An estimated one crore frontline health workers will receive the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine whenever it becomes available, with around 92 per cent of government hospitals and 55 per cent of private hospitals across all states and UTs providing data identifying the workers, official sources said.

Five vaccine candidates are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which four are in Phase II/III and one is in Phase-I/II trials.

States have been asked to accelerate the process of identifying frontline healthcare workers including doctors, MBBS students, nurses and ASHA workers etc so that the exercise gets completed in another one week.

It has asked states to do planning and mapping of vaccination sessions where healthcare workers will be vaccinated during the 1st phase and mapping human resources across departments that could be deployed for vaccination sessions for verification of beneficiaries, crowd management and overall coordination.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-india-to-vaccinate-10-million-healthcare-workers-first-347595">WATCH|&nbsp;</a>

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with chief ministers and other representatives of states and union territories via video conferencing on Tuesday to discuss the vaccine distribution strategy, sources said.

"Around 92 per cent of all government hospitals and 55 per cent of all private hospitals from across all states and UTs have provided data. The rest of the details will come in another week. We have asked the states to accelerate the process," an official source said.

The anti-coronavirus vaccine, once available, would be distributed under a special COVID-19 inoculation programme, using the processes, technology and network of the existing Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

It would run parallel to the UIP.

The Centre, with the help of state and UT governments, has started the process of identifying around 30 crore priority beneficiaries who would be given vaccine dose in the initial phase, sources had said.

The government has demarcated four categories which include around 1 crore healthcare professionals including doctors, MBBS students, nurses and ASHA workers etc, around two crore frontline workers including municipal corporation workers, personnel of the police and armed forces, about 26 crore people aged above 50 and a special category of those below 50 with co-morbidities and requiring specialised care.

Health ministry's existing digital platform eVIN which is being used for the UIP is being enhanced for the COVID-18 vaccine distribution and delivery, through which SMSs would be sent to recipients informing the time, date and venue to get the shots and digitally connect them and also track them, sources had earlier said.

Each person in the immunisation list would be linked with their Aadhar cards to avoid duplication and to track beneficiaries.

However, in case a person doesn't have an Aadhar card, a government photo identity can be used, the sources said.

Five vaccines are under different phases of a clinical trial in India with the Serum Institute of India conducting a phase-3 trial of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine while the indigenously developed Bharat Biotech and ICMR vaccine has already started the phase III clinical trial.

Indigenously developed vaccine by Zydus Cadila has completed phase -2 clinical trial in the country.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories will soon start combined phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India.

Biological E. Ltd has started early phase 1 and 2 human trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said that a COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available by the first quarter of 2021.

He had said that the Centre estimates to receive and utilise 40-50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine covering around 25 crore people by July next year.

"The prioritisation of groups for COVID-19 vaccine shall be based on two key considerations -- occupational hazard and risk of exposure to infection, and the risk of developing severe disease and increased mortality," he had said.

An estimated one crore frontline health workers will receive the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine whenever it becomes available, with around 92 per cent of government hospitals and 55 per cent of private hospitals across all states and UTs providing data identifying the workers, official sources said.

An estimated one crore frontline health workers will receive the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine whenever it becomes available, with around 92 per cent of government hospitals and 55 per cent of private hospitals across all states and UTs providing data identifying the workers, official sources said. Five vaccine candidates are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which four are in Phase II/III and one is in Phase-I/II trials. States have been asked to accelerate the process of identifying frontline healthcare workers including doctors, MBBS students, nurses and ASHA workers etc so that the exercise gets completed in another one week. It has asked states to do planning and mapping of vaccination sessions where healthcare workers will be vaccinated during the 1st phase and mapping human resources across departments that could be deployed for vaccination sessions for verification of beneficiaries, crowd management and overall coordination. WATCH| × Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with chief ministers and other representatives of states and union territories via video conferencing on Tuesday to discuss the vaccine distribution strategy, sources said. "Around 92 per cent of all government hospitals and 55 per cent of all private hospitals from across all states and UTs have provided data. The rest of the details will come in another week. We have asked the states to accelerate the process," an official source said. The anti-coronavirus vaccine, once available, would be distributed under a special COVID-19 inoculation programme, using the processes, technology and network of the existing Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). It would run parallel to the UIP. The Centre, with the help of state and UT governments, has started the process of identifying around 30 crore priority beneficiaries who would be given vaccine dose in the initial phase, sources had said. The government has demarcated four categories which include around 1 crore healthcare professionals including doctors, MBBS students, nurses and ASHA workers etc, around two crore frontline workers including municipal corporation workers, personnel of the police and armed forces, about 26 crore people aged above 50 and a special category of those below 50 with co-morbidities and requiring specialised care. Health ministry's existing digital platform eVIN which is being used for the UIP is being enhanced for the COVID-18 vaccine distribution and delivery, through which SMSs would be sent to recipients informing the time, date and venue to get the shots and digitally connect them and also track them, sources had earlier said. Each person in the immunisation list would be linked with their Aadhar cards to avoid duplication and to track beneficiaries. However, in case a person doesn't have an Aadhar card, a government photo identity can be used, the sources said. Five vaccines are under different phases of a clinical trial in India with the Serum Institute of India conducting a phase-3 trial of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine while the indigenously developed Bharat Biotech and ICMR vaccine has already started the phase III clinical trial. Indigenously developed vaccine by Zydus Cadila has completed phase -2 clinical trial in the country. Dr Reddy's Laboratories will soon start combined phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India. Biological E. Ltd has started early phase 1 and 2 human trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said that a COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available by the first quarter of 2021. He had said that the Centre estimates to receive and utilise 40-50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine covering around 25 crore people by July next year. "The prioritisation of groups for COVID-19 vaccine shall be based on two key considerations -- occupational hazard and risk of exposure to infection, and the risk of developing severe disease and increased mortality," he had said.

