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<ul><li>India has wasted 4.6 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine since the vaccine drive began to April 11. </li><li>Eight states, including Kerala, West Bengal and Goa, reported zero wastage.</li><li>Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, has the highest vaccine waste rate of 12% followed by Haryana at 9%.</li></ul><keyword id="10644234" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vaccine-wastage">Vaccine wastage</keyword> is lower than it was in March, but it’s still happening at a time when doses are in short supply — and the number of cases across India are surging. India has wasted 4.6 million doses so far since the drive to vaccinate the population kicked off in January, according to data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query. 4.6 million doses are enough to inoculate half of Bangalore. In a smaller city like Chandigarh, those doses are enough to vaccinate every citizen four times over. The RTI filed by Vivek Pandey and reported by <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-huge-vaccine-wastage-by-states-till-april-11-most-in-tamil-nadu-rti-shows-2417643">NDTV</a> also reveals that the state with the highest wastage was Tamil Nadu, followed by Haryana. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Top 5 five Indian states with the highest vaccine wastage" comment="subhead" text="Top 5 five Indian states with the highest vaccine wastage">Top 5 five Indian states with the highest vaccine wastage</cmsannotation> <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">State </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Percentage of vaccine wastage </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tamil Nadu </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">12% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Haryana </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">9.74% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Punjab </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">8.12% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Manipur </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">7.8% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Telangana </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">7.55% </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: MoHFW’s response to Vivek Pandey’s RTI via NDTV The list looks very <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/telangana-and-andhra-pradesh-have-the-highest-covid-19-vaccine-wastage-in-india/articleshow/81551251.cms">different from a month ago</a>, when the states with the highest vaccine wastage were Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir. At the time, vaccine wastage in Telangana was as high as 17.6% — higher than Tamil Nadu right now. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Kerala, West Bengal and six other states have no vaccine wastage whatsoever" comment="subhead" text="Kerala, West Bengal and six other states have no vaccine wastage whatsoever">Kerala, West Bengal and six other states have no vaccine wastage whatsoever</cmsannotation> Eight states were also on the opposite side of the scales. Kerala, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Goa, Daman and Diu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well as Lakshadweep had ‘zero wastage’. When there’s a vaccine shortage, it goes without saying that responsible use is key to ensuring that not a drop goes wasted. And the zero vaccine wastage rates in states like Kerala and West Bengal show that the task is not impossible. To boost the supply of vaccines in the market, the government has also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/if-you-are-18-years-or-older-you-can-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-from-may-1/articleshow/82147121.cms">proposed</a> a 50/50 model. This where half of the supply of Covaxin and Covishield will go directly to the central government, whereas the other half will be available in the open market to private hospitals and state governments. International players are also free to join the fray with any ‘ready to use’ vaccines. The imports of these vaccines will go into the non-central government route of procurement. The <keyword id="95879" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute-of-India">Serum Institute of India</keyword> (SII) has <a href="https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/finance/india-to-fund-capacity-boost-at-serum-institute-as-covid-19-vaccines-run-short-source/82144992">reportedly</a> received an advance of ₹3,000 crore from the Indian government to scale up production. Bharat Biotech, which makes Covaxin, has received another ₹1,500 crore. According to Union Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, the issue isn’t that there is a shortage of vaccines — despite what some states may claim — but the lack of better planning. “We have made available vaccine doses to states and union territories from time to time and as we told you earlier that to bigger states we give supply of four days at once and on fourth and fifth day we replenish the supply. For smaller states, at once we supply 7-8 days vaccine doses and on the seventh or eighth day their supply is replenished," explained Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, last week. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/for-saas-y-salaries-indian-engineers-are-skipping-the-traditional-it-services-queue/articleshow/82157280.cms">SaaS-y salaries are 30% more than traditional IT services — and they’re making it tougher for traditional IT service firms to find the right talent</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/tiger-global-invests-in-healthcare-startup-pristyn-care-valuation-more-than-doubles-in-six-months/articleshow/82158467.cms">Tiger Global invests in healthcare startup Pristyn Care, valuation more than doubles in six months</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-has-the-142nd-rank-of-the-180-countries-in-the-world-press-freedom-index-falls-behind-myanmar-sri-lanka-and-nepal/articleshow/82158331.cms">India still has the ‘bad’ classification in the World Press Freedom Index, falls behind Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal</a>

