How mangroves in Odisha, India likely reduced Cyclone Dana’s impact 

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Cyclone Dana, which made landfall close to Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha at 3.30 am on Friday, did not cause significant damage as many had feared. Although efforts by state authorities helped limit the devastation — for instance, Odisha evacuated one million people to cyclone shelters — there was one non-human factor that also played a crucial role. It was the rich mangrove forest cover of Bhitarkanika.

What are mangroves?

Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees and shrubs typical of estuarine and intertidal regions, meaning they grow in areas where freshwater and saltwater meet. Mangroves typically have aerial, breathing roots and waxy, succulent leaves, and are flowering plants. The Sundarbans (spread across India and Bangladesh) is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world. Mangrove seedlings called propagules germinate on the parent tree before falling into the waters and growing into a mangrove tree again.

Red mangrove, Avicennia marina, grey mangrove, rhizophora etc. are some common mangrove trees. Abundant in swampy and marshy areas, mangroves represent a littoral forest ecosystem, which means they thrive in saline or brackish waters in coastal regions.

In India, many locations boast of mangroves. The Godavari Krishna delta in Andhra Pradesh, Bhitarkanika in Odisha, mangrove forests in Andamans, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, etc., are some examples.

How do mangroves protect against cyclones?

When cyclones strike, mangrove forests act as a barrier against storm surges — a change in sea level caused by a storm, usually leading to large waves — by obstructing the water flow with their roots, husks, and leaves, according to a report published by the World Bank Group.

A different report by the group revealed that some of the mangrove species such as Sonneratia apetala “reduced the surge height from 4 cm to 16.5 cm with 50 m to 2 km wide mangrove strips, and reduced the water flow velocity from 29% to 92% with 50 m or 100 m wide mangrove forests”.

When mangroves are combined with built infrastructure, the impact of a cyclone can further be reduced. For instance, planting mangroves in front of an embankment can decrease water flow velocity, the report said.

What vast is Bhitarkanika’s mangrove forest cover?

Currently, Odisha has a reserve of a mangrove forest area of 231 square kilometres with a major chunk lying in Bhitarkanika. It stands second only to Sundarbans in West Bengal. Besides Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara, the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Puri are also home to mangroves, otherwise known as coastal woodland.

While 82 sq km area in Bhitarkanika is densely mangrove-infested, 95 sq km area has moderate mangrove forest. The coastal patches spread across 672 sq km were declared the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary in 1975. The core area of the sanctuary, with an area of 145 km, got the National Park tag in September 1998.

The park has withstood the onslaught of several cyclones in the past including the Super Cyclone, which took place in October 1999.

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India evacuating more than a million people as Cyclone Dana nears

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Authorities in India are evacuating nearly 1.5 million people from the path of an approaching cyclone in the eastern states of Odisha (formerly Orissa) and West Bengal.

Thousands of relief workers have been deployed to minimise damage from Cyclone Dana, which is expected to make landfall in the next 24 hours.

The storm is expected to hit the coastal areas with wind speeds of 100-120 km/h (62-74 mph).

On Wednesday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said arrangements were in place to ensure the safety of residents in districts along the cyclone’s path.

State officials said they had prepared temporary relief camps with food, water and health facilities.

"We are fully prepared to deal with the storm. Don't panic, be safe and be careful," Majhi told the media.

Odisha is evacuating more than a million people from 14 districts, while West Bengal is evacuating over 300,000 people from coastal areas.

Image Source: Google

Officials from the two states and rescue teams are on alert. Schools in the coastal regions have been shut.

Flight operations from Bhubaneswar and Kolkata city airports have been suspended from Thursday evening to Friday morning and more than 200 trains have been cancelled as authorities brace for the storm.

Fishermen have been warned against venturing into the sea and contingency plans have been made for Paradip port in Odisha to ensure safety of the staff and people living nearby.

The weather department has said “heavy to very heavy” rainfall is expected along the coast for the next 24 hours.

