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Nearly 4.5 million (44,49,552) beneficiaries have received COVID-19 vaccine shots in merely 19 days, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. India became the fastest country in the world to reach the 4 million COVID-19 vaccination mark, achieving this feat in 18 days. "Many other countries have had a head start of almost 65 days. India launched the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16. The number of beneficiaries being vaccinated every day has also shown a progressive increase," the ministry said. In a span of 24 hours, 3,10,604 people were vaccinated across 8,041 sessions, it said, adding that 84,617 sessions have been conducted so far. India's COVID-19 active caseload has dropped to 1.55 lakh (1,55,025) and comprises just 1.44 per cent of the total infections. The day-on-day change in the number of active cases over the last few weeks depicts the consistent decline in active cases. India's Daily Positivity Rate is 1.82 per cent, as of today, it said. "India has maintained the daily positivity rate below 2 per cent in last few weeks (19 days)," the ministry said. The total recoveries have surged to 1,04,80,455. "The difference in new recoveries outnumbering new cases has also improved the recovery rate to 97.13 per cent. The total recovered cases are 67.6 times the active cases," the ministry highlighted. It said 86.04 per cent of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in six states and union territories. At 7,030, Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of single day recoveries while 6,380 people recovered in Kerala in a span of 24 hours followed by 533 in Tamil Nadu. The ministry said that 84.67 per cent of the new cases too are from six states and UTs. Kerala continues to report the highest daily new cases at 6,356. It is followed by Maharashtra with 2,992, while Tamil Nadu reported 514 new cases. Six states and UTs also account for 71.03 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties at 30 followed by Kerala (20). West Bengal and Chhattisgarh reported 7 casualties each. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isro-will-transform-in-2021-as-india-pumps-big-money-to-draw-in-startups-for-the-second-space-age/articleshow/80683054.cms">ISRO will transform in 2021 as India pumps big money to draw in startups for the 'second space age'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/news/new-citizenship-law-pulls-india-down-in-the-democracy-rankings-and-2021-is-not-looking-better/articleshow/80671194.cms">New citizenship law pulls India down in the democracy rankings — and 2021 is not looking better</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/bank-unions-strongly-oppose-divestment-bad-bank-and-fdi-in-insurance-with-threats-to-go-on-strike/articleshow/80668430.cms">Bank unions strongly oppose divestment, a bad bank and threaten to strike</a>

India has administered about 4.5 million COVID-19 vaccine shots in 19 days

Global pharma major Pfizer on Thursday said it remains committed to engaging with the Indian government to explore opportunities to make Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine available in the country. The UK on Wednesday became the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 with the UK regulator Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)granting a temporary authorisation for its emergency use. "Right now we are in discussions with many governments around the world and remain committed to engaging with the Government of India and explore opportunities to make this vaccine available for use in the country," a Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement. Pfizer is committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to have access to the vaccine, and is working closely with governments, it added. "During this pandemic phase, Pfizer will supply this vaccine only through government contracts based on agreements with respective government authorities and following regulatory authorisation or approval," the statement said. The UK regulator, MHRA has granted a temporary authorisation for emergency use of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. This constitutes the first Emergency Use Authorisation following a worldwide phase 3 trial of a vaccine to help fight the pandemic, Pfizer said on Wednesday. "As we anticipate further authorizations and approvals, we are focused on moving with the same level of urgency to safely supply a high-quality vaccine around the world," Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said on Wednesday. In November, NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul, who also heads the National Task Force on COVID-19, had said the arrival of the <keyword id="9655003" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pfizer-vaccine">Pfizer vaccine</keyword> in the country might take some months. "The arrangement of cold-chains for storing the vaccine developed by Pfizer at a low temperature of minus 70 degrees Celsius is a big challenge and it will not be easy for any nation. But then, if at all it has to be obtained, we are examining what we need to do...and will work out a strategy," he had said. Currently in India, Pune-based Serum Institute of India has said that it will apply for emergency use licensure for AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine in two weeks. Phase-3 clinical trial of the indigenously-developed vaccine candidate of Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is also underway. While vaccine candidate of Zydus Cadila has completed the phase-2 clinical trial, pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories has started the combined phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, in India. Another domestic firm Biological E Ltd has also started early phase 1 and 2 human trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-may-reportedly-block-wikipedia-if-the-site-doesnt-delete-the-map-showing-aksai-chin-as-a-part-of-china/articleshow/79541391.cms">India may reportedly block Wikipedia if the site doesn't delete the map showing Aksai Chin as a part of China</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/geo-tagged-bottles-in-the-ganges-river-show-how-plastic-pollution-can-travel-thousands-of-kilometres-in-just-a-few-months/articleshow/79540173.cms">Geo-tagged bottles in the Ganges river show how plastic pollution can travel thousands of kilometres in just a few months</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/trump-h1-b-visa-restrictions-scrapped-by-us-court-spells-good-news-for-indian-and-american-it-companies-alike/articleshow/79531053.cms">Trump's H-1B visa restrictions scrapped by US court spells good news for Indian and American IT companies alike</a>