4.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were wasted in India — enough to vaccinate half of Bangalore

<ul><li>The Indian states of <keyword id="68884" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telangana">Telangana</keyword> and <keyword id="37102" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andhra-Pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</keyword> have the highest <keyword id="10644234" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vaccine-wastage">vaccine wastage</keyword> rates in the country, hitting double digits.</li><li>There are a total of five states with vaccine wastage higher than the nationwide average of 6.5%.</li></ul>COVID-19 vaccines are in short supply making them ‘invaluable commodities’, according to India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). But, the wastage of vaccines is a growing concern in five Indian states — Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir. All of these states have recorded vaccine wastage higher than the overall Indian average of 6.5%. The situation is especially critical in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh where vaccine wastage is double digits. <div type="image" title="Copy of Copy of india&amp;#39;s economic growth" msid="81551232" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Indian states with the highest vaccine wastage rates as of March 16&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “Vaccine wastage has to be drastically reduced. Any reduction in wastage means that you end up inoculating more people, therefore the chances of disrupting the chain of infection grow that much more,” said the Health Ministry Secretary during the press conference on March 17. For instance, Telangana’s vaccine wastage is at 17.6%. This means that 176 doses out of every 1,000 doses are being wasted. High wastage inflates the demand for vaccines and raises procurement and supply-chain costs, which the government has to bear. Right now, the procurement cost for the Covishield vaccine is ₹210 per dose and for Covaxin is ₹295 per dose. But, this price tag does not include the costs of logistics, supply chain and administering charges. What is vaccine wastage? According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaccine wastage is of two types — close and open vial wastage. Closed vial wastage is a result of improper cold chain and inventory management. Open vial wastage, on the other hand, occurs where health workers are forced to discard unused doses from multi-dose vials. In India’s case, the reason for vaccine wastage is not inefficient transportation or lack of cold storage but the number of doses within a single vial. Once a vial is opened, the doses have to be administered within a span of four hours. There are around 20 doses per vial for Covaxin and 10 doses per vial for Covishield. Both of which can present an issue if there is a low turnout on a particular day, according to <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/vaccine-wastage-at-4-1-for-covidshield-17-5-for-covaxin-in-delhi-101612893597345.html">health officials. </a> “India’s Universal Immunisation Program, which provides free immunisation across the country, can be limited by nonparticipation of a misinformed clientele as well as difficulty in reaching isolated communities,” noted the Asian Development Bank (<a href="https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/678541/adb-brief-166-getting-ready-covid-19-vaccine-rollout.pdf">ADB</a>) in its February brief on vaccine rollouts. According to experts, while wastage of the COVID-19 vaccination doses can be brought down, it’s encouraging to see that things are not as bad as they were with the Rotavirus vaccine, in 2016. During the initial weeks of its rollout, the wastage was as high as 70%.

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have the highest COVID-19 vaccine wastage in India