Odisha and West Bengal experience severe storms and cyclones every year.

In 1999, more than 10,000 people were killed in a cyclone in Odisha.

Last year, at least 16 people lost their lives when a cyclone lashed India and Bangladesh.

Transportation services have already been affected, with scores of trains and flights cancelled.

India's weather department has said a depression over the Bay of Bengal is expected to turn into a severe cyclonic storm by Thursday evening.

Latest updates: 

Cyclone Dana has already started landfall and will continue till morning (25th October 2024)

New Delhi to shut schools, construction sites as pollution worsens

Latest News World/India News: Schools in New Delhi will be closed for a week and construction sites for four days, the Indian capital's chief minister said on Saturday, as the city tries to protect people in a worsening air pollution crisis.

A view of Rajpath is seen on a smoggy day in New Delhi, India, November 12, 2021. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Arvind Kejriwal said talks on a potential complete lockdown in the capital were also underway, but any decision would only be taken after consultation with the central government.

Earlier in the day, the chief justice of India asked the central government to come up with an emergency plan to tackle the dangerous smog, calling the situation "very serious".

Air quality in Delhi, often ranked the world's most polluted capital, has declined due to crop stubble burning, emissions from transport, coal-fired plants outside the city and other industry, as well as open garbage burning and dust.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in and around city has worsened to 470-499 on a scale of 500, according to federal pollution control board data on Saturday. That level of pollution means the air will affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases.

"For a week from Monday onwards, schools will be physically closed but will continue virtually so that children don’t have to breathe polluted air ... construction activities not to be allowed," Kejriwal said.

He added all government offices would shift to work from home, while private offices would be advised to do the same for a week to reduce the number of polluting vehicles on the road.

"We have been forced to wear masks at home also, the situation is very serious," said chief justice of India N. V. Ramana, the top legal officer in the Supreme Court.

The court was hearing a plea filed by a student over the worsening air quality.

Ramana said the government should consider a two-day lockdown to protect citizens and inform the court on Monday about emergency steps to improve air quality.

News Source: Reuters

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BCCI president Sourav Ganguly Suffers Heart Attack, Stable After Angioplasty

World News/Sports News: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has been admitted to Woodlands Hospital after he complained of chest pain.Following this, doctors conducted angioplasty on him.

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Speaking to ANI, sources close to the former India skipper said that Ganguly complained of pain in the chest and might need angioplasty. "Dada (Sourav) complained of chest pain and was rushed to the hospital. He might need to undergo angioplasty. He is out of danger," the source said.

Dr Aftab Khan of Woodlands Hospital told reporters, “Sourav Ganguly has undergone angioplasty. He is stable now. He will be monitored for 24 hours. He is completely conscious. There are two blockages in his heart for which he will be treated. As of now he is stable, we will have a meeting on Monday and then we will decide what needs to be done further, priority is to let him settle down after heart attack. He is risk-free and he is talking as well.”

Also Read| SII’s Covishield approved by India: Efficacy, cost and all about AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine

The BCCI president had on Wednesday visited Eden Gardens and discussed preparations for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya.

Other office-bearers of CAB including secretary Snehashis Ganguly and joint secretary Debabrata Das were also present at the stadium.

Earlier this week, Ganguly had also cleared the air about him joining politics ahead of West Bengal Assembly polls next year. He had stated that he went to meet the state's Governor upon invitation.

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"If the Governor wants to meet you, you have to meet him. So let us keep it like that," said Ganguly.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday met Ganguly to discuss various issues and agreed to visit Eden Gardens on his invitation.

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"Had interaction with 'Dada' Saurav Ganguly, BCCI President at Raj Bhawan yesterday at 4.30 PM on varied issues. Accepted his offer for a visit to Eden Gardens, the oldest cricket ground in the country established in 1864," tweeted the Governor.

News Source: ANI

SII’s Covishield approved by India: Efficacy, cost and all about AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine

AstraZeneca had signed an agreement with Serum Institute of India (SII) to produce 1 billion doses of its experimental vaccine for low- and middle-income countries.