Pfizer claims its committed to making its COVID-19 vaccine available in India and engaging with the government

The analysis of the additional data and information submitted by Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech is still being conducted by regulator Central Drug Standard Control Organisation's (CDSCO) Subject Expert Committee and their next meeting will be held on January 1. The Subject Expert Committee met on Wednesday to consider the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) request of Pfizer, SII and Bharat Biotech Private Ltd. Further time was requested on behalf of Pfizer, while the additional data and information presented by the SII and Bharat Biotech was perused and analysed by the SEC. "The analysis of the additional data and information is going on. SEC will convene again on 1st January 2021 (Friday)," the Centre said in a statement. America's Pfizer was the first one to apply for the accelarated approval on December 4, followed by the SII and Bharat Biotech who applied on December 6 and 7, respectively. On December 9, the Subject Expert Committee had asked the SII and Bharat Biotech to submit more data and information to get approval. The expert panel had then recommended the SII to submit outcome of the assessment of UK regulatoe for grant of emergency use approval, the updated safety data of the Phase 2/3 clinical trial and immunogenicity data from the clinical trials in UK and India. Bharat Biotech was recommended to present the safety and efficacy data from the ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial in the country for further consideration. Their applications were reviewed again earlier on Wednesday, hours after the UK accepted the recommendation of the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorise Oxford University-AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, named Covishield, for emergency use. The authorization was significant for India as the Pune-based SII had tied up with the company to conduct clinical trials and manufacture the vaccine. Besides, Bharat Biotech is developing country's indigenous coronavirus vaccine - Covaxin - in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research. The Central government plans to vaccinate nearly 30 crore people in the first phase of drive. It will be offered to one crore healthcare workers, along with 2 crore frontline and essential workers and 27 crore elderly, mostly above the age of 50 years with co-morbidities. Covishield uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of a common cold virus that causes infections in chimpanzees and contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is produced, priming the immune system to attack the coronavirus if it later infects the body. The vaccine can be stored, transported and handled at normal refrigerated conditions at two to eight degrees Celsius for at least six months and administered within existing healthcare settings. Its interim analysis for efficacy showed that the vaccine was 70.4 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 occurring more than 14 days after receiving two doses of the vaccine. The SII has already made 40 to 50 million doses of the shot. "We have 40-50 million doses of Covishield stockpiled. We will be producing around 300 million doses by July 2021," its CEO Adar Poonawalla had recently said. Besides this, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is India's indigenous vaccine and is being developed in collaboration with the ICMR's National Institute of Virology. The indigenous, inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) high containment facility SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/income-tax/news/income-tax-returns-filing-deadline-extended-to-january-10/articleshow/80029154.cms">Relief for taxpayers: Deadline to file income tax returns extended further to January 10</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/uk-approves-oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-for-emergency-use/articleshow/80023778.cms">UK approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-is-testing-a-shortcut-feature-for-tiktok-and-instagram-videos/articleshow/80021865.cms">Google is testing a shortcut feature for TikTok and Instagram videos</a>.