COVID-19: One crore frontline healthcare workers identified to receive the vaccine in the first phase

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the world is keeping a close watch on the safest and cheapest vaccine against COVID-19 and is looking towards India.

“Our scientists are very confident of succeeding in their endeavour of making COVID vaccine. The world is keeping a watch on the cheapest &amp; safe vaccine. That is why the world is watching India,” Modi said.

“Experts believe that COVID vaccine will be ready in the next few weeks. As soon as scientists give a green signal, vaccination will start in India. Healthcare, frontline workers &amp; elderly person suffering from serious diseases will be given priority in vaccination,” the PM added.

PM also said that&nbsp;healthcare warrior and the elderly will receive the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine while reiterating that India has ‘managed to keep the death rate low’.

States have been asked to accelerate the process of identifying frontline healthcare workers including doctors, MBBS students, nurses and ASHA workers etc so that the exercise gets completed in another one week.

It has asked states to do planning and mapping of vaccination sessions where healthcare workers will be vaccinated during the 1st phase and mapping human resources across departments that could be deployed for vaccination sessions for verification of beneficiaries, crowd management and overall coordination.

(With inputs from agencies)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the world is keeping a close watch on the safest and cheapest vaccine against COVID-19 and is looking towards India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the world is keeping a close watch on the safest and cheapest vaccine against COVID-19 and is looking towards India. “Our scientists are very confident of succeeding in their endeavour of making COVID vaccine. The world is keeping a watch on the cheapest & safe vaccine. That is why the world is watching India,” Modi said. “Experts believe that COVID vaccine will be ready in the next few weeks. As soon as scientists give a green signal, vaccination will start in India. Healthcare, frontline workers & elderly person suffering from serious diseases will be given priority in vaccination,” the PM added. PM also said that healthcare warrior and the elderly will receive the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine while reiterating that India has ‘managed to keep the death rate low’. States have been asked to accelerate the process of identifying frontline healthcare workers including doctors, MBBS students, nurses and ASHA workers etc so that the exercise gets completed in another one week. It has asked states to do planning and mapping of vaccination sessions where healthcare workers will be vaccinated during the 1st phase and mapping human resources across departments that could be deployed for vaccination sessions for verification of beneficiaries, crowd management and overall coordination. (With inputs from agencies)

World is watching India for safe and cheap vaccine: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the coronavirus vaccine could be ready for India within weeks and healthcare warriors and the elderly will receive the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine while reiterating that India has ‘managed to keep the death rate low’.

“Our scientists are very confident of succeeding in their endeavour of making COVID vaccine. The world is keeping a watch on the cheapest &amp; safe vaccine. That is why the world is watching India,” Modi said.

“Experts believe that COVID vaccine will be ready in the next few weeks. As soon as scientists give a green signal, vaccination will start in India. Healthcare, frontline workers &amp; elderly person suffering from serious diseases will be given priority in vaccination,” the PM added.

PM Modi said the storage logistics of the coronavirus vaccine is being looked into. Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, which is 95 per cent effective in preventing the disease, has a super-cold storage requirement.

"Nearly eight vaccines are on other stages of trial with their manufacturing assured in India. Three coronavirus vaccines from India are at different stages. Experts think that the vaccine isn't too far away. In the next few weeks, a coronavirus vaccine could be ready for India," PM Narendra Modi said.

