines and the WHO guidelines.

    Speaking at an e-summit organised by Heal Health, a health advocacy and awareness platform, Jadhav said the country should have followed the WHO guidelines and prioritised vaccination accordingly.

    “Initially, 300 million people were to be administered the vaccine for which 600 million doses were required. But before we reached the target, the government opened vaccination for all above 45 years followed by those aged 18 and above despite knowing well that so much vaccine is not available,” Jadhav said.

    “That is the greatest lesson we learnt. We must take into account the availability of the product and then use it judiciously,” added Jadhav.

    ALSO READ | India engaged with US entities for procurement of COVID-19 vaccines: MEA

    Jadhav stressed that vaccination is essential but even after getting jabbed, people are susceptible to the infection.

    “Therefore, be cautious and follow COVID preventive guidelines. Although the double mutant of Indian variants are neutralised, yet variants can create problems in vaccination,” he said.

    “As far as the selection of vaccine is concerned, as per CDC and NIH data, whatever vaccine is available can be taken provided it is licensed by the regulatory body. And it is too early to say which vaccine is efficacious and which is not,” he added.

    Meanwhile, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has surpassed 19.32 crore, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

    ALSO READ | ‘Time for Modi government to act instead of giving speeches, advice’: Congress attacks PM, Harsh Vardhan

    It said 6,63,353 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years received their first dose on Friday, and cumulatively 92,73,550 across 37 states and UTs since the start of phase-3 of the vaccination drive.

    The 92,73,550 beneficiaries include 11,83,124 from Rajasthan, 10,60,702 from Bihar, 8,85,881 from Delhi, 6,82,744 from Maharashtra, 9,60,032 from Uttar Pradesh, 6,71,800 from Haryana and 6,02,691 from Gujarat .

    The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 19,32,97,222, according to the provisional report updated till 8 pm.

    The total of 19,32,97,222 include 97,37,237 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken the first dose and 66,89,893 HCWs who have taken the second dose.

    It also includes 1,48,63,770 frontline workers (FLWs) who have received the first dose, 83,05,152 FLWs who have taken the second dose, and 92,73,550 individuals in the 18-44 years of age group who have received the first dose.

    Besides, 6,01,86,416 and, 96,79,427 beneficiaries aged 45 to 60 years old have been administered the first and second dose respectively, while, 5,63,74,895 and 1,81,86,882 beneficiaries above 60 years have taken the first and second dose.

    ALSO READ | Two doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine 85-90 per cent effective: Public Health England

    As on day-126 of the vaccination drive (21st May), a total of 13,83,358 vaccine doses were given.

    The ministry said 12,05,727 beneficiaries were vaccinated for the first dose and 1,77,631 beneficiaries received the second dose of vaccine as per the provisional report till 8 PM.

    Final reports would be completed for the day by late night.

    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.

  • Madhya Pradesh gets 100 oxygen concentrators from WHO for treatment of COVID patients

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday received 100 oxygen concentrators sent by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, a state minister said. Talking to reporters, Medical Education minister Vishvas Sarang said these oxygen concentrators will be distributed in various districts of the state.

    “Different states in the country have received 4,000 oxygen concentrators from the WHO. They will be beneficial in providing treatment to patients. The government has been continuously making efforts to check the spread of coronavirus in the state,” he said.

    The minister was present at the government drug store here, where these 100 concentrators were delivered. “Thanks to the sustained efforts, the positivity rate in Madhya Pradesh has come down and the recovery rate has improved,” he said.

    Talking about Mucormycosis or black fungus, a rare but serious infection being found in COVID-19 patients, he said the government has made a provision to provide free treatment against this disease in five state-run medical colleges, and also constituted a task force.

    WHO’s state team leader Dr Abhishek Jain and Dr Jatin Thakkar and Bhopal’s chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr Prabhakar Tiwari, among others, were present on the occasion.

  • WHO donates 100 oxygen concentrators to Rajasthan government

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: The Jaipur unit of the World Health Organisation (WHO) donated 100 oxygen concentrators to the Rajasthan government here on Monday. The concentrators were handed over to state Health Minister Raghu Sharma who thanked the WHO for its cooperation in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Sharma said that every possible effort is being made by the state government to overcome the lack of oxygen in the state. The oxygen concentrators being provided through corporate social responsibility (CSR) are supporting the government’s efforts to tackle the pandemic, he added.

    WHO representative Rakesh Srivastava said these contractors, worth about Rs 15 crore, were manufactured in Germany. He said that the concentrators have the capacity to produce 8 litres of oxygen per minute which can be increased to 10 litres per minute as per the requirement.