India continues to mull over SII and Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine candidates

<ul><li>India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) claims that it will be ready to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine for the masses starting January after a successful nationwide dry-run of the vaccination exercise — Co-WIN Vaccine Delivery Management System.</li><li>The ministry declared that there were no major issues observed during the dry run and that any minor issues were addressed.</li><li>Since the approval came in on January 3, the vaccine should be on track to the masses starting January 13 or even earlier. </li></ul>India recently conducted a nationwide dry-run of the COVID-19 immunisation drive and the results show that it will be ready to roll out the vaccine within 10 of Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) approval coming in. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="80044250" title="India to conduct nationwide COVID-19 vaccine dry run on January 2" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Since the Serum Institute of India’s (SII) Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin COVID-19 vaccines officially got the green stamp from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on January 3, they should be on track to the masses starting January 13 or even earlier. According to the Ministry of Health of Family Welfare and Health (MoHFW), there were no major issues during the exercise dubbed Co-WIN Vaccine Delivery Management System. Minor issues were noted, which have since been addressed. “All states expressed confidence in the operational guidelines and IT platform for large scale programme implementation,” said Rajesh Bhushan, the Secretary of the Health Ministry at the press conference. As for the new UK strain of COVID-19, the ministry has not observed any ‘untoward clusters’ growing in the country aside from the 58 cases registered so far. In fact, India is the <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/india-becomes-first-country-to-culture-the-new-uk-covid-19-variant-strain-9170371.html">first country</a> in the world to culture the new variant of the virus. Who will get the vaccine first in India? <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" 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;">Phase 1 of the Indian government’s plan for vaccine distribution: </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;">Priority </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;">Category </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;">Population </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;">1 </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;">Health care workers </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;">1 crore </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;">2 </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;">Frontline workers </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;">2 crore </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;">3 </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;">People above 50 years of age </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;">26 crore </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;">4 </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;">People below 50 years of age with chronic illness </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;">1 crore </td></tr></tbody></table> India’s Ministry of Health has sent states and union territories (UTs) <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/india-ready-for-coronavirus-vaccination-drive-60-crore-vaccine-shots-100-people-per-session-11607855911412.html">guidelines</a> on managing the massive challenge for distributing the vaccine across the seventh-largest country in the world with the second-largest population. The guidelines dictate that no more than 100 people can be present during a session at each site per day. However, the centre noted that the number of people per session could be increased to 200 — if the supporting logistics are present. “Conduct of the vaccination process [will be] similar to the election process,” said the government’s draft standard operating procedure (SOP) document. People who are above the age of 50 will be identified using the Lok Sabha voter list. All the beneficiaries will be tracked using the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/cowin-app-to-be-used-for-covid-19-vaccine-in-india-how-to-register-documents-required-and-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/80110700.cms">Co-WIN platform. </a> The number of active cases in India has continuously been declining since September and currently stands at around 2.5 lakh. India’s positivity rate has been below 3% since December 23, and the average number of recovered cases have exceeded new cases for the past five weeks, according to MoHFW’s data. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/bharat-biotech-ceo-and-serum-institute-of-india-ceo-issued-a-joint-statement-today-on-covid-19-vaccine-controversy/articleshow/80113496.cms">Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute call a truce after Adar Poonawalla dubs COVID-19 vaccine spat a 'miscommunication'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/five-asteroids-are-set-to-make-a-close-approach-to-earth-tomorrow/articleshow/80109103.cms">Five asteroids are set to fly past the planet tomorrow — two of them are bigger than the Eiffel Tower</a>

India is ready to roll out COVID-19 vaccine for the masses within 10 days of approval, claims Health Ministry