The virtual meeting began at 10.45 am, in which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, apart from Health Ministry Secretary, were also present.

COVID-19 vaccine will be first given to about 1 crore health workers from both the public and private sectors, and then to about 2 crore frontline workers, the Union Health Ministry said in its presentation at the all-party meet on Friday, sources said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the coronavirus vaccine could be ready for India within weeks and healthcare warriors and the elderly will receive the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine while reiterating that India has ‘managed to keep the death rate low’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the coronavirus vaccine could be ready for India within weeks and healthcare warriors and the elderly will receive the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine while reiterating that India has ‘managed to keep the death rate low’. “Our scientists are very confident of succeeding in their endeavour of making COVID vaccine. The world is keeping a watch on the cheapest & safe vaccine. That is why the world is watching India,” Modi said. “Experts believe that COVID vaccine will be ready in the next few weeks. As soon as scientists give a green signal, vaccination will start in India. Healthcare, frontline workers & elderly person suffering from serious diseases will be given priority in vaccination,” the PM added. PM Modi said the storage logistics of the coronavirus vaccine is being looked into. Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, which is 95 per cent effective in preventing the disease, has a super-cold storage requirement. "Nearly eight vaccines are on other stages of trial with their manufacturing assured in India. Three coronavirus vaccines from India are at different stages. Experts think that the vaccine isn't too far away. In the next few weeks, a coronavirus vaccine could be ready for India," PM Narendra Modi said. The virtual meeting began at 10.45 am, in which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, apart from Health Ministry Secretary, were also present. COVID-19 vaccine will be first given to about 1 crore health workers from both the public and private sectors, and then to about 2 crore frontline workers, the Union Health Ministry said in its presentation at the all-party meet on Friday, sources said. (With inputs from agencies)

COVID-19 vaccine could be ready for India in a few weeks: PM Modi at all party meet

More countries are taking steps towards common use of coronavirus vaccines. Russia is likely to begin vaccination drive from December. Meanwhile US President Donald Trump is said to be in a mood to fire Attorney General William Barr. Read this and more in Top 10 world news

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-ban-of-ccp-members-abnormal-mindset-towards-communist-party-says-china-347242">US ban of CCP members: Abnormal mindset towards Communist Party, says China</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-ban-of-ccp-members-abnormal-mindset-towards-communist-party-says-china-347242"><img alt="CCP" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="932e4b30-a242-4959-aa4f-b3138b18cc0e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/ccp.JPG" /></a> 
Reports that the US government will issue new entry rules for Chinese Communist Party members travelling to the United States.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-to-begin-vaccination-drive-against-covid-19-from-december-5-347225">Russia to begin vaccination drive against COVID-19 from December 5</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-to-begin-vaccination-drive-against-covid-19-from-december-5-347225"><img alt="Vaccine" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="489684b4-636a-40ee-b595-48e54bb3208c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/vaccine_1.JPG" /></a> 
 
Russian mayor Sergei Sobyanin asserted that teachers, doctors and social workers will be the first to be administered the Sputnik V vaccine.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/will-trump-fire-us-attorney-general-barr-it-cant-be-ruled-out-347241">Will Trump fire US Attorney General Barr? It can't be ruled out</a>

<img alt="Trump" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fcf8c459-0163-49fb-9e31-9a6ba0133dea" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Trump_7.JPG" />

If Trump fires William Barr, he will not be the first Attorney General Trump has compelled to leave office.

 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/former-pakistan-pm-jamali-who-held-office-under-musharraf-dies-347184">Former Pakistan PM Jamali, who held office under Musharraf, dies</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/former-pakistan-pm-jamali-who-held-office-under-musharraf-dies-347184"><img alt="Jamali" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36f0783c-50c3-454b-8dfc-3bfddce88e8b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/jamali.JPG" /></a> 
 
Jamali took office in November 2002 when Musharraf allowed holding parliamentary elections after coming into power via a military coup

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/china-unveils-guidelines-on-mobile-apps-collection-of-personal-data-347206">China unveils guidelines on mobile apps' collection of personal data</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/china-unveils-guidelines-on-mobile-apps-collection-of-personal-data-347206"><img alt="China" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bb1efa57-c46f-4ce4-be3b-d5b1b65bf834" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/China_4.JPG" /></a> 
 
China has increased scrutiny of its technology sector in recent weeks, last month drafting anti-monopoly rules for tech firms