<ul><li>While Covid-, conflict-, central banking- and China-led risks are well discussed, the fifth one, climate change, needs to come into sharp focus now. </li><li>The last <keyword id="6358021" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget" source="Orion">budget</keyword> conveyed a more serious intent to include the climate agenda in the budgetary process and facilitate green transition. </li><li>While the government cannot control the physical climate risks to the sector, it can introduce policies that speed up other efficiency improvements. </li></ul>There has been a massive shift in the nature of global risks over the past two years. Broadly, these can be categorised into four Cs — Covid-19-led; conflict-led; central bank action-led; and China slowdown/recovery-led. A fifth C, which has always been present but started receiving attention only recently, is climate change. Among the risks mentioned, climate risk remains the only constant, which must be acted upon quickly now. The Union Budget is a good platform for the government to make its intent loud and clear, on the climate agenda. But budget and climate action are two words rarely spoken in the same breath. That has changed somewhat in recent years, though, but there is a lot more ground to cover. The last few budgets had a peppered approach towards combating climate risk. But the last budget conveyed a more serious intent to include the climate agenda in the budgetary process and facilitate green transition in the country. The budget promised action to facilitate, inter alia, wider adoption of solar power, energy conservation and financing via green bonds. In the Finance Minister’s words, “The risks of climate change are the strongest externalities that affect India and other countries.” There is, therefore, hope that the upcoming budget systematically factors in the two risks often associated with climate change — physical and transition. Physical risks include the impact of rising sea levels and weather disruptions such as heatwaves, floods, storms and wildfires on economic and financial parameters. These can have severe and sudden consequences, often diverting policymakers’ attention towards mitigating the immediate damage caused by these risks. India remains one of the most vulnerable countries to climate-change risks, given the exposure to rain-fed agriculture for providing incomes to large sections of the population. High volatility in food prices every year due to weather disruptions has also often challenged monetary policy’s role in controlling inflation. Climate risk also hurts the fiscal math. For instance, enhancing social-safety nets via subsidies and employment programmes becomes necessary in a year when weather disruptions dent income and purchasing power of the weaker sections of the society. This can put the annual fiscal math off the track or divert spending away from capex. Climate change is primarily a fiscal challenge for the governments. At the COP27 climate summit in November 2022, India submitted its long-term low-carbon development strategy that aims at expanding renewables use, strengthening energy-efficiency measures, rationalising fossil-fuel resource utilisation and ensuring optimum energy mix, while following on a development-focused transition. The country now needs to move faster towards these targets. Inclusion of the climate agenda in budget-making can help systematise it and support the process. While the government cannot control the physical climate risks to the sector, it can introduce policies that speed up other efficiency improvements, such as reducing crop wastage, promoting investment in irrigation, and setting up cold-storage and warehousing facilities. The second type, transition risks are caused by the impact of policy, regulatory and legal actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to new technologies, on economic and financial parameters. These include policies that influence trade, push production towards green transition and bring about a shift in consumer preferences. While these facilitate a move towards an environmentally sustainable economy, in the short run, they come as disruptions and entail a cost. Here, government intervention in the form of budgetary allocations that subsidise and over time penalise failure towards green transition, will be crucial. The climate agenda will require active participation by the private sector. The long-term trends on rainfall, heatwaves and other extreme events call for immediate action. Meanwhile, the unevenness or lack of predictability of weather conditions highlights the need for the budget to factor in damages and additional costs to counter the impact of weather disruptions. In the short term, therefore, the Indian government’s climate-action response should also focus on mitigating risks to the agriculture sector, while also continuing to encourage the move towards cleaner technologies. In addition, given its inflation-targeting mandate, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India will also have to take heed of the increasing role of climate change-led weather disturbances in influencing consumer price inflation. As inflation faces upside risks and higher volatility due to climate change, there is a greater need to maintain a credible monetary policy, to keep inflation expectations in check. Policymakers not only need to work together to reduce the long-term effects of climate change, but also respond to the short-term effects of climate change on the economy. (The author is Principal Economist, CRISIL Limited. Views are personal.)

