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India Fights Back To Stem Covid Tsunami

Of the 162 oxygen plants sanctioned last year under pressure from the PMO, only 35 are in production as yet. Thanks to the Prime Minister’s intervention in April, nearly 90 will begin to operate by the close of May, with many more on the way. In the same way, the supply of drugs for Covid – 19 will be ramped up, writes Prof. Madhav Nalapat

On 30 November 2017, a paper on the origins of SARS coronavirus appeared in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Almost all 17 of the “equal” co-authors were from China, an exception being Peter Daszak, a British-born resident of the United States. An associate of China’s famed “Bat Woman”, Shi Zhengli, Daszak had been active in ensuring that large amounts of funding from the US flowed into the Wuhan Institute of Virology. He was supported in this by Dr Anthony Fauci, who has emerged as the lead figure in the fightback against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Given Daszak’s longstanding links with the Wuhan institute, it may have been prudent for him to recuse himself from the WHO team sent weeks ago to investigate whether the Wuhan Institute was responsible through negligence in releasing SARS-CoV-2 into the human population. Published papers indicate that the Institute was working for years on precisely such a coronavirus, and the funding arranged by Dr Fauci was intended to promote “gain of function” research into the virus, i.e., make it deadlier and perhaps more transmissible (perhaps in order to develop vaccines against such a strain).

Covid
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairing a review meeting on COVID-19 situation through video conferencing. (PIB)

Although a US State Department team flagged the Wuhan Institute of Virology as having “defective and sloppy procedures”, it does not appear from the records that this and other such reports alarmed Dr Daszak, or if it  did, such apprehensions were shared with Dr Fauci. It is because of the published papers that came out of the work of the numerous coronavirus-related experiments in the Wuhan lab that suspicions grew that the catastrophe originated from an inadvertent leak from the institute lab experimenting with the virus. The WHO study group (in which Peter Daszak was made a member) all but ruled out such a possibility on the basis of a visit to the lab more than a year after the leak of the virus was suspected to have taken place. No surprise, therefore, that no evidence of such a leak was discovered by the team, whose reliance on data supplied by their Chinese hosts was, in keeping with WHO policy under its current leadership, total.

Also Read – Priyanka Chopra asks Biden to share Covid vaccines for India

Discussions with experts resident in the US, who are cognizant of the centrality of India in the ongoing battle to retain the initiative in the Indo-Pacific, make it clear that the country is key towards ensuring the rollback of the Covid-19 pandemic across the world. They spoke on the basis of anonymity, out of worry that some of the facts mentioned may create adverse circumstances for them, were the identities of the sources made public. They have therefore not been named.

WHO FOLLOWED CHINA BLINDLY

On 23 January 2020, President Xi Jinping ordered the complete lockdown of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This was perhaps the first time such a measure had been adopted anywhere in the world, and the WHO soon fell in line, recommending a similar total lockdown in all countries where the coronavirus had spread. This was the consequence of flights operating out of the PRC to cities across the world even ten weeks after the virus had entered the general population of Wuhan in particular. President Xi succeeded in ensuring that the effects of the pandemic on China were much lower—at least on record—than in almost all other countries.

Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan inspecting the addition of 500 Oxygenated Beds at the Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre & Hospital, in Chhatar (PIB)

Paying heed to advice from the WHO, officials in India advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement the biggest lockdown in the history of mankind. Nearly 1.3 billion people were anchored to the locations they were in for weeks as a consequence of the withdrawal of transport services. At the same time, again as a consequence of the incessant warnings belatedly issued by the WHO, a mood of panic spread amongst the populace concerning the very disease that had been intensively researched at the Wuhan Institute of Virology but which Peter Daszak and others were emphatic did not “originate” in that facility, leaving open the question of where this alternative source was. Dr Anthony Fauci, who has emerged as the principal strategist in the battle against the pandemic, appears to have broadly agreed with Daszak’s view that the Wuhan lab was innocent of blame.