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India News/ Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker: A government’s expert panel has reportedly approved the vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, for emergency use in India to provide immunity against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). According to news agency Reuters, a subject expert committee, set up by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to vet Covid-19 vaccine proposals, recommended granting emergency use authorisation to AstraZeneca’s vaccine AZD1222, dubbed in India as Covishield.

AstraZeneca had signed an agreement with Serum Institute of India (SII) to produce 1 billion doses of its experimental vaccine for low- and middle-income countries. The Pune-based company has sought an emergency use authorisation for the Covid-19 vaccine which recently received approval from British regulators.

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Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on Wednesday authorised the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine for deployment across the United Kingdom on the conditions that the vaccine should be administered in two doses, with the second dose given between 4 and 12 weeks after the first.

Here’s all you need to know about the vaccine:

Efficacy: In two different dosing regimens, the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine showed the efficacy of 90 per cent and 62 per cent. In participants who received two full doses at least one month apart, vaccine efficacy was 62 per cent, and in participants who received a low dose followed by a full dose, efficacy was 90 per cent.

Also Read|India may approve AstraZeneca vaccine by next week

Safety: The Lancet publication, a leading medical journal, has confirmed that AZD1222 was well tolerated and there were no serious safety events confirmed related to the vaccine. The safety data published is from over 20,000 participants, so far, enrolled across four clinical trials in the UK and Brazil and South Africa.

Storage: The AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine can be stored, transported and handled at normal refrigerated conditions (2°C to 8°C) for at least six months.

Cost: Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive officer of SII, had told Hindustan Times that Covidshield will be priced in India at Rs 500-600.

Also Read| SII’s Covishield approved by India: Efficacy, cost and all about AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine

Technology: AZD1222 is made of a weakened and modified version of adenovirus (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 SARS-CoV-2 virus if it later infects the body.

News Source: Hidustan Times

India may approve AstraZeneca vaccine by next week

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Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker/India News:  India is probably going to approve Oxford/AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use by next week after its local manufacturer submitted additional data sought by authorities, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

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This could be the first country to give the regulatory green light for British drugmaker’s vaccine because the British medicine regulator continues to look at data from the trials.

India, the world’s biggest vaccine-making country, wants to start out inoculating its citizens next month and is additionally considering emergency use authorisation applications for vaccines made by Pfizer Inc and native company Bharat Biotech.

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Getting vaccines to the world’s second-most populous country with one among the very best infection rates also will be an enormous step within the battle against the pandemic.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford shot is taken into account vital for lower-income countries and people in hot climates because it's cheaper, easier to move and may be stored for long periods at normal fridge temperatures.

India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) first reviewed the three applications on Dec. 9 here and sought more information from all the businesses , including from Serum Institute of India (SII), which is making the AstraZeneca shots.

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SII, the world's biggest vaccine manufacturer, has now provided all the info , the 2 sources said. The authorities were still expecting more details from Pfizer, a government health adviser told here a news briefing on Tuesday, while one among the sources said additional information was expected from Bharat Biotech.

Both sources said Indian health officials were in direct contact with their British counterparts over the AstraZeneca shot which there have been “strong indications” an approval would come by next week.

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The expected approval comes after data from AstraZeneca’s late-stage trials within the UK and Brazil released earlier this month showed the vaccine had efficacy of 62% for trial participants given two full doses, but 90% for a smaller sub-group given a half, then a full dose.

The Indian regulator is merely considering the 2 full-dose regimen of the shot despite it showing a lower success rate, the sources said.

“Serum is ready,” said one of the sources. “Initially, we may get around 50 million to 60 million doses.”

The sources declined to be named as deliberations were ongoing and therefore the timeline could change.

CDSCO chief V.G. Somani didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Bharat Biotech and Pfizer declined to comment, while SII didn't immediately answer an email seeking comment.