An 87-year-old Indian-origin man from the north east of England will become one of the first people in the world to get a vaccine against COVID-19 when he receives his Pfizer/BioNTech jab at a hospital in Newcastle on Tuesday. Hari Shukla from Tyne and Wear said he feels it is his duty to receive his first of the two-dose vaccine, a moment UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed as a "huge step forward" as Tuesday was dubbed "V-Day" or Vaccine Day in the UK. "I'm so pleased we are hopefully coming towards the end of this pandemic and I am delighted to be doing my bit by having the vaccine, I feel it is my duty to do so and do whatever I can to help," said Shukla. "Having been in contact with the NHS (National Health Service), I know how hard they all work and the greatest respect for them - they have a heart of gold and I am grateful for everything they have done to keep us safe during the pandemic," he said. Shukla was notified by the NHS based on the criteria set by the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation as part of a phased rollout plan based on those at the highest risk of death from the deadly virus. People aged 80 and over, care home workers as well as NHS workers who are at higher risk will be first in line to receive the "life-saving jab". "Today marks a huge step forward in the UK's fight against coronavirus, as we begin delivering the vaccine to the first patients across the whole country. I am immensely proud of the scientists who developed the vaccine, members of the public who took part in trials, and the NHS who have worked tirelessly to prepare for rollout," said Johnson. However, the UK PM struck a note of caution to warn that mass vaccination will take time and urged the public to remain "clear-eyed" and continue to follow the lockdown rules over the winter months ahead. The NHS said it is undertaking the biggest and most highly anticipated immunisation campaign in history at 50 hospital hubs, with more starting vaccinations over the coming weeks and months as the programme ramps up after the first set of doses arrived from <keyword id="44612" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pfizer">Pfizer</keyword>'s manufacturing site in Belgium. "We will look back on today, V-day, as a key moment in our fight back against this terrible disease, and I am proud our health services across the United Kingdom are about to embark on our largest ever vaccination programme," said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. "With over-80s and frontline health and care staff receiving their vaccinations from today, the whole country will breathe a collective sigh of relief as our most vulnerable loved ones start to be given protection from the virus. Now's the time to sit tight and remain patient until you get notified by the NHS that it's time for your vaccination," he said, adding that the light at the end of the tunnel is visible but there is still a long way to go. Since the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine got the green light from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last week, the NHS said its workers have been working around the clock to manage the large-scale logistical challenge of deploying the vaccine. "Coronavirus is the greatest health challenge in NHS history, taking loved ones from us and disrupting every part of our lives," said Sir Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive. "The deployment of this vaccine marks a decisive turning point in the battle with the pandemic. NHS vaccination programmes which have successfully helped overcome tuberculosis, polio, and smallpox, now turn their focus to coronavirus. NHS staff are proud to be leading the way as the first health service in the world to begin vaccination with this COVID jab," he said. The Pfizer/BionTech formula is an mRNA vaccine that uses a tiny fragment of genetic code from the pandemic virus to teach the body how to fight Covid-19 and build immunity. It is delivered in two doses of 21 days apart and, according to experts, it has shown a strong immunity response kicking in after seven days of the second dose. The MHRA has stressed it has been cleared for mass rollout only after "rigorous" safety tests despite the process being speeded up due to the urgency of finding an effective vaccine against a pandemic which has wreaked havoc around the world. NHS national medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, has warned that the roll out of a vaccine will be a "marathon" not a sprint. The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at -70C before being thawed out and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before being used. General Practitioners (GPs) and other primary care staff have also been put on standby to start delivering the jab on a phased basis. Vaccination centres treating large numbers of patients in sporting venues and conference centres will subsequently start up when further supplies of vaccine come on stream, with a bulk of the rollout expected in the early part of the New Year.

India-origin man will be among the first to get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in UK