  • Using term ‘Indian Variant’ for B.1.617 strain has no basis, WHO has not done so: Health Ministry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Taking umbrage at the B.1.617 mutant of the novel coronavirus being termed an “Indian variant”, the Union health ministry on Wednesday said the WHO has not used the word “Indian” for this strain in its document.

    The ministry dismissed as “without any basis and unfounded” media reports that have used the term “Indian variant” for the B.1.617 mutant strain, which the WHO recently said was a “variant of global concern”.

    The ministry dismissed as “without any basis and unfounded” media reports that have used the term “Indian variant” for the B.1.617 mutant strain, which the WHO recently said was a “variant of global concern”.

    The WHO also said it does not identify viruses or variants with names of countries they are first reported from.

    “We refer to them by their scientific names and request all to do the same for consistency,” WHO South-East Asia said in a tweet.

    “Several media reports have covered the news of World Health Organisation (WHO) classifying B.1. 617 as variant of global concern. Some of these reports have termed the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus as an ‘Indian Variant’,” the ministry said in a statement.

    “These media reports are without any basis, and unfounded,” it said.

    This is to clarify that the WHO has not associated the term “Indian variant” with the B.1.617 strain of the coronavirus in its 32 page document, it said.

    In fact, the word “Indian” has not been used in its report on the matter, the ministry added.

    On Monday, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead at the WHO, had said that the B.1.617 virus variant that was first identified in India had been classified as a “variant of interest”.

  • Adopting COVID-19 appropriate behaviour best way to stop transmission of virus, its variants: WHO

    The number of active cases of the disease has breached the 10-lakh mark again after around six-and-a-half months.

  • WHO rejects Serum Institute’s proposal seeking extension of Covishield’s shelf life

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The WHO has rejected Serum Institute of India’s proposal seeking extension of the shelf life of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, from six to nine months, citing insufficient data, sources said.

    The WHO has also sought a meeting with Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to discuss the matter, they said.

    The move comes even as India’s drug regulator has extended Covishield’s shelf life from six to nine months from its manufacturing date.

    In a recent communique to Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the WHO has also asked the firm to formulate the doses with enough titer.

    Shelf life is the length of time for which an item remains fit for use.

    The DCGI in a letter to SII in February said it has no objection in respect of ‘extension of shelf life of Covishield vaccine’ in multi-dose glass vial (10 dose-5ml) from six months to nine months.

    “You are permitted to apply the shelf life of nine months to unlabelled vials available on hand, subject to the condition that the details of such stock, batch-wise, shall be submitted to this office and Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli,” DCGI Dr V G Somani had said in the letter.

    The DCGI’s decision will help health authorities in reducing vaccine wastage.

    According to an update by the UK drug regulator dated February 22, the shelf-life of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is six months.

    Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about the  vaccine as the European Union’s health agency concluded a “possible link” between the vaccine and rare blood clots but  stressed that the benefits of the vaccine to protect against COVID-19 continue to outweigh the risks.

    The UK’s medicines regulator on Wednesday said that under-30s in the country will be offered an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine due to “evolving evidence” linking it to rare blood clots.

    Developed by Oxford University and Swedish-British pharma major AstraZeneca, Covishield is being manufactured by SII.

  • ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ actor, Hollywood veteran George Segal dies at 87

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Veteran actor George Segal, known for his Oscar-nominated performance in 1966 classic “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and the star of the sitcom “The Goldbergs”, has died.

    He was 87.

    The news was shared by his wife Sonia Segal, who said the actor passed away due to “complications from bypass surgery”.

    “The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery,” she said in a statement to Deadline on Tuesday.

    Born on February 13, 1934, in Great Neck, Long Island in New York, Segal was known for his spectacular comic timing and dramatic prowess.

    His acting career began on the New York stage and television in the early 1960s.

    He then ventured into films and featured in two movies “Ship of Fools” and “King Rat” in 1965.

    But Segal’s most famous turn came in the 1966 drama “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, which is based on Edward Albee’s critically-lauded play of the same name.

    He featured alongside the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the movie.

    He earned a nomination for best-supporting actor Oscar for his performance as Nick in the movie.

    Segal often played leading men in films such as “The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox” and “Fun with Dick and Jane”.

    He also starred in several acclaimed films for television, including “Of Mice and Men”, “Death of a Salesman” and “The Desperate Hours”.

    In the 90s, Segal started taking up more projects on the small screen, with shows like “Take Five”, “Murphy’s Law” and “Just Shoot Me!”.

    In 2013, he started working as a series regular on ABC’s 1980s-set family comedy “The Goldbergs”.

