Page 9 - Coronavirus Vaccine

150k Covid-19 vaccine doses procured from Zydus Cadila: Govt in Lok Sabha

A total of 1.5 lakh Covid vaccine doses have been procured by the government from Zydus Cadila at Rs 375.90 per jab (including GST), Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Lok Sabha on Friday. As on December 5, 2022, a total of 102.54 crore first doses and a total of 95.09 crore second doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. A total of 22.29 crore precaution doses have also been administered, Pawar said in a written reply. She further said that 90 per cent of population aged 12 and above in the country have been covered by both doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

No wastage of Covid vaccines in buffer stock due to expiry: Govt tells LS

There has been no wastage of COVID-19 vaccines in the government buffer stock due to expiry, Union minister Bharati Pravin Pawar informed Lok Sabha on Friday. The central government closely monitors COVID-19 vaccine stocks in states and Union territories so as to ensure their optimal utilisation and minimal wastage, Pawar said in written reply to a question. States and UTs have also been advised to review programme coverage and vaccine wastage on a daily basis and redistribute the vaccine stock if required for their optimal utilisation. To ensure utilisation of the near expiry vaccine, they have been supported for intra- and inter-state transfer, the short expiry vaccines are also replaced by manufacturers, the Union Minister of State for Health said. The national regulator, Central Drugs Standard Organisation, prescribed the shelf life of Covishield vaccine as nine months and Covaxin vaccine as 12 months from the date of manufacture, Pawar stated. She said India has administered

India logs 249 fresh Covid-19 infections, active caseload declines to 4,228

India recorded 249 fresh coronavirus infections on Friday, while the number of active cases declined further to 4,228, according to Union health ministry data. With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country stands at 4,46,74,439. The death toll has climbed to 5,30,653 with six fatalities reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. No deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the ministry website. A decrease of 16 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,39,558, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 219.96 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed

US House passes defence bill scrapping Covid vaccine mandate for military

A bill to rescind the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military and provide nearly $858 billion for national defense passed the House on Thursday as lawmakers scratch off one of the final items on their yearly to-do list. The bill provides for about $45 billion more for defense programs than President Joe Biden requested, the second consecutive year Congress significantly exceeded his request, as lawmakers seek to boost the nation's military competitiveness with China and Russia. The House passed the bill by a vote of 350-80. It now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass easily, then to the president to be signed into law. To win bipartisan support for the bill, Democrats agreed to Republican demands to scrap the requirement for service members to get a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill directs Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind his August 2021 memorandum imposing the mandate. Only days earlier he voiced support for keeping the mandate in effect. Rep.

India reports 241 fresh Covid-19 cases; active tally declines to 4,244

India logged 241 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases further declined to 4,244, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The total tally of Covid cases stands at 4.46 crore (4,46,74,190). The death toll has climbed to 5,30,647 with nine fatalities which includes six deaths reconciled by Kerala. While two deaths were reported from Karnataka, one was from Kerala in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the ministry website. A decrease of 11 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,39,299, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 219.95 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under

Facebook, Twitter poised to beat suit over Covid vaccine misinformation

The proposed class-action lawsuit tried to get around law by claiming that Meta's Facebook and Twitter breached their contracts with users

India reports 166 fresh Covid-19 cases; active tally dips to 4,255

India recorded 166 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases declined to 4,255, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The total tally of Covid cases stands at 4.46 crore (4,46,73,949). The death toll climbed to 5,30,638 with five fatalities which includes three deaths reconciled by Kerala. One death each has been reported from Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.80 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 90 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,39,056 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 219.94 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination .

Hybrid immunity may be behind difference in India-China Covid numbers

While hybrid immunity is behind India's low COVID-19 numbers, a large section of China's population may not have this protection provided by a combination of vaccination and prior infection, leading to spurt in cases there, experts say. The experts also questioned the efficacy of the vaccines available to the people in China. India has been witnessing lowest COVID-19 numbers since the beginning of the pandemic, while China has seen record numbers of the viral disease in recent days. In the last 24 hours, India reported a rise of 165 COVID-19 cases, while the count of active cases has declined to 4,345, according to the numbers shared by the Union government at 8 am on Tuesday. The daily number of cases in the country had peaked at 4,14,188 (over 4.1 lakh) on May 7, 2021. The following month, on June 10, 2021, the number of deaths increased at 6,148. On the other hand, China reported 19,903 infections in 24 hours, according to the World Health Organisation. The recent daily cases

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Covid vaccine-linked heart inflammation high in males after 2nd dose: Study

A meta-analysis of 23 studies, including 854 patients aged 12 to 20 years with mRNA vaccine-associated myopericarditis, has found that the incidence was higher in males after the second dose

Beijing city relaxes Covid-19 test norms following widespread protests

For the first time in about two years, China's capital city Beijing relaxed its norms for coronavirus test requirements on Tuesday after unprecedented public protests against President Xi Jinping's stringent zero-Covid policy rocked the country. As per the new announcement, negative nucleic acid test results are no longer required to enter shopping malls, supermarkets, commercial buildings and residential compounds. However, Beijing residents will still require a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours to enter restaurants, schools, bars, internet cafes, indoor gaming stadiums, nursing homes, welfare facilities, hospitals and medical institutions. The announcement was made ahead of the memorial meeting held here by the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) for former President of the country Jiang Zemin who passed away on November 30. Beijing continues to report a high number of Covid-19 cases. On Monday, the city reported 2,260 Covid infections. The Chinese mainland on Monda

US won't agree to 2022 patent waivers for Covid tests, treatments

The US won't agree to waive intellectual-property protections for Covid-19 treatments and tests this year -- aligning with developed-nation peers and damaging prospects for a WTO accord

Maharashtra logs 22 new Covid-19 cases, zero casualty; active tally at 278

The recovery rate in the state stands at 98.17 per cent, while the fatality rate is 1.82 per cent, the official said

Lessons from Covid: Pharma firms turn attention to adult vaccination

Vaccine companies have warmed up to the idea of adult vaccines for other diseases such as pneumonia, flu and shingles as well

Woman slips into coma after AstraZeneca vaccine dose against Covid-19

Diagnosed with rare, serious condition

Singapore to see new wave of Covid-19 infections: Health Minister

Singaporeans should expect a new wave of Covid-19 infections with more people travelling and due to the upcoming year-end festivities, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said

India's Covid tally rises by 226; active caseload declines to 4,529

India logged 226 new Covid infections in a day taking the tally of cases to 4.46 crore while active caseload has declined by 68 to reach 4,529, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll has climbed to 5,30,6278 with one fatality being reported from Odisha, data updated at 8 am stated. Active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,38,235, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 219.93 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive. India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh

Keep Covid military vaccine mandate intact, says US defence chief Austin

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said he wants to keep the military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate in place to protect the health of the troops, as Republican governors and lawmakers press to rescind it. This past week more than 20 Republican governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking that the administration remove the mandate, saying it has hurt the US National Guard's ability to recruit troops. Those troops are activated by governors to respond to natural disasters or unrest. Congress may consider legislation this coming week to end the mandate as a requirement to gather enough support to pass this years' defense budget, which is already two months late. Austin said he would not comment on pressure from the Hill. We lost a million people to this virus," Austin told reporters traveling with him Saturday. A million people died in the United States of America. We lost hundreds in DOD. So this mandate has kept people healthy. I'm the guy who ordered the military to require the

Covid emergency phase closer to end but Omicron transmission remains: WHO

The reason behind is that "Omicron has proved to be significantly more transmissible than its predecessor, Delta, and continues to cause significant mortality due to the intensity of transmission"

2-dose vax offers long-term protection against severe Covid in kids: Study

A two-dose experimental vaccine can provide protection against severe Covid even one year even after the jabs, researchers report