<ul><li>The Indian government is set to role out the second phase of <keyword id="10820295" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-vaccination-from-march-1">COVID-19 vaccination from March 1</keyword>.</li><li><keyword id="20566" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="senior-citizens">Senior citizens</keyword> above the age of 60 years and those over 45 years old with comorbidities will be eligible for the vaccine. </li><li>The vaccine doses will be given free of cost at government hospitals and will also be available at private clinics, but the price tag for private distribution is yet to be decided.</li></ul>The Indian government announced today that COVID-19 vaccine doses for senior citizens will be available starting March 1. This includes anyone who is above 60 years of age and people above 45 years of age with comorbidities. “The COVID-19 vaccine will be available across 10,000 government facilities and many private hospitals,” said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar during the cabinet briefing. While the vaccine will be given free of cost at government hospitals, the cost of the vaccine at private hospitals is yet to be decided by the Health Ministry. According to Javadekar, the benchmark for this will be decided within the next two to three days after consulting with the vaccine manufacturers. This comes after the first phase of COVID-19 vaccine drive, which was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/covid-19-vaccination-in-india-health-ministry-releases-list-of-potential-side-effects/articleshow/80278217.cms">initiated on January 15</a>, has been completed. According to Javadekar, over 1.07 crore people were vaccinated during this time — most of them frontline workers. Among them, around 14 lakh have gotten the second dose as well. As the vaccination reaches out to the masses, the world’s largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) has been asked to focus on India’s needs, tweeted its CEO Adar Poonawalla. <div type="twitter" handle="adarpoonawalla" handlename="Adar Poonawalla" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1302181254746509313/Kn1fTCv6_normal.jpg" favoritecount="28398" retweetcount="2609" status="Dear countries &amp; governments, as you await #COVISHIELD supplies, I humbly request you to please be patient,… https://t.co/tQQsGkPtVW" createdat="1613882072000" id="1363346341275967488"></div> Those opting for the COVID-19 vaccine will either receive SII’s Covishield or Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. The potential, but mild, side effects of the vaccines include headache, fatigue, myalgia (pain in muscle), injection site tenderness, malaise (weakness), pyrexia, chills, arthralgia, and nausea, according to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/covid-19-vaccination-in-india-health-ministry-releases-list-of-potential-side-effects/articleshow/80278217.cms">Health Ministry. </a> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/news/covid-19-vaccines-in-india-are-at-risk-of-expiring-while-anxious-senior-citizens-wait-for-their-turn/articleshow/81127178.cms">COVID-19 vaccines in India are at risk of expiring while anxious senior citizens wait for their turn</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/indian-government-wants-its-it-hardware-industry-to-be-as-globally-successful-as-tcs-hcl-tech-and-infosys-announces-pli-scheme-worth-7250-crore/articleshow/81189588.cms">Indian government wants its IT hardware industry to be as globally successful as TCS, HCL Tech and Infosys — announces PLI scheme worth ₹7,250 crore</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/nse-halts-trading-after-data-glitches-stop-nifty50-and-bank-nifty-from-updating/articleshow/81186539.cms">India’s largest stock exchange halts trading after data glitches stop Nifty50 and Bank Nifty from updating</a>

COVID-19 vaccination for senior citizens to start from March 1 in India — will be free at government hospitals

Indian vaccines offer lot of hope, due to various factors including a good safety signal, display of immunogenicity and capability of using the current storage infrastructure, said AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria in an exclusive interview with IANS. Recently, drug company <keyword id="44612" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pfizer">Pfizer</keyword> announced that its vaccine candidate for Covid-19 is more than 90 per cent effective at preventing infection. This was welcomed as a major step in the fight against the virus, which has unleashed havoc on the global economy. Guleria added that the Indian Covid-19 vaccine has a huge advantage over the Pfizer vaccine, which is required to be kept at a much lower temperature, and hence, cold storage for other vaccines can be used for the Indian vaccine too. Q: We have not seen any major issue with Indian vaccines at the trials stage, are you satisfied with progress made so far? A: Indian vaccines have a lot of hope and there are two or three reasons for that, one is that their safety signal is very good and immunogenicity is also being shown, and one is now looking at the results of Phase-3 trials, which will take some time, but I am hopeful we will have good amount of data because multi-centric studies is being done. We quickly will be able to generate some interim analysis to show in Phase-3 trials this vaccine can give good efficacy. Q: Drug company Pfizer announced that its vaccine candidate for Covid-19 is more than 90 per cent effective at preventing infection. Are Indian vaccines on a better footing than Pfizer? A: What Pfizer has got is something very encouraging for other vaccines researchers also, because that shows there is a potential of good immunity by the vaccines. Therefore, other vaccines should also do well. Therefore, it is a big news for all vaccine developers. We can hope for a 90 per cent efficacy. The advantage for the Indian vaccine is that it is required to be kept at a much lower temperature. The Pfizer vaccine currently have to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius, therefore it will be very difficult to vaccinate people in lower- and middle-income countries. Because having a vaccine stored and transported at minus 70 degree Celsius not only needs huge investment but also needs huge planning, because most vaccines are not kept at that low temperatures. The Indian vaccines are going to be kept at a temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius and this is available for most vaccines. As most vaccines a have cold storage facility, these can be used for this vaccine also. Therefore, the investment is not much. If we were to use a vaccine which require storage at minus 70 degrees Celsius, then one would require whole new cold chain development. I do not see that happening in lot of countries. Q: Is 90 per cent efficacy is being aimed at by Indian companies developing vaccine against Covid-19? A: We would like to have as much efficacy as one can. The WHO says if any vaccine has more than 50 per cent efficacy, it is good enough. We would definitely like to have an efficacy of 80-90 per cent. So, let us hope that is what we are able to achieve. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/checkout-here-bihar-assembly-election-2020-results-and-updates-online/articleshow/79142084.cms">Bihar Election Results 2020: Final tally puts NDA in the majority with 125 seats as RJD remains the single largest party</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/psu-bank-employees-wage-revision-finalised-after-three-years-of-waiting-only-a-1500-increase-in-salary-for-officers/articleshow/79166497.cms">PSU bank employees wage revision finalised after three years of waiting — only a ₹1,500 increase in salary for officers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/instagram-down-users-complain-of-frozen-timelines-and-likes/articleshow/79146012.cms">Instagram down for nearly 24 hours— users continue to complain about frozen timelines and likes</a>