Budgeting for the fifth C

<ul><li><keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> is likely to reduce the gap between the second dose and the <keyword id="2825536" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Booster-dose" source="Orion">booster dose</keyword> from nine months to six months.</li><li>This decision might come soon for people travelling abroad as countries have started mandating a third dose.</li><li>Health experts have also said that reducing the gap between both the doses will also help in speeding up the booster dose drive in the country.</li></ul>India is reportedly considering allowing people who are travelling abroad to get their booster doses early i.e before completing nine months of gap between the second and booster dose of COVID-19. According to a <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/covid19-some-outbound-flyers-may-be-able-to-get-boosters-early-101651714101322.html">report</a> by Hindustan Times, the gap between second dose and booster dose may be reduced to six months from nine months. The <keyword id="46535" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="health-ministry" source="Orion">Health ministry</keyword> may set out this new rule keeping in mind the countries requiring travellers to have been administered a third shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the report, several people have appealed to the central government lately to reduce the gap because many countries have started mandating a third dose for international travellers travelling for jobs, education, or business. Also, many health experts have also said that reducing the gap between both the doses will also help in speeding up the booster dose drive in the country. According to the data by the Health Ministry, around 105 billion people were eligible for a booster shot, as of May 1, 2022, however, only 28.3 million people have only taken it. “The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) is looking at the data to see if it is good to reduce the gap from existing nine months. They might prioritise those who urgently need a booster for the purpose of travel as many countries have made it a requirement for travel. However, the ultimate decision will be based on the opinion of experts on the technical panel,” told a senior government official to HT in case of anonymity. One of the other reasons behind this is that reducing the gap will also help in bringing down the number of vaccine wastage and reduced immunity in people. Due to lack of people to administer, the number of vaccine wastage is increasing. Several studies have suggested that the level of antibody declines over time in the vaccinated population, which shows an urgent need for booster shots to protect the people from getting infected. NTAGI members, on Wednesday, had a discussion on reducing the gap between second dose and the booster dose and opening up the vaccination drive for children below the age of 11 years. However, no final decision was taken by the body on both the matters. India started the booster dose vaccination drive for healthline workers and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/booster-shots-against-covid-19-for-all-adults-to-be-available-from-april-10/articleshow/90728511.cms">people aged above 60 years</a> from January 10, 2022. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/cognizants-latest-earnings-have-a-silver-lining-for-indian-it-majors-tcs-infosys-and-wipro/articleshow/91334290.cms">Cognizant’s latest earnings have a silver lining for Indian IT majors TCS, Infosys and Wipro</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/second-day-to-subscribe-to-lic-ipo-post-poor-demand-on-day-1-and-gmp-falls-to-65/articleshow/91324706.cms">LIC IPO: Second day to subscribe to the issue post poor demand on Day 1; GMP falls to ₹65</a>

India may consider reducing the gap between second dose and the booster dose of COVID-19 for those travelling abroad

Covid-19 pandemic exposed <keyword id="398531" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="blood-shortage" source="Orion">blood shortage</keyword> across many Indian states, and this situation arose despite many good Samaritans repeatedly stepping forward to donate their <keyword id="47073" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="blood" source="Orion">blood</keyword>. On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, the health professionals underscored the need to highlight the shortcomings and improve infrastructure and network of blood banks across India. According to some reports, India needs 15 million units of blood each year but manages to collect only 11 million units, a deficit of 4 million units. It is also estimated that nearly 12,000 individuals die in India each day, due to non-availability of <keyword id="14189944" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="quality-blood" source="Orion">quality blood</keyword>. While this is one side of the coin, the other side indicates that India wastes about 6.5 lakh units of blood and blood components each year, due to lack of proper storage facilities. Many doctors are raising their voices on the urgent need to address this major concern in the society. Women suffering from bleeding during pregnancy or at childbirth, women and children suffering from anemia due to malnutrition, victims of trauma, etc., all need blood or/and blood-related products like plasma or platelets. "Each day India needs large quantities of blood to treat many patients undergoing surgery or getting treatment for various forms of cancers. While there is a shortage of quality blood in the country, large quantities of it gets wasted when it cannot be transfused to a patient, within the right time, and in the right means. Key factors leading to donated blood wastage lack of proper storage facilities, leakages, contamination, testing delays due to manpower issues etc. All these problems can be addressed and must be resolved to ensure we emerge into a healthy India," said Dr. Pradeep Panigrahi, Medical Director, SLG Hospitals. "Some reports suggest that India does not have even a single well-managed blood bank in at least 63 districts as of September 2020. This lack of blood banks facility also adds to the healthcare delivery burden, resulting in loss of lives in emergency situations like trauma/accidents. Many individual hospitals are striving hard to ensure there is a proper supply of quality blood to those in need; but the network of blood banks must grow in numbers to ensure we address this concern," observes Dr. Satwinder Singh Sabharwal, COO, Aware Gleneagles Global Hospital. Highlighting the need for a policy, Dr. Kishore B. Reddy, Managing Director, Amor Hospitals said: "State and Union Governments have enhanced allocations to the healthcare sector in their annual budgets and are striving hard to improve the last mile delivery of quality healthcare services." He believes the state and the union governments should bring out a policy that will ensure creation of more blood banks, even in remote parts of the country. This, he said, will ensure supply of safe blood and also ensure blood transfusion related risks are addressed well. "While there are many kind-hearted Samaritans who step forward to donate their blood on a regular basis, there is a need to enhance awareness on blood donation, which is a healthy practice. There is always a dearth of rare blood groups like AB negative, A negative, B negative, AB positive, and Bombay blood group; and there should a special focus on ensure people with these rare groups consider donating their blood regularly, concluded Dr. Sailesh Singhi, Senior Hematologist and Blood bank Incharge, Century Hospital. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/ai-can-now-detect-early-stage-glaucoma-diabetic-retinopathy-and-other-eye-conditions/articleshow/92194366.cms" style="">AI can now detect early stage glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and other eye conditions</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/iit-guwahati-develops-a-prosthetic-leg-for-indians-who-want-to-squat-and-sit-cross-legged/articleshow/92179790.cms" style="">IIT Guwahati develops a prosthetic leg for Indians who want to squat and sit cross-legged</a>