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-begins-transfer-of-rohingya-to-controversial-island-347135">Bangladesh begins controversial transfer of Rohingya to island</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-begins-transfer-of-rohingya-to-controversial-island-347135"><img alt="Rohingya" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="15517b96-2088-4168-b9f8-7989371cc635" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Rohingya.JPG" /></a> 
 
Almost a million Rohingya -- most of whom fled a military offensive in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017 -- live in a vast network of squalid camps in south-east Bangladesh.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/czech-republic-to-open-diplomatic-office-in-jerusalem-347224">Czech Republic to open diplomatic office in Jerusalem</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/czech-republic-to-open-diplomatic-office-in-jerusalem-347224"><img alt="Czech" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="738aec21-6c34-4997-9375-7a0c949faa73" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Jerusalem.JPG" /></a> 
 
Czech Republic has long been one of Israel's steadiest supporters in the European Union and its president, Milos Zeman, has backed the idea of relocating the Czech embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. However no steps have been taken.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-coronavirus-daily-death-toll-highest-since-april-cdc-urges-citizens-not-to-travel-during-christmas-347269">US coronavirus daily death toll highest since April; CDC urges citizens not to travel during Christmas</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-coronavirus-daily-death-toll-highest-since-april-cdc-urges-citizens-not-to-travel-during-christmas-347269"><img alt="USA" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c9a002bb-1224-4740-bd44-67ae55af2a81" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/us%20coronav.JPG" /></a> 
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention said citizens who haven't got themselves tested should avoid "nonessential activities" for ten days after travel.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-coronavirus-vaccine-candidate-arrives-in-brazil-347266">Chinese coronavirus vaccine candidate arrives in Brazil</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-coronavirus-vaccine-candidate-arrives-in-brazil-347266"><img alt="vaccine" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="22b6a394-ff43-4989-80b3-c7c2f252f1c5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/coronavirus_2.JPG" /></a> 
 
It is the second shipment of the vaccine, which still needs approval from federal health regulator Anvisa before it can be used, to arrive in Brazil, after 120,000 doses landed from China on Nov. 19

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-pm-imran-khan-approves-rules-to-improve-bureaucracy-performance-347267">Pakistan PM Imran Khan approves rules to improve bureaucracy performance</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-pm-imran-khan-approves-rules-to-improve-bureaucracy-performance-347267"><img alt="Imran Khan" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2df8d205-f7d1-4bc1-9c45-f6238b2d3854" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Imran%20Khan_0.JPG" /></a> 
Imran Khan said before it had been seen that at whatever point an official (yet not the power) was allocated to hold request, he generally discarded the issue either by granting minor discipline or under some impact or weight

More countries are taking steps towards common use of coronavirus vaccines. Russia is likely to begin vaccination drive from December. Meanwhile US President Donald Trump is said to be in a mood to fire Attorney General William Barr.

More countries are taking steps towards common use of coronavirus vaccines. Russia is likely to begin vaccination drive from December. Meanwhile US President Donald Trump is said to be in a mood to fire Attorney General William Barr. Read this and more in Top 10 world news US ban of CCP members: Abnormal mindset towards Communist Party, says China Reports that the US government will issue new entry rules for Chinese Communist Party members travelling to the United States. Russia to begin vaccination drive against COVID-19 from December 5 Russian mayor Sergei Sobyanin asserted that teachers, doctors and social workers will be the first to be administered the Sputnik V vaccine. Will Trump fire US Attorney General Barr? It can't be ruled out If Trump fires William Barr, he will not be the first Attorney General Trump has compelled to leave office. Former Pakistan PM Jamali, who held office under Musharraf, dies Jamali took office in November 2002 when Musharraf allowed holding parliamentary elections after coming into power via a military coup China unveils guidelines on mobile apps' collection of personal data China has increased scrutiny of its technology sector in recent weeks, last month drafting anti-monopoly rules for tech firms Bangladesh begins controversial transfer of Rohingya to island Almost a million Rohingya -- most of whom fled a military offensive in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017 -- live in a vast network of squalid camps in south-east Bangladesh. Czech Republic to open diplomatic office in Jerusalem Czech Republic has long been one of Israel's steadiest supporters in the European Union and its president, Milos Zeman, has backed the idea of relocating the Czech embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. However no steps have been taken. US coronavirus daily death toll highest since April; CDC urges citizens not to travel during Christmas The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention said citizens who haven't got themselves tested should avoid "nonessential activities" for ten days after travel. Chinese coronavirus vaccine candidate arrives in Brazil It is the second shipment of the vaccine, which still needs approval from federal health regulator Anvisa before it can be used, to arrive in Brazil, after 120,000 doses landed from China on Nov. 19 Pakistan PM Imran Khan approves rules to improve bureaucracy performance Imran Khan said before it had been seen that at whatever point an official (yet not the power) was allocated to hold request, he generally discarded the issue either by granting minor discipline or under some impact or weight

Top 10 world news: China lashes out at US, coronavirus vaccine latest, and more!