Indian COVID vaccines can survive in warmer temperatures than Pfizer's, says AIIMS Director

<ul><li>The <keyword id="95879" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute-of-India">Serum Institute of India</keyword> (SII) hopes the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine will be available in Indian markets by the end of the year. </li><li>Last month, SII signed a deal with AstraZeneca to exclusively manufacture the Oxford vaccine for India.</li><li>SII CEO Adar Poonawalla told The Tribune that the vaccine is currently in Phase II of clinical trials. </li></ul>The Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, which is reportedly safe for people with weak immunity, may be available in the market by the end of the year, according to the Serum Institute of India (SII) — the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. SII CEO Adar Poonawalla told <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/oxford-vaccine-by-yr-end-partner-firm-107843">The Tribune</a> that clinical trials of the vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford — called AstraZeneca — have progressed to Phase III. “I hope that AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine will be available towards the end of the year,” he said based on the results highlighting that more than a 100 vaccine candidates are currently at different stages of clinical trials. Last month, on June 13, SII signed the deal with AstraZeneca to exclusively manufacture for India and countries in the Gavi Vaccine Alliance. SII will supply one billion doses for low and middle-income countries, with a commitment to provide <a href="https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2020/astrazeneca-takes-next-steps-towards-broad-and-equitable-access-to-oxford-universitys-covid-19-vaccine.html">400 million doses</a> before the end of 2020. Safe for people with weak immunity Professor Saraf Gilbert from Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Medicine recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/oxford-covid-19-vaccine-safe-for-people-with-weak-immunity/articleshow/76728237.cms">told ambassadors of UN member states</a> that the vaccine is safe even for people with a weak immune system. “Because it is still a live virus, it is good at inducing a strong immune response after vaccination,” she said. According to AstraZeneca, the vaccine may not work but the company is progressing the clinical programme with speed and scaling up manufacturing despite the risk. 5,000 volunteers have begun participating in Brazil’s first clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine. “We plan to start production in nearly two months and have invested more than $100 on this facility,” Poonawalla told the Tribune. If the risk pays off, Poonawalla promises the vaccine will be affordable. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/an-indian-covid-19-vaccine-made-by-bharat-biotech-is-set-to-enter-human-trials/articleshow/76702286.cms">An Indian COVID-19 vaccine made by Bharat Biotech is set to enter human trials</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/oxford-covid-19-vaccine-safe-for-people-with-weak-immunity/articleshow/76728237.cms">Oxford COVID-19 vaccine safe for people with weak immunity says Oxford Professor Sarah Gilbert</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/potential-covid-19-vaccine-by-zydus-cadila-gets-dcgi-nod-for-human-clinical-trials/articleshow/76762771.cms">Potential COVID-19 vaccine by Zydus Cadila gets DCGI nod for human clinical trials</a>

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine may hit the Indian market by the end of the year if successful, says CEO of world’s largest vaccine manufacturer