Nearly 12,000 individuals die every day due to lack of quality blood

Hello,Happy Monday! We're starting off the day with some fresh <keyword id="24209" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="vaccine">vaccine</keyword> news. First, <keyword id="66878" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Merck">Merck</keyword> <a href="https://www.merck.com/news/merck-discontinues-development-of-sars-cov-2-covid-19-vaccine-candidates-continues-development-of-two-investigational-therapeutic-candidates/">is discontinuing its COVID-19 vaccine trials</a>, a major setback from the company that developed the only Ebola vaccine. And <keyword id="4912868" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="moderna">Moderna</keyword> said Monday that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moderna-to-test-coronavirus-vaccine-to-fight-south-africa-variant-2021-1">it's developing a new version of its COVID-19 shot to fight the variant that's emerged out of South Africa</a>. The company said its current shot should still work against variants identified in both South African and the UK.Meanwhile, we're still waiting for news on whether Johnson &amp; Johnson's vaccine works, expected by the end of the month. Also in <keyword id="6354525" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="healthcare">healthcare</keyword> news: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/next-generation-covid-19-vaccines-pipeline-challenges-promise-2021-1">the state of the next leg of the COVID-19 vaccine race</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/humana-launches-author-to-compete-with-buzzy-insurance-startups-2021-1">Humana's answer to buzzy Medicare Advantage startups</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/calico-alphabet-age-fighting-bet-job-listings-head-oncology-2021-1">Calico's hiring plans for 2021</a>. <h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/next-generation-covid-19-vaccines-pipeline-challenges-promise-2021-1"><div type="image" title="Coronavirus vaccine" height="1333" width="1777" msid="80452296" hostid="261"></div></a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/next-generation-covid-19-vaccines-pipeline-challenges-promise-2021-1">More than 200 coronavirus vaccines are still in development as the initial vaccine rollout ramps up. Here's how experts anticipate 2021 playing out.</a></h3><ul><li>A handful of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> vaccines are now being rolled out around the world.</li><li>Over 200 more vaccine candidates are in development, despite facing a higher bar to get to market.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/next-generation-covid-19-vaccines-pipeline-challenges-promise-2021-1">Insider talked with leading vaccine developers and industry analysts to see how the vaccine landscape will change in 2021.</a></li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/next-generation-covid-19-vaccines-pipeline-challenges-promise-2021-1">Read the full story from Andrew Dunn here&gt;&gt;</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/humana-launches-author-to-compete-with-buzzy-insurance-startups-2021-1"><div type="image" title="Humana CEO Bruce Broussard" height="1332" width="1776" msid="80452297" hostid="261"></div></a><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/humana-launches-author-to-compete-with-buzzy-insurance-startups-2021-1">Humana just launched its answer to the new crop of insurer startups in the red-hot health-plan market for older people</a></h3><ul><li><keyword id="229137" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Humana">Humana</keyword> has launched a new venture called Author, which offers technology-driven health plans for older people.</li><li>The CEO of Humana said insurer startups like Clover Health prompted the new project.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/humana-launches-author-to-compete-with-buzzy-insurance-startups-2021-1">Author launched in South Carolina in 2021 and already has 15,000 members. </a></li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/humana-launches-author-to-compete-with-buzzy-insurance-startups-2021-1">Read the full scoop from Shelby Livingston here&gt;&gt;</a><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/calico-alphabet-age-fighting-bet-job-listings-head-oncology-2021-1"><div type="image" title="Calico CEO Art Levinson" height="1300" width="1733" msid="80452299" hostid="261"></div></a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/calico-alphabet-age-fighting-bet-job-listings-head-oncology-2021-1">Alphabet's age-fighting bet Calico has been quiet for years, but it's hiring. Here are all the open jobs open at the secretive biotech firm.</a></h3><ul><li><keyword id="1872477" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Calico">Calico</keyword>, the Google-backed biotech company devoted to solving ageing, is one of Alphabet's most secretive divisions.