Brazil has received 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine being developed by Sinovac Biotech. The vaccine is undergoing late-stage testing by Butantan Institute biomedical centre in Sao Paulo state. The vaccines were received at the institute.

The materials for the CoronaVac vaccine, which will be packaged and labeled at Butantan's facilities, arrived at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport.

It is the second shipment of the vaccine, which still needs approval from federal health regulator Anvisa before it can be used, to arrive in Brazil, after 120,000 doses landed from China on Nov. 19.

"By the end of this month of December, we will be receiving 6 million doses," and another 40 million by January 15, Sao Paulo Governor João Doria said.

Doria watched as the consignment arrived at Guarulhos International airport.

The Governor is going it alone on vaccines. He said he hopes to roll out the vaccine in his state by January even if it is not part of the federal government's immunisation plan to counter COVID-19.

He said that the vaccine would save of millions of lives, as Brazil has now registered 6,436,650 cases and 174,515 deaths due to coronavirus, the second highest death rate in the world after the United States.

Anvisa said on Wednesday it was open to approving COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, that authorizations would be analyzed on a case-by-case basis and that to be considered the vaccine must be in late-stage trials in Brazil. It said no requests had been received so far.

According to data already available from previous stages of clinical trials, Butantan and Sinovac claim that the vaccine candidate was shown to be safe and induced an immune response in 97% of the volunteers.

(With Reuters inputs) 
&nbsp;

Brazil has received 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine being developed by Sinovac Biotech. The vaccine is undergoing late-stage testing by Butantan Institute biomedical centre in Sao Paulo state.

Brazil has received 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine being developed by Sinovac Biotech. The vaccine is undergoing late-stage testing by Butantan Institute biomedical centre in Sao Paulo state. The vaccines were received at the institute. The materials for the CoronaVac vaccine, which will be packaged and labeled at Butantan's facilities, arrived at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport. It is the second shipment of the vaccine, which still needs approval from federal health regulator Anvisa before it can be used, to arrive in Brazil, after 120,000 doses landed from China on Nov. 19. "By the end of this month of December, we will be receiving 6 million doses," and another 40 million by January 15, Sao Paulo Governor João Doria said. Doria watched as the consignment arrived at Guarulhos International airport. The Governor is going it alone on vaccines. He said he hopes to roll out the vaccine in his state by January even if it is not part of the federal government's immunisation plan to counter COVID-19. He said that the vaccine would save of millions of lives, as Brazil has now registered 6,436,650 cases and 174,515 deaths due to coronavirus, the second highest death rate in the world after the United States. Anvisa said on Wednesday it was open to approving COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, that authorizations would be analyzed on a case-by-case basis and that to be considered the vaccine must be in late-stage trials in Brazil. It said no requests had been received so far. According to data already available from previous stages of clinical trials, Butantan and Sinovac claim that the vaccine candidate was shown to be safe and induced an immune response in 97% of the volunteers. (With Reuters inputs)

Chinese coronavirus vaccine candidate arrives in Brazil

Britain has become the first Western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use, giving the green light to the Pfizer/BioNTech drug.

As authorities in the US and Europe probe other candidates, here is how countries have sped up their approval procedures to face up to the pandemic.

Britain: 'rolling reviews'

Britain was able to approve the Pfizer vaccine after the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave its all-clear.

The MHRA used a "rolling review" process from June to assess the vaccine in record time.

Teams of scientists had worked "around the clock" on different aspects of the safety assessment, often tackling several topics in parallel, MHRA chief June Raine said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock and others claimed that Britain's departure from the EU had allowed it to approve the vaccine faster than its continental neighbours.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-could-have-broken-out-in-us-before-being-officially-confirmed-in-china-347127">Coronavirus could have broken out in US before being officially confirmed in China</a> 
 
"Unlike the EMA (European Medicines Agency), they can ask questions as they go and obtain responses faster as a single agency," said Penny Ward, professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King's College London.

Raine insisted that "no corners whatsoever have been cut" in the vaccine approval process.

Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, told the BBC on Thursday that "I actually don't expect other regulators... to be very far behind with this vaccine," saying approvals elsewhere were likely "a matter of days".

EU: accelerated procedures

The Amsterdam-based EMA, which regulates medicines across the 27 EU countries, has also turned to a "rolling review" process for safety and effectiveness data from Covid-19 vaccine developers.