Also Read – UNGA president seeks aid for India

Dr Fauci has in his toolkit the instruments that he first developed in order to fight the AIDS pandemic of the 1980s. Together with others, they spent billions of dollars (much of it from the Gates Foundation) in a search for a vaccine that would be effective against a disease that was a death sentence to all who caught it. Their associate was Seth Berkley, who now heads the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) after having been, for decades, President of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

Dr Anthony Fauci

Although the vaccine-focused strategy failed in the case of AIDS, media reports are that the same methods used by Dr Fauci and colleagues such as Dr Deborah Birx in the AIDS pandemic may be proving effective in the Covid-19 epidemic. A vaccine is similar to a sniper rifle, creating antibodies that hit directly at the virus. Those developed in the US, India, the UK and Russia seem to be effective in at least preventing serious consequences from SARS-CoV-2 even while not eliminating the possibility of infection altogether. India opted to route most of the vaccines supplied externally through the COVAX facility of GAVI, so that the WHO, other multilaterals and the Gates Foundation, rather than India got most of the credit internationally for the supply. It is unlikely that the generous act by the Health Ministry (of routing much of vaccine distribution through COVAX rather than India directly supplying needy countries) will bring any closer the MEA’s quest for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Also Read – BAPIO announces strategy to support India

NEED FOR TAPPING DOMESTIC EXPERTISE

Thus far, much of the policy adopted by the Health Ministry in India are those that originated in the toolkit of the WHO. It may be helpful for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look outside the WHO, especially into the possibility of developing a set of medicine “cocktails” that could be useful in saving lives during the pandemic and in facilitating swift recovery by a victim. Apart from AIDS, where therapeutic cocktails produced in India account for over 90% of the medications used to preserve the lives of sufferers, another disease that was brought under control not by vaccines but by preventive and curative therapeutics is malaria, a disease that thus far has defied efforts at developing a vaccine protecting against its spread by more than 30%.

Whether it be Dexamethasone, Remdesivir, Ivermectin, Favipiravir or other anti-virals, more robust use by PM Modi of the powers available to government under Indian law could prove a game changer in the global battle to roll back the Covid-19 tide, including in India. Those in the establishment who have fallen prey to the blandishments offered by US-EU Big Pharma need to be identified and prevented from further damaging the Indian interest. Unless effective action is taken against the present “tsunami” (in the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi), expectations of foreign investment into India by 2024 of up to a trillion dollars may dissolve. Already the UK has banned travellers from India from entering the country, while the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has advised US citizens not to travel to India until advised that it is safe to do so.

Also Read – Prince Charles’ Charity British Asian Trust Seeks ‘Oxygen For India’

Given the immensity and complexity of conditions in the country, a centralised policy on essential measures is doomed to failure. Among the causes of the present unprecedented and unexpected spike in SARS-CoV-2 caseload is the fact that Prime Minister Modi had to spend considerable amounts of time on the campaign trail and was therefore left with less time to supervise the officials in charge of managing the pandemic.

These officials have usually relied on the WHO and experts favoured by that agency for advice, despite the unsatisfactory performance of the WHO throughout the pandemic, beginning in November 2019, when its field units were in a position to know that a new form of SARS had struck the human population in parts of China. They could have then warned the world rather than claim for months afterwards that there was no epidemic and that in any case, the virus was barely infectious, and therefore international travellers from affected regions of the PRC were safe to admit.

BUREAUCRATIC BOTTLENECKS MUST GO

Judging by the situation prevailing in many parts of India, accurate predictions of the April-May requirement of drugs, vaccines and oxygen do not seem to have been made. It took the intervention of PM Modi to ensure that bureaucratic bottlenecks in the multiplication of plants for the production of these essentials were removed. Of the 162 oxygen plants sanctioned last year under pressure from the PMO, only 35 are in production as yet. Thanks to the Prime Minister’s intervention in April, nearly 90 will begin to operate by the close of May, with many more on the way.