</li><li>The company has opened up a handful of new positions in the past few weeks, and some of the roles give us a glimpse into what Calico has in store for 2021.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/calico-alphabet-age-fighting-bet-job-listings-head-oncology-2021-1">The most high profile of the roles is a new head of oncology research. The previous oncology lead left in 2019.</a></li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/calico-alphabet-age-fighting-bet-job-listings-head-oncology-2021-1">Read the full story from Hugh Langley and Blake Dodge here&gt;&gt;</a>More stories we're reading: <ul><li><a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2021/01/22/second-mover-advantage-a-host-of-boston-area-firm.html?ana=twt">Why biotech firms are still developing COVID-19 vaccines</a> (Boston Business Journal)</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-vaccine-us-russia-india-china-2021-1">WATCH: COVID-19 vaccines are making their way around the world, but global immunity is still far off</a> (Business Insider)</li><li><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/covid-vaccine-wastage">Some states aren't tracking vaccine wastage</a> (ProPublica)</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-of-hims-reveals-secret-trip-to-asia-2021-1">Hims CEO took a trip to China before COVID hit and still sees Asia as a 'massive market opportunity.'</a> (Business Insider)</li></ul>- Lydia

What's in store for the next wave of vaccines

While many countries are yet to receive even one dose of Covid vaccines, many US states are seeing unused <keyword id="92247" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Johnson-Johnson">Johnson &amp; Johnson</keyword> vaccine doses piling up on shelves -- all set to expire this month, media reports say. State officials have warned the doses could go to waste if they go unused in the coming weeks or are not sent elsewhere. About 200,000 doses of the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine are set to expire on June 23, <keyword id="53556" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-York-Times">New York Times</keyword> quoted Ohio state Governor Mike DeWine as saying. The state's health department directed providers to adopt a "first-in, first-out" process for the shot to ensure doses with earlier expiration dates were used first. As many as 60,000 doses of Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine may be wasted in Arkansas, and in West Virginia 20,000 to 25,000 doses are nearing their expiration date. The expiration risk for Johnson &amp; Johnson is a problem in every state, which received more than 10 million doses of the vaccine but were not administered, according to data collected by the <keyword id="116293" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Centers-for-Disease-Control-and-Prevention">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</keyword>. According to state officials, uptake for the one-dose shot was dampened after the 11-day pause of the vaccine in early April by the <keyword id="6356255" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="us-food-and-drug-administration">US Food and Drug Administration</keyword> over safety concerns. There is a growing fear among state officials that Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine doses, which are coveted in the developing world, could go to waste without a national plan, Marcus Plescia, medical director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the NBC news reported. "I think people feel ethically that you've got other countries with no vaccines and in dire shape," Plescia said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine data tracker indicates that 21.4 million doses of the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine have been distributed and that a little more than half have been administered, or 11.1 million, the report noted. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) also voiced concern over wastage of vaccines yesterday. It urged the G7 leaders -- the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US -- to commit to sharing a minimum of 20 per cent of Covid-19 vaccine dose supply between June and August, which would provide more than 150 million doses to COVAX. Only 0.4 per cent of all Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in low-income countries. And in many countries, even the most vulnerable adults and health care workers have not received vaccinations, said WHO director-general <keyword id="3685849" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tedros-Adhanom-Ghebreyesus">Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus</keyword>, recently. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/here-are-the-coolest-ios-15-features-coming-to-iphones/slidelist/83362145.cms">Here are the coolest iOS 15 features coming to iPhones</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/paraguay-could-become-the-second-country-to-adopt-bitcoin/articleshow/83363776.cms">After El Salvador, Paraguay considers Bitcoin adoption</a>