<ul><li><keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="prime-minister-narendra-modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword> is hopeful that the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to the masses within the next few weeks. </li><li>He also revealed that the elderly, healthcare and frontline workers will be first to be immunised against the disease. </li><li>While India is a world leader in vaccine manufacturing, new models are being discussed to address the issue of cold storage capability and distribution, according to Modi. </li></ul>Prime Minister Narendra Modi is optimistic that India will be able to start rolling out its COVID-19 vaccine within the next few weeks. And once available, the elderly, healthcare and frontline workers will be the first to be immunised against the virus. "Nearly eight vaccines are on different stages of trial with their manufacturing assured in India. Three vaccines from India are at different stages of development. Experts think that the vaccine isn't too far away," he said during an all-party meeting with leaders to discuss the COVID-19 situation and vaccine development in the country on December 4. And, when it comes to issues of cold storage, Modi assured party leaders that new models are in the works — including a new software management tool called COVIN (<keyword id="8852380" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-vaccine">Covid 19 Vaccine</keyword> Intelligence Network). It will show the current stock of the COVID-19 vaccine available and where it is stored in real-time. “India has the vaccine distribution expertise and capacity as well. We are much better placed as compared to other countries around the world,” said Modi explaining how India’s network will be leveraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine to the masses. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/rbi-governor-shaktikanta-das-believes-that-inflation-is-likely-to-remain-elevated-in-the-winter-months/articleshow/79559454.cms">RBI sees 7.5% GDP contraction for FY21 but expects inflation to remain elevated till March</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/sbis-mobile-banking-app-is-down-for-the-third-time-in-last-30-days/articleshow/79548953.cms">SBI’s mobile banking app is down for the third time in 30 days — digital services take a hit for the 25th time this year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/ultratech-cements-5477-crore-expansion-plan-is-a-sign-that-birla-is-betting-on-a-faster-economic-recovery/articleshow/79549626.cms">UltraTech Cement's ₹5,477 crore expansion plan is a sign that Birla is betting on a faster economic recovery</a>

PM Modi hopeful that COVID-19 vaccine will be available in next few weeks — elderly, and frontline healthcare workers will be the first in line

<ul><li>The final results of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine show that it's 95% effective. </li><li>The only significant side effect, with a frequency of over 2%, was fatigue. </li><li>The company plans to file for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) with the US’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within the next few days. </li></ul>The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNtech is 95% effective according to its <a href="https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-conclude-phase-3-study-covid-19-vaccine">final analysis</a>. Even in adults over the age of 65 years, the efficacy was observed at 94%. “No serious safety concerns were observed in the COVID-19 vaccine trial,” said the <a href="https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-conclude-phase-3-study-covid-19-vaccine">press note</a> issued by both companies. The phase 3 study only showed mild to moderate side effects that cleared up quickly. “The only significant side effect than that 2% in frequency was fatigue at 3.7%,” the study highlighted. How does the vaccine work? With a 95% efficacy rate, those who get the vaccine will be protected within 28 days of the first dose — and there is only a two-dose schedule. This is far more effective than the threshold laid out by the White House coronavirus advisor Anthony Fauci, who has previously stated that a vaccine that is 50% to 60% effective would be acceptable. When will the vaccine be able for the public? Now that the vaccine is ready for market as soon as it gets the required permissions, Pfizer and BioNTech plan to make up to 50 million doses before the end of the year and another 1.3 billion in 2021. According to the company, the vaccine’s efficacy is consistent across different ages, races and ethnicities. In light of the success, Pfizer plans to file for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the vaccine with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within the next few days. It claims it has met all the safety data milestones required by the authorities. Why India shouldn’t rejoice just yet A year since the first COVID-19 case was detected, the success of a possible vaccine provides a ray of hope after the last seven grueling months of the pandemic. However, the Pfizer vaccine may not be suited for use in India since it requires storage at minus 70 degrees Celsius. According to the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/indian-covid-vaccines-can-survive-in-warmer-temperatures-pfizers-says-aiims-director/articleshow/79172255.cms">Randeep Guleria</a>, the Pfizer vaccine’s requirement of a lower storage temperature is something that India’s cold storage infrastructure may not be able to support for the population of 1.3 billion. However, Pfizer believes its expertise and existing cold-chain infrastructure will be enough to distribute the vaccine around the world in specially designed and temperature controlled thermal shippers that use dry ice. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/lakshmi-vilas-bank-customers-have-withdrawn-10000-crore-since-rbis-moratorium-was-announced-last-night/articleshow/79281857.cms">Lakshmi Vilas Bank customers have withdrawn ₹10,000 crore since RBI's moratorium was announced last night</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/capgemini-hr-head-explains-why-the-french-it-major-is-going-crazy-hiring-in-india-and-around-the-world/articleshow/79277396.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Capgemini HR head explains why the French IT major is going crazy hiring in India and around the world</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/indiamart-and-justdial-in-legal-battle-over-copyright-violations/articleshow/79275178.cms">IndiaMart and JD Mart gear up for a legal battle over copyright infringement — even as Justdial calls IndiaMart’s allegations ‘baseless’</a>

Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective and the only severe side-effect to worry about is fatigue, according to the final results

<ul><li>Russia has signed up with four large manufacturers in India to produce 300 million doses of the <keyword id="9739267" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sputnik-V">Sputnik V</keyword> vaccine in 2021.</li><li>This triples the amount of the vaccine that Russia has initially contracted to be manufactured in India. </li><li>According to the Russian Embassy, the first samples of the COVID-19 vaccine produced in India are already being tested by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).</li></ul>Russia has signed on four large manufacturers to produce a whopping 300 million doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in India. This is a three-fold increase in the manufacturing of Sputnik V doses from before. "In India, we have agreements with four large manufacturers. ... India will produce about 300 mln doses or more of the vaccine for us next year," said Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) chief <a href="https://tass.com/world/1236777/amp">Kirill Dmitriev</a>. One of the manufacturers is Hetero Biopharma, which <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/hetero-drugs-to-produce-over-100-million-doses-year-of-sputnik-v-vaccine-11606459369285.html">announced</a> its deal with the RDIF to make more than 100 million doses of the vaccine in November, earlier this year. Dmitriev did not disclose who the three new vendors are. It’s possible that Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories may be roped in since it is already conducting the clinical trials of Sputnik V in India and will also distribute doses, once approval comes in from the DCGA. So far, only three COVID-19 vaccines from Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and homegrown pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech, have sought approval for emergency use in the coming weeks. Sputnik V may not be in the running but according to the <a href="https://twitter.com/RusEmbIndia/status/1339813294647902208">Russian Embassy</a>, testing of the first samples of the vaccine that were produced in India is already underway. In trials done outside the country, the Russian vaccine has been found to be more than 91% effective. Like Oxford-AstraZeneca, Stupink V can survive at refrigerated temperatures of between two to five degrees Celsius, which gives it an edge over its competitors. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/fda-says-it-will-rapidly-work-toward-authorizing-modernas-covid-19-vaccine/articleshow/79789544.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">FDA says it will 'rapidly work toward' authorizing Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-and-google-have-been-accused-of-striking-a-secret-illegal-advertising-deal/articleshow/79778780.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Facebook and Google have been accused of striking a secret, illegal advertising deal</a>

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India has administered about 4.5 million COVID-19 vaccine shots in 19 days

PTI

Pfizer claims its committed to making its COVID-19 vaccine available in India and engaging with the government

PTI

India continues to mull over SII and Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine candidates

IANS

India is ready to roll out COVID-19 vaccine for the masses within 10 days of approval, claims Health Ministry

Prabhjote Gill

India-origin man will be among the first to get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in UK

PTI

COVID-19 vaccination for senior citizens to start from March 1 in India — will be free at government hospitals

Prabhjote Gill

Indian COVID vaccines can survive in warmer temperatures than Pfizer's, says AIIMS Director

IANS

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine may hit the Indian market by the end of the year if successful, says CEO of world’s largest vaccine manufacturer

BI India Bureau

PM Modi hopeful that COVID-19 vaccine will be available in next few weeks — elderly, and frontline healthcare workers will be the first in line

Prabhjote Gill

Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective and the only severe side-effect to worry about is fatigue, according to the final results

Prabhjote Gill

India will produce 300 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine next year

Prabhjote Gill

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