In the same way, the supply of drugs will be ramped up such that by July, the pandemic would ebb to levels that are safe for near-normal operation. By this is meant normal operations while at the same time adhering to the Covid-19 protocols such as washing of hands, social distancing and masking. Should such normalcy be restored, by the close of the year, the flow of additional jobs should pick up substantially, especially if the Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India expend 5% of the national income in targeted demand-creating stimulus measures over three years (2020-2023) and follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive to remove regulatory and administrative roadblocks to output and services across all sectors. Also needed is further reduction and simplification of taxes, if necessary through a mid-term budget.

Also Read – Indian variant: WHO warns against hasty conclusions

The PM directly and through his able External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, needs to convince President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris that Washington should resume the supply of ingredients essential for ramping up the vaccine and therapeutics programs of companies in India. The US is not safe unless the whole world is safe from SARS-CoV-2, and only India can ensure this through its unique capabilities in the mass production of medicine cocktails and vaccines.

NO MORE DISTRACTIONS

Now that state elections are almost over, the BJP needs to leave Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone to tackle the job for which he has been elected, which is to provide an exceptional administration for the people of the country. The present tsunami was likely the consequence of the distractions caused by the spate of elections, as well as the decision by some regional leaders of the BJP to not intercede with the organisers of the Kumbh Mela to get them to show their devotion by ensuring that Covid-19 protocols be maintained, preferably at home.

After Modi publicly intervened, the Kumbh was cut short by the organisers. India needs to be spared such activities for the next few months rather than once again suffer the unbearable economic pain of massive lockdowns. Idle speculation that PM Modi was going to announce another long lockdown at a few hours’ notice on 20 April was an attempt at causing another wave of mass panic. This was quelled by the Prime Minister’s assurance that lockdowns were not contemplated. Just as the crisis of 1990-91 led to the reforms of 1992-95, the crisis of 2020-21 needs to lead to still more major reforms during 2021-24. In this way, the present healthcare crisis can be overcome and the economy expanded so as to create jobs for tens of millions.

Also Read – Indian companies’ contribution to UK economy grows

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Delhi withdraws order on Ashoka Hotel Covid centre

The decision comes as Delhi government on Monday authorised the Primus Hospital to run a Covid care facility at the Ashoka Hotel…reports Asian Lite News

A day after declaring the Ashoka Hotel a dedicated Covid facility for judges of Delhi High Court and their family members, the Delhi government withdrew the order after the court took exception.

“Issued directions to withdraw this order immediately,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia responded to a tweet citing how 100 rooms at the Ashoka Hotel will be converted into a Covid facility for the judges, other judicial members of the Delhi High Court and their families.

On Monday, the Delhi government authorised the Primus Hospital to run a Covid care facility at the Ashoka Hotel for the judges of Delhi High Court and their family members.


Earlier on Tuesday, the Delhi High Court took suo motu cognizance of reports on the issue and asserted that it had not made any request for creating Covid facilities for its judges, staff and their families in a five star hotel.

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said: “No communication has been made to anyone in this regard.”

Also read:Delhi gasps for oxygen

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India Struggles To Stem The Covid Tsunami

The pandemic has provided a time to look back, to look forward to a healthy and safe India, let us hope that the government is also working towards the same target …. Writes Ravishankar Sharma

Among all this gloom India has found an ignominious fame of being the third largest defence equipment spender after the US and China. What does India need and where it is heading are both concerning and arguable?

India’s requirement for medical oxygen isn’t new. In 2017, over 60 infants battling paediatric encephalitis died in a hospital in Gorakhpur — the constituency of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath — due to shortage of oxygen. 

The shambles which Indian health system is in today comes in the backdrop of the government’s aim to achieve a $5 trillion economy target by 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi exuded confidence in October 2020 that the pandemic would not hamper the country’s “gallop” towards the target. Does India need to fix a target for the economy to grow while its 1.21 billion citizens are told to clang plates for a better future without basic needs?