Millions of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine doses to expire soon in US, say media reports

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New CDC data shows <keyword id="151277" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="CVs">CVS</keyword> and <keyword id="377607" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Walgreens">Walgreens</keyword> were responsible for around 70% of US COVID-19 <keyword id="24209" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="vaccine">vaccine</keyword> wastage.</li><li>The data suggests that the two companies wasted more doses than the combined total of most states.</li><li>CVS cited issues with transportation restrictions and limitations on redirecting unused doses as reasons for vaccine wastage.</li></ul>Thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses are going to waste according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the biggest culprits being CVS and Walgreens. Government data seen by <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/cvs-and-walgreens-have-wasted-more-vaccine-doses-than-most-states-combined/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kaiser Health News</a> noted that as of late March, 182,874 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been wasted. And the two national pharmaceutical chains, which were entrusted with the vaccine rollout in December, were responsible for around 70% of the total wastage, or nearly 128,500 wasted jabs.Of this number, CVS wasted nearly half of the unusable vaccine doses, while Walgreen's wastage numbers accounted for around 21% of the total. The data, which was obtained by KHN from public records requests to the CDC and states, US territories, and federal agencies, indicated that the chains had wasted more COVID-19 vaccine doses than most states combined since the start of the vaccine rollout.The Pfizer vaccine, which was <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/11/pfizer-covid-vaccine-approved-fda-emergency-use.html">the first vaccine deployed for emergency use in the US</a>, was the most-wasted vaccine, making up 60% of the shots that were thrown away.CVS, Walgreens, and the CDC did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment. But in a statement to KHN, CVS spokesperson Michael DeAngelis said doses were wasted due to "issues with transportation restrictions, limitations on redirecting unused doses, and other factors."CVS and Walgreens were earlier <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/cvs-and-walgreens-under-fire-for-slow-pace-of-vaccination-in-nursing-homes/">criticized for a slow vaccine rollout</a> to long-term care residents in nursing homes. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cvs-walgreens-vaccine-nursing-homes/">CBS reported</a> doctors were crying foul and saying that delays and mismanagement on the part of these pharmacy retailers led to the vaccine reaching nursing homes and long-term care facilities over a month behind schedule. Meanwhile, Walgreens spokesperson Kris Lathan told KHN that its vaccine wastage amounted to less than 0.5% of vaccines the company administered through March 29, adding that the company had administered three million shots in long-term care facilities and some five million shots through the government's retail pharmacy vaccine rollout. "Our goal has always been ensuring every dose of vaccine is used," Lathan said to KHN. She noted that before a system of scheduled appointments was put in place, Walgreens based the doses it needed on the number of registrations it received, which "minimized excess and reduced over-estimations."KHN also spoke to CDC spokesperson Kate Fowlie, who said that because the pharmacy retailers had been given the responsibility of administering such a large number of doses, it was unsurprising that they would have contributed to a higher percentage of the overall wastage. "Though every effort is made to reduce the volume of wastage in a vaccination program, sometimes it's necessary to identify doses as 'waste' to ensure anyone wanting a vaccine can receive it, as well as to ensure patient safety and vaccine effectiveness," Fowlie said to KHN, adding that the CDC is training staff members on how to reduce the waste of vaccine doses wherever possible. According to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/">Bloomberg's vaccine tracker</a>, 247 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given so far. An NPR report on April 18 said that <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/04/18/988574518/more-than-half-of-u-s-adults-have-gotten-at-least-one-covid-19-vaccine-dose">more