India has not yet signed a vaccine supply affect any company, but SII has already stockpiled quite 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca shot and plans to form a complete of 400 million doses by July.

India’s Serum says produced 40 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

 India’s Serum Institute has said it's made 40 million doses of AstraZeneca's potential Covid-19 vaccine. The ICMR will pursue "early availability" of the shot in India, it added.

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Latest News/Covid-19 Vaccine/Corona Virus Vaccine Update: Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer, has said it's made 40 million doses of AstraZeneca's potential Covid-19 vaccine, and can soon begin making Novavax's rival shot, as they both seek regulatory approval.

Serum on Thursday said it had enrolled 1,600 participants in India for late-stage trials of AstraZeneca's candidate, and also plans to seek regulatory approval to run late-stage trials for the Novavax vaccine.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, co-developed by Oxford University , is that the most advanced in human testing in India, Serum said, adding that the company and therefore the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will pursue "early availability" of the shot in India.

Representatives for both Serum and therefore the ICMR declined to comment on whether the 40 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were meant for supply only in India. 

The ICMR, a federal government body, had funded the clinical trial site fees for the AstraZeneca vaccine, Serum said. The company and therefore the ICMR are currently conducting mid-stage clinical trials of the shot at 15 centres across India.

The news came as coronavirus infections in India, the world's second-worst hit country, reached 8.68 million on Thursday and therefore the death toll increased to over 128,000.

India also has at least two home-grown Covid-19 vaccine candidates in development, while local drugmaker Dr Reddy's Labs is carrying out a trial within the country for Russia's vaccine candidate.

Earlier in the week , Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said their vaccine candidate had proven over 90% effective based on initial trial results. Pfizer said it had been committed to advancing its engagement with India's government to supply its potential vaccine within the country.

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PUBG MOBILE INDIA will Launch Soon, PUBG Corporation says it will hire over 100 employees in India

 PUBG Mobile has officially launched in India with a brand new name that has the word India. it's under the new regime controlled by South Korea's PUBG Corporation.

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Technology News: In what could be the most important reason for Indian gamers to rejoice, PUBG Mobile India has been officially launched in India by PUBG Corporation. The new edition is named PUBG Mobile India, where the word "India" denotes the many things that went wrong with the earlier version and led to the ban, are fixed. according to PUBG Corporation, the new edition is specifically designed for Indian users, which include local customisations like characters starting the game fully clothed. The official release date of PUBG Mobile India are going to be announced soon.

South Korea's PUBG Corporation has said it'll offer secure and healthy gameplay for the PUBG Mobile India, which are likely to be in line with the government's mandate. PUBG Corporation's parent company Krafton recently tied up with Microsoft to store user data on Azure Cloud, which is additionally available in India locally. the government has mandated the data of Indian users stays within the borders under the data localisation policy. So, that's one item ticked off from the list.

Apart from the government's concerns, the rhetoric of PUBG Mobile being a bad influence on teenagers of India had tons to do with the ban simultaneously. the overall perception of PUBG Mobile as a violent game that goes against certain "cultural practices" are some things that PUBG Corporation is addressing head-on. within the India-specific PUBG Mobile India, the characters are going to be fully clothed, unlike the regular version where avatars are half-naked and need to be dressed with the assistance of attires won or bought within the game. the game will also be set in a virtual simulation training ground that's familiar to Indian users.

One of the most important reasons behind the dismissal of PUBG Mobile was health reasons. PUBG Corporation is also addressing that aspect with the new feature inside PUBG Mobile India that will put restrictions on game time "to promote healthy gameplay habits for younger players." But effective this feature is going to be is something that remains to be seen and observed over time.

PUBG Corporation has also announced that it'll create an Indian subsidiary to "enhance communications and services with players." The Indian subsidiary will employ 100 people specialising in areas of business, esports, and game development, through which the PUBG Corporation plans to allay fears of the govt and users associated with the foreign manpower. This move is also beneficial for PUBG Corporation because it will increase jobs within the country, especially when the app ecosystem of India is undergoing a significant change as a result of the backlash against Chinese apps.