All three of the most advanced candidates -- Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford/Astrazeneca -- have been subject to the scheme for several weeks already.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-immunise-100-million-people-by-february-top-official-347067">US to immunise 100 million people by February: Top official</a> 
 
According to the EMA, the accelerated procedures are granted for medicines "that fulfil an unmet medical need on the basis of less complete data than normally required."

The normal pipeline for vaccines would see all the data collected and submitted at the very start of the authorisation process.

An EMA decision on Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine is expected "by December 29 at the latest", while a ruling on Moderna's version should follow by January 12.

It is up to the European Commission in Brussels to issue the final green light.

US: advisory committee

Both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna have requested emergency use authorisation (EUA) for their Covid-19 vaccines from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

But the American process is slower than the British one and involves a public consultation.

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The FDA carries out its own analysis of the vaccine and calls on an independent advisory committee.

"The FDA process is a completely transparent process with independent experts commenting and asking questions and recommending or advising the agency," Moncef Slaoui, scientific advisor to Washington's Operation Warp Speed (OWS) program, said Wednesday.

The advisory committee is scheduled for a December 10 meeting on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and for Moderna on December 17.

FDA decisions on the two drugs should follow those meetings. If the agency approves them, the vaccines could be available in the US -- the world's hardest-hit country with more than 270,000 deaths -- in December.

Russia: simplified procedure

Testing on medical products under development is carried out by the Russian health ministry's "scientific centre for evaluation of medicines".

According to its official vaccine website, "unlike many countries, there is a system of state testing, using comparable medications, a double-blind study and other control tests independent of the developers".

President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to simplify procedures for state registration of some medicines, so as to speed up approval for a vaccine.

Testing on the country's Sputnik V vaccine began in mid-February, and on August 1 the first and second phases of clinical trials were complete.

Authorities approved the inoculation on August 11 before Phase 3 trials had even begun. The large-scale study on 40,000 volunteers is now complete, but results have not been made public.

Putin has told authorities to begin "large-scale" vaccinations among at-risk populations from next week.

The drugs should be made generally available to the Russian public in early 2021.

Russia has also started a mass vaccination campaign in the army, expecting to vaccinate 80,000 soldiers by the end of this year and more than 400,000 servicemen in the future.

China: Last-stage trials and emergency use

China has four coronavirus vaccines in phase 3 trials -- typically the last step before regulatory approval -- but has not released much of its data.

Although regulators have yet to approve China's vaccines for mass distribution, the country has approved some advanced candidates for emergency use, giving jabs to people ranging from state employees to international students since July.

Nearly a million people have already taken an experimental vaccine by Sinopharm, the company said in November. Another firm, Sinovac Biotech, earlier said almost all its employees and their families had voluntarily taken its vaccine.

Britain has become the first Western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use, giving the green light to the Pfizer/BioNTech drug. As authorities in the US and Europe probe other candidates, here is how countries have sped up their approval procedures to face up to the pandemic.

