Artists put the finishing touches on a graffiti on the wall in Kolkata, honoring frontline COVID-19 warriors. (Express photo: Partha Paul)
Coronavirus India Live Updates: Amid questions raised by experts and opposition about the restricted-use approval granted to Covaxin despite no efficacy data from phase III trials, Bharat Biotech MD Krishna Ella Monday said the company had “tremendous experience” in vaccine development and that criticism against it was a “backlash against Indian companies.” In a virtual press conference, Ella said that her company’s work was no less than that of Pfizer, which also presented a vaccine for the coronavirus.
The Union Health Ministry said on Monday that 38 people have tested positive for the new British variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India so far. “All these people have been kept in single room isolation in health facilities designated by the respective state governments and their close contacts have also been quarantined,” the ministry said. A full contact tracing has been started for fellow travelers, family contacts and others.
Meanwhile, a day after India approved two Covid-19 vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday praised the efforts of scientists and said the country was proud of the research and work done by them to combat the virus. “We are about to start the largest vaccination program in the world. The whole country is indebted to all the scientists and technicians, ”Modi said. Modi Sunday hailed the two vaccine approvals as a “decisive turning point” for India’s vaccine development.
India is poised to begin its mass vaccination program in the “near future” as the center has told Covishield and Covaxin vaccine manufacturers to prepare to ship “a significant number” of doses to more than 30 centers. vaccination in the country. In the first phase, India plans to vaccinate more than 30 million priority citizens (health workers, people with comorbidities and people over 50 years old) will probably be completed in August. All you need to know Covid-19 vaccines approved here.
India recorded 16,505 new Covid cases in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. on Monday, bringing the total number of infections to more than 1.03 crore. Active cases fell further to 2.43 lakh, while recoveries continued to rise and stood at more than 99.46 lakh. A total of 214 deaths were reported on Sunday, the figure currently exceeding 1.49 lakh. Kerala remains the top contributor with 4,602 new cases, while Maharashtra reported 3,282 on Sunday.
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After approval of the vaccine, India’s mass vaccination campaign will likely start in January; Total case count greater than Rs 1.03 crore. Follow this space for the latest Covid-19 updates.
New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visits Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital to review the mock trial to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, in New Delhi. (PTI)
The DCGI on its presser foot on Sunday gave a thumbs up to “emergency restricted” approval for two candidate vaccines in India, Covaxin from Bharat Biotech and Covishield from Oxford-Astrazeneca. The drug controller said it is paying close attention to the rise in cases of the UK’s new Covid-19 strain in the country and that it was prioritizing its threat while conducting clinical trials.
Covid-19 tests in the first two days of the new year have been below a million. Only three states reported more than 1,000 cases on Saturday, but Kerala still reports more than 5,000 cases. With 5,327 new cases on Saturday, Kerala has so far recorded more than 7.71 infections.
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