A view of LNJP Hospital after lockdown in National Capital in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases, in New Delhi On Friday, 23 April, 2021.(Photo:Qamar Sibtain/IANS)

The pandemic has provided a time to look back, to look forward to a healthy and safe India, let us hope that the government is also working towards the same target.

Crisis brings out the good, bad and ugly even among the best of us, but it also provides a window to pause, rethink and recalibrate our response to the issue. India, which had gloated as the pharmacy of the world, is now gasping for breath. Its rickety health infrastructure is in tatters, visuals of people fighting for oxygen, a bed in a hospital, brings back sepia images of people waiting for their death for deliverance during the Bengal Famine of 1943.

Also read:Armed forces recall retired medics to join Covid fight

The ‘Made In India’ vaccines, which the government boasted about and liberally distributed to countries which had its own stockpile now finds the lifesaving drug in short supply for its own citizens. Under its Vaccine Maitri diplomacy, New Delhi gave away 586 lakh dose for free to 71 countries and 339.67 lakh doses as part of commercial deals. Now, if India wants to cover at least 80 percent of its eligible population — 80 percent of the population above 18 years of age by the end of this year — then it must increase its vaccination rate by about 100 million doses/month.

At the current rate of vaccination, which is about 2.2 million doses administered per day, only 30 percent of the eligible population will be vaccinated fully by the end of this year.

Delhi’s skies are darkened by the fumes of those cremated in packed burial grounds, innumerable families have been bereaved. The daily toll India has been witnessing is more than the number who were killed when Osama’s lieutenants crashed two planes into the World Trade Centre in 2001.

Also read:Help pours in as India reports 3.23L Covid cases

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UNGA president seeks aid for India

Bozkir has expressed concerns over drastic rise in Covid cases and the deteriorating situation in India …reports Asian Lite News

The president of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, on Tuesday called for international aid to India in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, said his spokesman.

Bozkir was worried about the Covid-19 situation in India, a country that has done so much to ensure the distribution of vaccines to vulnerable countries, said Brenden Varma, the spokesman, Xinhua news agency reported.

Now it is time for the world to extend aid and support to India. No one is safe until everyone is safe, said Bozkir.

The General Assembly president said his thoughts are with the Indian government and people at this time.

Also read:Amazon gives 100 ICU ventilators to India

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BAPIO announces strategy to support India

The BAPIO has also teamed up with the NHS and the High Commission of India to source and supply India with oxygen, oxygen concentrators, ventilators and medicines, as required, reports Asian Lite News

The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) A body of 6,000 doctors in the UK of Indian origin has written to Boris Johnson requesting further medical equipment be sent to India as a “matter of urgency”. 

With India struggling with climbing Covid-19 numbers, the group of doctors is assisting medics in India by offering triage of patients over video calls, as well as assessing Covid-19 patient’s CT scans and offering advice to intensive care doctors. They’re also in conversation with the NHS to acquire and ship any surplus medical equipment to India.

BAPIO

BAPIO has said that some of its members are also willing to travel to India to assist. Indian doctors form the second largest in numbers in the UK after British qualified doctors and so there are significant numbers affected indirectly or directly by this second wave in India. The BAPIO has also teamed up with the NHS and the High Commission of India to source and supply India with oxygen, oxygen concentrators, ventilators and medicines, as required.

The group has also partnered with APNA NHS, DAUK and Akshaya Patra UK, to set up a fund with an ambitious target of £500,000 to purchase equipment and to feed the needy in India.

Meanwhile, The World Health Organization chief voiced alarm at India’s record-breaking wave of Covid-19 cases and deaths, saying the organisation was rushing to help address the crisis.

Also Read – BAPIO Slams PHE Report on BAME Deaths

“The situation in India is beyond heartbreaking,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

He spoke as India battles a catastrophic coronavirus wave that has overwhelmed hospitals, with crematoriums working at full capacity. A surge in recent days has seen patients’ families taking to social media to beg for oxygen supplies and locations of available hospital beds, and has forced the capital New Delhi to extend a week-long lockdown.