Britain has become the first Western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use, giving the green light to the Pfizer/BioNTech drug. As authorities in the US and Europe probe other candidates, here is how countries have sped up their approval procedures to face up to the pandemic. Britain: 'rolling reviews' Britain was able to approve the Pfizer vaccine after the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave its all-clear. The MHRA used a "rolling review" process from June to assess the vaccine in record time. Teams of scientists had worked "around the clock" on different aspects of the safety assessment, often tackling several topics in parallel, MHRA chief June Raine said. Health Secretary Matt Hancock and others claimed that Britain's departure from the EU had allowed it to approve the vaccine faster than its continental neighbours. Also Read | Coronavirus could have broken out in US before being officially confirmed in China "Unlike the EMA (European Medicines Agency), they can ask questions as they go and obtain responses faster as a single agency," said Penny Ward, professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King's College London. Raine insisted that "no corners whatsoever have been cut" in the vaccine approval process. Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, told the BBC on Thursday that "I actually don't expect other regulators... to be very far behind with this vaccine," saying approvals elsewhere were likely "a matter of days". EU: accelerated procedures The Amsterdam-based EMA, which regulates medicines across the 27 EU countries, has also turned to a "rolling review" process for safety and effectiveness data from Covid-19 vaccine developers. All three of the most advanced candidates -- Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford/Astrazeneca -- have been subject to the scheme for several weeks already. Also Read | US to immunise 100 million people by February: Top official According to the EMA, the accelerated procedures are granted for medicines "that fulfil an unmet medical need on the basis of less complete data than normally required." The normal pipeline for vaccines would see all the data collected and submitted at the very start of the authorisation process. An EMA decision on Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine is expected "by December 29 at the latest", while a ruling on Moderna's version should follow by January 12. It is up to the European Commission in Brussels to issue the final green light. US: advisory committee Both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna have requested emergency use authorisation (EUA) for their Covid-19 vaccines from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But the American process is slower than the British one and involves a public consultation. × The FDA carries out its own analysis of the vaccine and calls on an independent advisory committee. "The FDA process is a completely transparent process with independent experts commenting and asking questions and recommending or advising the agency," Moncef Slaoui, scientific advisor to Washington's Operation Warp Speed (OWS) program, said Wednesday. The advisory committee is scheduled for a December 10 meeting on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and for Moderna on December 17. FDA decisions on the two drugs should follow those meetings. If the agency approves them, the vaccines could be available in the US -- the world's hardest-hit country with more than 270,000 deaths -- in December. Russia: simplified procedure Testing on medical products under development is carried out by the Russian health ministry's "scientific centre for evaluation of medicines". According to its official vaccine website, "unlike many countries, there is a system of state testing, using comparable medications, a double-blind study and other control tests independent of the developers". President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to simplify procedures for state registration of some medicines, so as to speed up approval for a vaccine. Testing on the country's Sputnik V vaccine began in mid-February, and on August 1 the first and second phases of clinical trials were complete. Authorities approved the inoculation on August 11 before Phase 3 trials had even begun. The large-scale study on 40,000 volunteers is now complete, but results have not been made public. Putin has told authorities to begin "large-scale" vaccinations among at-risk populations from next week. The drugs should be made generally available to the Russian public in early 2021. Russia has also started a mass vaccination campaign in the army, expecting to vaccinate 80,000 soldiers by the end of this year and more than 400,000 servicemen in the future. China: Last-stage trials and emergency use China has four coronavirus vaccines in phase 3 trials -- typically the last step before regulatory approval -- but has not released much of its data. Although regulators have yet to approve China's vaccines for mass distribution, the country has approved some advanced candidates for emergency use, giving jabs to people ranging from state employees to international students since July. Nearly a million people have already taken an experimental vaccine by Sinopharm, the company said in November. Another firm, Sinovac Biotech, earlier said almost all its employees and their families had voluntarily taken its vaccine.

How the world has sped up vaccine approvals

The total number of coronavirus cases on Thursday went past 95 lakh, while the total number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 89.73 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 94.11 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 95,34,964 with 35,551 new infections being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 1,38,648 with 526 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 89,73,373 pushing the national recovery rate to 94.11 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent.

The active COVID-19 caseload continued to remain below 5 lakh.

There are 4,22,943 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 4.44 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5.

It went past &nbsp;50 lakh on September 16, &nbsp;60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on &nbsp;October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, and surpassed 90 lakh on November 20.

According to the ICMR, 14,35,57,647 samples have been tested up to December 1 with 11,11,698 samples being tested on Tuesday.

(With inputs from agencies)

The total number of coronavirus cases on Thursday went past 95 lakh, while the total number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 89.73 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 94.

The total number of coronavirus cases on Thursday went past 95 lakh, while the total number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 89.73 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 94.11 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 95,34,964 with 35,551 new infections being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 1,38,648 with 526 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 89,73,373 pushing the national recovery rate to 94.11 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent. The active COVID-19 caseload continued to remain below 5 lakh. There are 4,22,943 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 4.44 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5. It went past 50 lakh on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, and surpassed 90 lakh on November 20. According to the ICMR, 14,35,57,647 samples have been tested up to December 1 with 11,11,698 samples being tested on Tuesday. (With inputs from agencies)

COVID-19 caseload in India breaches 95, 00,000 mark

The Union Health Ministry of India has said that country has reported more daily COVID-19 recoveries than the daily new infections in the last 24 hours leading to a net decline of 5,701 cases from the total active caseload which fell below the 4.5 per cent mark.

There are 4,22,943 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 4.44 per cent of the total caseload, the data showed.

While 35,551 people were found to be infected with COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, during the same period, 40,726 new recoveries were reported, the ministry said.

"It has led to a net decline of 5,701 cases from the total COVID-19 active caseload in a span of 24 hours. The new recoveries have overtaken the daily new cases continuously since the last six days," the ministry highlighted.

The national recovery rate has improved as well to 94.11 per cent while the total recovered cases stand at 89,73,373, the ministry said.

"The gap between recoveries and active cases is steadily increasing and presently stands at 85,50,430," the ministry said.