Beyond the employment, PUBG Corporation will make investments worth $100 million in India's various ecosystems to "cultivate the local video game, esports, entertainment, and IT industries." according to the company, this might be the biggest investment by a Korean company in India other than those within the manufacturing industry. a significant portion of this investment are going to be dedicated to esports events and tournaments that the new Indian subsidiary will hold time to time to give a boost to India's gamer community. These events, the company says, will be "India-exclusive" and bring large prize pools and tournament productions.

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U.S. nears grim milestone of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths

 The death toll from the spread of the coronavirus within the united states was approaching over 200,000 on Monday, by the far the highest number of any nation.

CREDIT: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR

The united states, on a weekly average, is now losing about 800 lives every day to the virus, according to a Reuters tally. That's down from a peak of 2,806 daily deaths recorded on April 15.

During the early months of the pandemic, 200,000 deaths was regarded by many as the maximum number of lives likely to be lost within the united states to the virus.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the worst was over, as the death toll reached 199,630 with 6.8 million confirmed cases.

“We are rounding the corner on the pandemic, with or without a vaccine... and we’ve done a phenomenal job - not just a good job - a phenomenal job. Other than public relations, but that’s because I have fake news.”

Trump has previously admitted to playing down the danger of the coronavirus early because he didn't want to “create a panic.”

With barely six weeks left before the election on Nov. 3, Trump is behind Democratic rival Joe Biden nationally in every major public opinion poll and is neck and neck in key swing states. Trump’s handling of the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn has battered his standing among many citizens .

Trump has frequently questioned the recommendation of scientific experts on everything from the timing of a vaccine to reopening schools and businesses to wearing a mask. He has refused to support a national mask mandate and held large political rallies where few wore masks.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield recently told Congress that a mask would offer more guaranteed protection than a vaccine, which might only be broadly available by “late second quarter, third quarter 2021.”

Trump refuted the timeline for the vaccine and said that it's going to be available in a matter of weeks and before the Nov. 3 election.

Biden, who often wears a mask and has said he would require masks nationwide, has warned against a rushed release of a vaccine, saying, “Let me be clear: I trust vaccines, I trust scientists, but I don’t trust Donald Trump.”

The University of Washington’s health institute is forecasting coronavirus fatalities reaching 378,000 by the end of 2020, with the daily death toll skyrocketing to 3,000 per day in December.

Over 70% of these within the united states who have lost their lives to the virus were over the age of 65, per CDC data.

The southern states of Texas and Florida contributed the most deaths within the united states in the past fortnight and were closely followed by California.

California, Texas and Florida - the three most populous U.S. states - have recorded the most coronavirus infections and have long surpassed the state of new York, which was the epicenter of the outbreak in early 2020. The country as a whole is reporting over 40,000 new infections on the average every day and saw cases last week rise on a weekly basis after falling for eight weeks in a row.

Deaths rose 5% last week after falling for four weeks in a row, as per a Reuters analysis.

Six out of each 10,000 residents within the united states has died of the virus, according to Reuters data, one of the highest rates among developed nations.

Brazil follows the united states in the number of overall deaths due to the virus, with over 136,000 fatalities. India has had the world’s highest daily death rate over the last week with total deaths now approaching 100,000.

News Source : Reuters

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Serum Institute says reports of Covid-19 Vaccine Covishield vaccine availability in 73 days false

COVISHIELD will be commercialised only after trials are proven successful and all the requisite regulatory approvals are in place.

Serum Institue of India (SII) issued a press release on August 23, clarifying that each one claims surrounding the supply of its COVID-19 vaccine,COVISHIELD, in 73 days are false.

"Presently, the government has granted us permission to only manufacture the vaccine and stockpile it for future use," SII said during a statement they posted on Facebook, adding that COVISHIELD are going to be commercialised only after trials are proven successful and in any case the requisite regulatory approvals are in situ .