“WHO is doing everything we can, providing critical equipment and supplies,” Tedros said.

He said the UN health agency was among other things sending “thousands of oxygen concentrators, prefabricated mobile field hospitals and laboratory supplies”.

Also Read – BAPIO Urges NHS to Ensure Safety Of Staff

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Indian variant: WHO warns against hasty conclusions

It is not clear at this point to what extent the variant was responsible for the rapid increase in cases in India in recent months,said WHO official…reports Asian Lite News

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against jumping to conclusions about a new coronavirus variant discovered in India, saying it had not yet classified it as worrying.

A WHO spokeswoman said that it was not clear at this point to what extent the variant was responsible for the rapid increase in cases in India in recent months, DPA news agency reported.

There are many factors that could have contributed to this, she said. For example, festivals and other events with many participants may have accelerated infections.

The British coronavirus variant may also be affecting India’s epidemiological situation.

Maha rashtra Covid cases surge

In India, more than 350,000 infections were reported within 24 hours on Monday, more than any country has reported in that timespan. With its 1.3 billion inhabitants, India has recorded a total of more than 17 million infections.

The British, South African and Brazilian variants of Covid-19 have all been classified by the WHO as “variants of concern.”

Also read:US anti-Covid supplies to reach India soon

The newest variant was first detected in India on December 1, 2020.

According to the WHO, a variant is considered worrying if it spreads more easily, causes more serious cases of the disease, bypasses the immune system or reduces the effectiveness of known treatments.

Overall, the number of reported infections per week has been increasing for nine weeks, while the number of reported deaths has been increasing for six weeks, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva on Monday.

A view of LNJP Hospital after lockdown in National Capital in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases, in New Delhi On Friday, 23 April, 2021.(Photo:Qamar Sibtain/IANS)

“There were almost as many cases last week as in the first five months of the pandemic combined,” said Tedros. In India in particular, the situation is “more than heartbreaking.”

The WHO did not have the latest number of infections reported within a week on its website as of Tuesday. On April 19, it reported almost 5.7 million cases worldwide within a week, some 400,000 more than the week before.

On the Gisaid platform, which contains genetic sequences of influenza and the coronavirus, more than 850 sequences of Covid-19 from more than 18 countries had been uploaded by April 23. Most came from India, Britain, the US and Singapore.

However, this does not give an accurate picture of the distribution, as many countries sequence significantly less, others not at all due to a lack of capacity.

Also read:Covid-19 vaccine safe for pregnant women: CDC

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Bangladesh closes border with India

Many countries including Germany, Iran, UK, Canada, Hong Kong, and the UAE have already blocked flights from India….report Asian Lite News

Bangladesh has decided to close its border with India for the next 14 days following a sharp rise in the country’s COVID-19 cases and deaths.

A ban on entry from India has been imposed in line with the instructions of the prime minister’s office, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told Dhaka Tribune on Sunday.

On Thursday, a proposal to shut down borders with India was rejected at an inter-ministerial meeting.

Due to massive surge in COVID-19 numbers, India has been witnessing shortage of hospital beds and medical-grade oxygen for past few days.

Several countries around the world including Germany, Iran, UK, Canada, Hong Kong, and the UAE have suspended passenger flights from India.

Asaduzzaman KhanMinster, Ministry of Home Affairs; Govt. of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh(Twitter)

India recorded 3,49,691 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since the pandemic broke out last year. According to the Union Health Ministry, the country has recorded 2,767 new deaths due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.

The country’s total infection count has mounted to 1,69,60,172 cases, while 1,92,311 people have so far succumbed to the viral infection so far. There are 26,82,751 active COVID-19 cases in the country, said the official data of the ministry.

Mushtuq Husain, former Chief Scientific Officer of the Institute of Epidemiology and Disease Control, had earlier suggested imposing institutional quarantine requirements on arrivals from India.

He also said, “If the border cannot be closed completely, then those who come from India should be kept in a 14-day institutional quarantine. There is no alternative.”