    The actor also played the role of Jewish family patriarch Albert “Pops” Solomon.

    In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the team of “The Goldbergs” paid a tribute to the late actor, saying that they are devastated by the news of his death.

    “He was kind, sweet, beyond talented and funny. George was the true epitome of class, and he touched all of our lives so deeply. It was an honour and a privilege to have him as a colleague and friend all of these years. It is no surprise to any of us that knew him so well that he is a true national treasure,” they said.

    Segal was married three times: to film editor Marion Sobel from 1956 until their 1983 divorce; to music manager Linda Rogoff from 1983 until her death from aplastic anaemia in 1996; and to Sonia Schultz Greenbaum, his high school sweetheart, since 1996.

    He is survived by his wife Sonia and daughters — Polly and Elizabeth.

  • More tests for COVID-19 needed in India, says WHO Chief Scientist

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Chief scientist of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Soumya Swaminathan on Saturday said there should be more COVID-19 tests as there was heterogeneity (on testing methods) among the states.

    “Testing is really an important issue. At the beginning, WHO found that many countries did not have diagnostics and those which had it was not enough. In fact we found out that diagnostics was lower than it should be,” she said while addressing a session at ‘Shaastra’ organised here at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras.

    Stating that WHO has set a benchmark for how much diagnostics in testing was enough, she said if the positivity rate (of a disease) was five per cent or more, it means you should be testing more.

    “There is a lot of heterogeneity in response to testing between state to state and some states have done higher than the others,” she said.

    “Tamil Nadu has done well in terms of testing and the Health Department had set up fever clinics in Chennai, when the cases were going up. So, the strategy needs to be decentralised,” she said.

    Swaminathan said it was not only the Health Department that needs to cope up but also all other departments which have to play a role in providing additional food and service when people lost their jobs, when families were in distress due to the pandemic.

    “We now understand the disease (COVID-19) better, understand epidemiology and it is super-spreader. We know that only 15-16 people who are infected are responsible for the remaining 85 people. We need to be able to identify those situations where these kinds of super-spreaderscan happen,” she said.

    “I think that (testing for COVID-19) will continue through 2021 as well,” she remarked.

    Swaminathan said some low-income countries have done better than the high-income countries as community health workers in (the low-income countries) came to the rescue when COVID-19 outbreak happened by means of visiting houses, checking of new infections.

    “In low-income countries, the whole workforce for contact tracing, visiting houses, engaging community health workers are the ones who actually came to the rescue but whereas in the developed world, where the medical system is well advanced, public health system was neglected. Over the years that aspect collapsed,” she said.

    She said these are the lessons to be learned whether the country was rich or poor and a country can learn from what went right and what did not go well so that the country can make those corrections.

  • Skepticism surrounds relaunch of ‘Coronil’ by Patanjali

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Yoga guru Ramdev on Friday released a research paper on the “first evidence-based medicine for Covid-19 by Patanjali” amid scepticism that the product claimed to be a cure for coronavirus may not have any scientific basis.

    Coronil, introduced in the Indian market last June during the peak of the pandemic, was relaunched on Friday in the presence of Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.

    “Coronil has received the Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product (CoPP) from the Ayush section of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation as per the WHO certification scheme,” said a statement by Patanjali.

    Under CoPP, Coronil can now be exported to 158 countries.

    The CDSCO or the Ayush ministry have not yet clarified the claims made by the company so far. Last June, Patanjali launched ‘Coronil and Swasari’, claiming that these were not immunity boosters but “sure shot Ayurvedic cure” for Covid-19. According to them, it had shown 100 per cent favourable results during trials on participants.

    The launch of Coronil, however, had drawn flak. Many said the claim lacked scientific data.

    The company has been claiming that the medicine which costs Rs 545 can cure Covid-19 in three to seven days, but experts point out that most mild and asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 recover on their own.

  • Leprosy patients of Chhattisgarh will be examined and treated on time

    Goodhee Ambassador of Leprosy Eradication Yohei Sasakawa (Winner of Gandhi Peace Prize in 2018), Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansens Disease) Initiative, National Leprosy Eradication Program (NLEP) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at WHO before Anti-Leprosy Day on 30 January India on Thursday launched a flipchart related to leprosy for a jointly recognized social worker (ASHA).

    Asha workers are the backbone of primary healthcare in India. Without any noise, these health workers are actively engaged in bringing primary health to the marginalized people in the society. Asha workers are playing an important role in the early investigation of leprosy across the country. She goes door-to-door to examine people with leprosy symptoms and suggests them to visit the nearest government health center for confirmation.