than half of US adults have received their first vaccine dose</a>, with retailers like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, and others <a href="https://fortune.com/2021/03/26/cvs-walgreens-vaccine-rollout-rollout/">administering around half these shots. </a>It should be noted that the CDC's numbers on vaccine wastage account for around 0.00075% of the total number of vaccine doses administered since the beginning of the rollout. CVS and Walgreens, as well as other retailers who provide the vaccine, do not pay for the vaccine, as the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html#:~:text=The%20federal%20government%20is%20providing,administration%20fees%2C%20copays%2C%20or%20coinsurance">government provides the vaccine for free</a>.But the vaccines need to be handled with care, as both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine have a limited shelf life. Pfizer's vaccine vials, which contain several doses per vial, <a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/vaccine/guideappa.pdf">must be used up within six hours</a>. Moderna's <a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/vaccine/guideappb.pdf">must be used within 12 hours</a>. <h2>Chaotic vaccine rollout in December and early January may have contributed to wastage</h2><div type="image" title="pfizer vaccine" height="1466" width="1955" msid="82383700" hostid="261"></div>States were also responsible for thousands of vaccines being wasted. KHN's requests for comment from states noted that top reasons for vaccine waste included broken syringes, storage errors, and doses leftover in open vials that had to be discarded. There were also larger waste incidents, where freezers malfunctioned, or where workers left vaccine doses out at room temperature for too long.Data from Texas seen by KHN showed it had the highest number of wasted doses, with 9,229 wasted vaccine doses as of March 26 - making it the third biggest waster of vaccine doses behind CVS and Walgreens.The US's vaccine rollout <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-01-18/u-s-vaccination-rollout-turns-to-chaos">got off to a chaotic start</a> in December 2020 and January this year, when the Trump administration left states to figure out their own distribution plans. In January, Biden's Chief of Staff Ron Klain <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55784361">criticized the Trump administration's vaccine rollout</a>, saying that plans to distribute the vaccine into the community "did not really exist" when Biden took office on January 20.This led to confusion in some states, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-s-decision-vaccinate-seniors-first-causes-distribution-chaos-n1252615">NBC reported</a> that elderly people aged 65 and over were lining up overnight for first-come-first-served COVID-19 shots. This distribution snafu happened after <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2020/12/22/desantis-will-not-prioritize-floridas-essential-workers-for-covid-vaccine-breaking-with-cdc-panel-guidance/?sh=168936b17a27">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opted to ignore federal guidelines</a> and give vaccine priority to senior citizens over essential workers. Precious doses of the vaccine were also wasted after <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/prosecutor--wisconsin-pharmacist-thought-vaccine-was-unsafe-9661868">Wisconsin hospital worker Steven Brandenburg destroyed around 500 doses of the vaccine</a> in January, intentionally removing dozens of vials from a pharmacy refrigerator <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/31/covid-vaccines-destroyed-wisconsin-hospital/">because he thought the vaccine was unsafe. </a>KHN spoke to Bruce Y. Lee, a professor of <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> policy and management at the City University of New York, who said any vaccine waste amounts to "basically throwing (taxpayer) money down the chute."Lee added that tracking wasted doses would help to identify where bottlenecks might be occurring and adjusting the distribution process where necessary. He noted that early in the vaccine rollout, officials were not assessing where vaccines might be in high demand and setting up sites to fulfill that demand. "If you think of any business, they're going to determine where the customers are first," he told KHN. "It's not just a matter of loading up the vaccine and going to a place."

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