He noted that most of incoming travellers from India are citizens of Bangladesh and they cannot be stopped by shutting down the border.

“But they must get their samples tested 72 hours in advance (of travelling). They must carry a coronavirus-negative certificate and quarantine upon arrival. If possible, everyone should be kept in institutional quarantine. If that is not possible, we must ensure that they quarantine at home.”

Mushtuq, however, played down concerns over the coronavirus variant that is running rampant across India and said that it has not yet been proven to be more harmful than other strains.

Also read:India pushes for trilateral highway via B’desh

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Saudi ships 80 metric tons of liquid oxygen to India

The urgent supply shipment is being undertaken in coordination with India’s Adani group and Linde company….reports Asian Lite News

Saudi Arabia shipped 80 metric tons of liquid oxygen to India as the country is perilously running low on supplies due to a recent surge in coronavirus cases.

The urgent supply shipment is being undertaken in coordination with India’s Adani group and Linde company.

India’s number of coronavirus cases surged by 349,691 in the past 24 hours, the fourth straight day of record peaks, and hospitals in Delhi and across the country are turning away patients after running out of medical oxygen and beds.

“Embassy of India is proud to partner with Adani group and M/s Linde in shipping much needed 80MT liquid oxygen to India. Our heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Health Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all their help, support and cooperation,” India’s embassy based in Riyad said in a tweet.

India also began airlifting tanks containing oxygen from Singapore to meet the growing demand for life-saving gas.

It also diverted oxygen supplies from industrial uses to hospitals, but this move did not meet the increase in demand, Middle East daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Sunday.

India logged a record of 3,49,691 new coronavirus infections in a day on Sunday, taking its total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,69,60,172. The death toll increased to 1,92,311 with a record 2,767 daily new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

Also read:Customs duty on oxygen, vaccines waived

“Thank you @IndianEmbRiyadh Indeed, actions speak louder than words. We are on an urgent mission to secure oxygen supplies from across the world. This first shipment of 4 ISO cryogenic tanks with 80 tons of liquid oxygen is now on its way from Dammam to Mundra, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani said in a tweet.

India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.

To combat the growing demand for oxygen in the country, India has reached out to various countries to procure containers and oxygen cylinders under operation ‘Oxygen Maitri’.

The Indian Air Force on Saturday brought four cryogenic tanks, to be used for transporting oxygen, from Singapore. The containers were airlifted from Singapore by C17 heavy-lift aircraft of the IAF.

The aircraft “with 4 cryogenic containers for storage of liquid O2 from Singapore landed at Panagarh airbase” in West Bengal on Saturday, a home ministry spokesperson tweeted.

Also read:Saudi bans Lebanese produce over drug smuggling

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Customs duty on oxygen, vaccines waived

The decision comes after the Prime Minister chaired a meeting to review steps taken to boost oxygen availability in the country….reports Asian Lite News

Centre on Saturday exempted basic customs duty on oxygen, oxygen related equipment and vaccines.

The decision comes after the Prime Minister chaired a meeting to review steps taken to boost oxygen availability in the country.

In a statement, Ministry of Finance said: “The PM emphasised that there was an immediate need to augment the supply of medical grade oxygen as well as equipment required for patient care both at home and in hospitals.”

“PM stressed that all ministries and departments need to work in synergy to increase availability of oxygen and medical supplies.”

During the meeting, it was suggested that import of equipment related to providing oxygen to patients needs to be expedited.

Oxygen cylinders are stored at Kolkata Medical College Hospital during the increasing numbers of COVID 19 patients in Kolkata on April 23, 2021.(Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)

In order to augment their production and availability and to meet the rising demand, it was decided to grant full exemption from ‘Basic Customs Duty’ and health cess on import of items related to ‘Oxygen and Oxygen related equipment’ for a period of three months with immediate effect.

Besides, it was decided that basic customs duty on import of Covid vaccines be exempted with immediate effect for a period of 3 months.