We would like to clarify that the current media claim on COVISHIELD's availability in 73 days is misleading.

Phase-3 trials are still underway. We will officially confirm it’s availability.

Read clarification statement here - https://t.co/FvgClzcnHr#SII #COVID19 #LatestNews pic.twitter.com/mQWrqgbzO4

— SerumInstituteIndia (@SerumInstIndia) August 23, 2020

The company also took to Twitter to line the record straight:

SII also touched on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. "The phase-3 trials for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are still underway. And only once the vaccine is proven immunogenic and efficacious, SII will confirm its availability, officially," the corporate said.

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73 days to COVID-19 vaccine; Indians to get free shots

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73 days to COVID-19 vaccine; Indians to get free shots

 

India's first Covid vaccine-Serum Institute's 'Covishield'- are going to be commercialised in 73 days. Indians are going to be immunised free under the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) as is that the case with all other vaccines under the programme.

"The government has given us a 'special manufacturing priority license' and fast-tracked the trial protocol processes to get the trials completed in 58 days. By this, the first dosing is happening from today in the final phase (Phase III) and the second dosing will happen after 29 days. the final trial data will be out in another 15 days from the second dosing. By that time, we are planning to commercialise Covishield," a Serum Institute of India (SII) top official exclusively revealed.

Earlier, the third phase trials were expected to require a minimum 7-8 months.

The trial among 1600 volunteers at 17 centres, each with about 100 volunteers, started on Aug 22.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has also said that one among our COVID-19 vaccine candidates is within the third phase of the clinical test . "We are very confident that a vaccine will be developed by end of this year," he said.

The source said the vaccine will belong to Serum Institute, because the company has entered into an exclusive agreement with Astra Zeneca to shop for rights and pay a royalty fee for exclusively selling it in India and 92 other countries. The central government has already indicated to SII that it'll directly procure the vaccines and is getting to immunise Indians for free of charge . Centre has sought 68 crore doses for 130 crore Indian citizens from Serum Institute by June, next year.

For the rest, it's likely to put orders with 'Covaxine' being developed by ICMR and Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila's 'ZyCoV-D' if their trials proceed successfully.

Bharat Biotech is yet to point when it might start and finish the trials, though Bharat Biotech's CMD Krishna Ella had said that to make sure safety and efficacy it might not expedite the vaccine with short-cuts.

Serum is beginning to manufacture 6 crore doses per month which can be increased to 10 crore per month by April, 2021. this is often being done by re-engineering its vaccine manufacturing lines that it's spent nearly Rs 200 crore. SII, the most important vaccine maker within the world, features a capacity to form 150 crore doses a year.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has agreed to fund Serum with about $150 million (nearly Rs 1125 crore) to supply and provide around 10 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine for supply to low income countries. which will help SII to scale back the worth to about Rs 250 per dose from over Rs 1,000 per dose, the source said.

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When covid vaccines will be ready? Govt reviews progress of trials

When covid vaccines will be ready? Govt reviews progress of trials

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech on Saturday said India has prepared a roadmap to make sure that a COVID-19 vaccine reaches everyone within the shortest possible time

The Indian government on Monday reviewed the progress of the covid vaccines undergoing clinical trials within the country. The domestic pharma giants presented the present status of varied candidate vaccines for COVID-19 to the central government. The National Expert Group on Covid-19 Vaccine Administration on Monday met leading domestic vaccine manufacturers: Serum Institute of India, Pune; Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad; Zydus Cadila, Ahmedabad; Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, Pune; and Biological E, Hyderabad.

The meeting was mutually beneficial and productive, the health ministry said.

"It provided the National Expert Group with inputs about the present stage of various candidate vaccines being developed by the indigenous manufacturers as well as their expectations from the Union government."

Three Covid vaccine candidates in India are in several phases of clinical study.

