- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Pramod Kumar
INDIA announced on Thursday (3) 134,154 new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours, while deaths from the coronavirus rose by 2,887.
The country’s total Covid-19 caseload now stands at 28.4 million, while total fatalities are at 337,989, according to data from the health ministry.
The daily positivity rate in the country has further dropped to 6.21 per cent, the ministry said. The number of active Covid-19 cases was recorded below two million for the third consecutive day.
A total of 2,159,873 tests were conducted on Wednesday (2) to detect Covid-19, taking the total number of such tests conducted so far in the country to 353,782,648.
The weekly positivity rate has declined to 7.66 per cent.
Recoveries continued to outnumber the fresh cases for the 21st day in a row. While the case fatality rate has gone up to 1.19 per cent, the data showed.
Serum to make Russia’s vaccine
The Serum Institute of India has sought regulatory approval to make Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, local media reported on Thursday, on top of the AstraZeneca PLC and Novavax Inc shots it is already producing.
The Pune-based firm has also sought approval for test analysis and examination. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is currently being manufactured in India by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.
“The Serum Institute of India (SII) put up an application to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Wednesday seeking permission to manufacture the Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, in India,” reported the PTI.
The federal drugs regulator did not immediately respond to a Reuters e-mail seeking comment.
The SII has already told the government that it will be able to manufacture and supply 100 million Covishield doses in June, while it is also manufacturing the Novavax vaccine, the regulatory clearance for which is awaited from the US.
The vaccine was given emergency use authorisation (EUA) by the DCGI in April. A consignment of three million doses of Sputnik V landed in Hyderabad on Tuesday (1).
India orders vaccine before approval
India’s government signed its first purchase order for unapproved Covid-19 vaccines on Thursday, a day after it faced criticism from the top judiciary about a bungled vaccine rollout that has left millions of people vulnerable.
he government will buy 300 million doses from local firm Biological-E and has put down an advance of $205.6 million, the health ministry said, even though the vaccine is still undergoing phase-3 clinical trials, before approvals can be given.
“The arrangement with M/s Biological-E is part of the wider endeavour of Government of India to encourage indigenous vaccine manufacturers by providing them support in Research & Development (R&D) and also financial support,” the ministry said in a statement.
India has been inoculating its people with the AstraZeneca vaccine produced locally at the Serum Institute of India (SII), Covaxin made by local firm Bharat Biotech and has begun rolling out Russia’s Sputnik V.
But supplies are running tight after the government opened vaccinations to all adults last month. Some vaccination centres have had to close down, prompting criticism from the Supreme Court about a lack of proper planning.
While the federal government gave free vaccines to the elderly and frontline workers, it left it to state governments and private hospitals to administer doses to people in the 18 to 45 age group at a pre-determined price.
“The policy of the central government for conducting free vaccination themselves for groups under the first 2 phases, and replacing it with paid vaccination…is, prima facie, arbitrary and irrational,” the Supreme Court said.
Younger people were just as vulnerable, as the second wave of infections had shown, the court said. It asked the government to review its vaccination policy, produce a roadmap and said the court could not be a silent spectator when the constitutional rights of the citizens were at risk.
So far, about 4.7 per cent of the country’s 950 million adult population have been given both doses. The government said this week supplies are improving and it could have as many as 10 million doses each day in July and August, up from just under three million now.