Also read:SpiceJet airlifts 800 oxygen concentrators from HK

“This will boost availability of these items as well as make them cheaper. The PM directed the ‘Revenue Department’ to ensure seamless and quick custom clearance of such equipment.”

Furthermore, the statement cited that Centre has taken a lot of measures in the last few days to improve supply of oxygen and medical supplies.

“IAF planes are bringing in cryogenic oxygen tanks from Singapore. IAF is also transporting oxygen tanks in the country to reduce travel times.”

Covidshield

“Similarly, in a major decision yesterday, free food grains will be given to 80 crore Indians for the month of May and June 2021.”

The Prime Minister stressed that all ministries and departments need to work in synergy to increase availability of oxygen and medical supplies. The Prime Minister was briefed that basic customs duty was exempted on Remdesivir and its API recently.

It was suggested that import of equipment related to providing oxygen to patients needs to be expedited. In order to augment their production and availability and to meet the rising demand, it was decided to grant full exemption from Basic Customs Duty and health cess on import of items related to Oxygen and Oxygen related equipment for a period of three months with immediate effect.

Also read:Kerala steps up oxygen production amid raging crisis

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Serum Institute says Covishield is most affordable jab

SII, which manufactures the AstraZeneca vaccine Covishield at its Pune facility, said that the initial prices were kept very low globally as it was based on advance funding given by the countries for at-risk vaccine manufacturing…reports Asian Lite News

 The Serum Institute of India (SII) on Saturday broke its silence over the pricing of its Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covishield’ and said that it is the most affordable vaccine available in the market today.

SII, which manufactures the AstraZeneca vaccine Covishield at its Pune facility, said that the initial prices were kept very low globally as it was based on advance funding given by the countries for at-risk vaccine manufacturing.

The initial supply price of the vaccine for all government immunisation programmes, including in India, was the lowest, it said.

“The price of the vaccine is still lower than a lot of other medical treatment and essentials required to treat Covid-19 and other life-threatening diseases,” Adar C. Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer, SII, said in a statement.

A medical health worker giving a shot of Covishield vaccine to a frontline worker. Covid-19 vaccination drive at private hospital daryaganj in New Delhi

The company also said that only a limited portion of Sll’s volume will be sold to private hospitals at Rs 600 per dose.

Earlier this week, the company had announced that Covishield will be sold at Rs 400 per dose to the state governments and Rs 600 to the private hospitals.

The Indian biotechnology and pharmaceuticals company announced the new prices after the government allowed vaccination for all persons above the age of 18 years from May 1 onwards.

Protection from ‘double mutant’

Covishield vaccine offers protection from double mutant variant of novel coronavirus, shows a study by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).

CCMB Director Rakesh K. Mishra termed this as a very preliminary but encouraging result.

“Early results using in vitro neutralisation assay show that both convalescent (prior infection) sera and Covishield vaccinated sera offer protection against the B.1.617 variant, aka double mutant,” he said in a tweet.

The CCMB’s finding came close on the heels of an announcement by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that Covaxin neutralises multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 and effectively works against the double mutant strain as well.


Media statement of Serum Institute India
(Twitter)

The ‘double mutant’ (B.1.617) is said to be responsible for the current surge in Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra and other states in India. Scientists earlier feared that vaccines may not offer protection from ‘double mutant’ as it may escape the immune system.

After the CCMB’s latest announcement that Covishield too offers protection from ‘double mutant’, experts say this again underscore the need for people to get vaccinated.

CCMB scientist Divya Tej Sowpati tweeted that the convalescent sera is from September 2020, hence most likely of an infection of a variant which is not B.1.617.

He also pointed to misinformation and confusion about the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in India.

Though B.1.617 is called ‘double mutant’, it is characterised by more than 15 mutations. “It got dubbed the ‘double mutant’ because of two spike mutations, L452R and E484Q, which were mutations of concern because of their immune escape properties, and possible high infectivity,” wrote Sowpati, who is leading Covid-19 genomics at CCMB.

Also read:India waives customs duty on oxygen, vaccines