The first is that the inactivated virus vaccine which is that the Bharat Biotech Vaccine being developed together with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Similarly, the second is that the DNA vaccine of pharma giant Zydus Cadila.

The third, may be a recombinant Oxford University vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) which got approval from DCGI to conduct phase 2, 3 clinical study within the nation.

The central government has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Dr VK Paul, member (health) at Niti Aayog, on covid vaccine administration.

The terms of reference of this expert committee are to streamline suitable vaccine selection, how procurement of vaccine are going to be done, how vaccine would be delivered, prioritising groups to whom vaccine has got to be administered.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech on Saturday said India has prepared a roadmap to make sure that a COVID-19 vaccine reaches everyone within the shortest possible time.

He said three vaccine candidates are in several stages of trials within the country.

The prime minister said whenever there's talk about COVID-19, the question that involves everyone's mind is - when will a vaccine be ready.

"I want to tell people, the talent of our scientists is like that of 'rishi munis' and they are working very hard in laboratories. Three vaccines are in various stages of testing. When scientists will give us the green signal, it will be produced on a mass scale and all preparations have been made for it," PM Modi said in address.

Keyword : Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker

Also Read :

India records decline in daily Covid-19 cases and deaths

India records decline in daily Covid-19 cases and deaths

 

The health ministry’s dashboard showed that the amount recovered patients climbed to 1,977,779 as 57,937 people were cured of Covid-19 between Monday and Tuesday morning. With that, India’s recovery rate climbed to 73.17%.

India saw 55,079 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 875 deaths, rock bottom in nearly every week , within the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s case count to 2,702,742, consistent with the Union health ministry data.

There has been a decline within the daily number of Covid-19 cases for the last three days--there were 63,490 infections last Sunday and 57,981 on Monday, the health ministry’s data showed.

The health ministry’s dashboard showed that the amount recovered patients climbed to 1,977,779 as 57,937 people were cured of Covid-19 between Monday and Tuesday morning. With that, India’s recovery rate climbed to 73.17%.

The gap between the active cases at 673,166 and recovered cases within the country has widened further at 1,304,613. The country’s price from the coronavirus disease is now at 51,797. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said 3,09,41,264 samples were tested up to Monday for Covid-19. Of these, 8,99,864 samples were tested on Monday, the highest research body said.

“A new peak of 8.97 lakh #COVID19 tests were done in the last 24 hours. Even with such a high level of testing, the positivity has remained low i.e. 8.81% compared to the weekly national average i.e. 8.84%,” the health ministry said in a tweet on Tuesday.

“Focused implemention of Centre-led strategies has ensured prompt identification, timely isolation & effective clinical treatment, leading to reduced Case fatality rate. 30 States/UTs performed better than the national average,” it added.

The government has asked five pharmaceutical firms, including three that have candidates in clinical trials, prepare and a present a comprehensive note on the way forward by Thursday on how soon they will produce large quantities and what pricing they expect if their shot is approved.

The meeting was held between an expert group spearheading India’s vaccine strategy and involved Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila – all three have vaccine candidates in human trials. Serum Institute is licensed to supply up to some quantities the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is essentially considered the winner globally.

The two others were Biological E and Gennova, both of which have candidates in preclinical phases. Trial data of none of the India-made vaccines is yet to be made available.

“Even as scientists are working to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, we are simultaneously working on procuring the final product to ensure availability and access to our population,” Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said following Monday’s meeting. “. As part of India’s proactive, pre-emptive and graded response to Covid-19 since January, the expert group is holding consultations with vaccine manufacturers to plan ahead for the production, pricing and distribution of the vaccine, whenever it is ready,” he added.

India has not struck a pre-production affect any of the vaccine developers that are within the race for a successful candidate, a technique several advanced economies like us , uk and a few European Union nations have adopted so as to leap what could be an extended queue .

Of these countries, the US has the foremost number of infections at 5,437,851, followed by Brazil with 3,359,570 cases. There are quite 21 million cases of the coronavirus disease and 773,152 deaths across the planet .