It said 77.64 per cent of the new recovered cases are contributed by 10 states and Union Territories.

At 5,924, the maximum recoveries were reported from Kerala, while Delhi saw 5,329 daily recoveries and Maharashtra 3,796 new recoveries.

The ministry said 10 states and UTs have contributed 75.5 per cent of the new COVID-19 cases.

While Kerala reported 6,316 cases in a span of 24 hours, Delhi recorded 3,944 new cases and Maharashtra registered 3,350 new cases, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, 79.28 per cent of the 526 case fatalities reported in a day are from 10 states and UTs while 21.10 per cent of the new fatalities reported are from Maharashtra which reported 111 deaths.

Delhi also saw a fatality count of 82 while West Bengal reported 51 new deaths.

The total coronavirus cases rose to 95,34,964 with 35,551 new infections being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 1,38,648 with 526 new fatalities, the data updated at 8.00 am showed.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Union Health Ministry of India has said that country has reported more daily COVID-19 recoveries than the daily new infections in the last 24 hours leading to a net decline of 5,701 cases from the total active caseload which fell below the 4.

The Union Health Ministry of India has said that country has reported more daily COVID-19 recoveries than the daily new infections in the last 24 hours leading to a net decline of 5,701 cases from the total active caseload which fell below the 4.5 per cent mark. There are 4,22,943 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 4.44 per cent of the total caseload, the data showed. While 35,551 people were found to be infected with COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, during the same period, 40,726 new recoveries were reported, the ministry said. "It has led to a net decline of 5,701 cases from the total COVID-19 active caseload in a span of 24 hours. The new recoveries have overtaken the daily new cases continuously since the last six days," the ministry highlighted. The national recovery rate has improved as well to 94.11 per cent while the total recovered cases stand at 89,73,373, the ministry said. "The gap between recoveries and active cases is steadily increasing and presently stands at 85,50,430," the ministry said. It said 77.64 per cent of the new recovered cases are contributed by 10 states and Union Territories. At 5,924, the maximum recoveries were reported from Kerala, while Delhi saw 5,329 daily recoveries and Maharashtra 3,796 new recoveries. The ministry said 10 states and UTs have contributed 75.5 per cent of the new COVID-19 cases. While Kerala reported 6,316 cases in a span of 24 hours, Delhi recorded 3,944 new cases and Maharashtra registered 3,350 new cases, the ministry said. According to the ministry, 79.28 per cent of the 526 case fatalities reported in a day are from 10 states and UTs while 21.10 per cent of the new fatalities reported are from Maharashtra which reported 111 deaths. Delhi also saw a fatality count of 82 while West Bengal reported 51 new deaths. The total coronavirus cases rose to 95,34,964 with 35,551 new infections being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 1,38,648 with 526 new fatalities, the data updated at 8.00 am showed. (With inputs from agencies)

Daily Covid-19 recoveries outnumber new cases in India

The Serum Institute of India has demanded Rs 100 crore as damages to its reputation in a defamation suit after a Chennai-based volunteer served a legal notice to the Serum Institute of India (SII) demanding Rs 5 crore compensation for the alleged neurological complications he developed after being administered a test dose of its Covidshield vaccine. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-astrazeneca-vaccine-causes-adverse-reaction-in-volunteer-inquiry-underway-346308">Also read: Vaccine causes adverse reaction in volunteer, inquiry underway</a>

Terming vaccine trial participant's claims as "malicious and misconceived in nature" the Pune-based pharma giant claimed that "there is absolutely no correlation with the vaccine trial and the medical condition of the volunteer". 
 
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/sputnik-v-can-boost-efficacy-of-astrazeneca-vaccine-russian-research-centre-345769" hreflang="en">Sputnik V can boost efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine: Russian research centre</a>

"The allegations in the notice are malicious and misconceived. While the Serum Institute of India is sympathetic with the volunteer`s medical condition, there is absolutely no correlation with the vaccine trial and the medical condition of the volunteer. The volunteer is falsely laying the blame for his medical problems on the Covid vaccine trial," the SII said. 
 
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/oxfordastrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-to-undergo-new-global-trials-345677" hreflang="en">Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to undergo new global trials</a>

The SII stated that the medical team informed the volunteer that the complications were unrelated to the test dose administered to him.

"The claim is malicious because the volunteer was specifically informed by the medical team that the complications he suffered were independent of the vaccine trial he underwent. In spite of specifically being made aware of the same, he still chose to go public and malign the reputation of the company," it stated.

"It is evident that the intention behind the spreading of such malicious information is an oblique pecuniary motive. The Serum Institute of India will seek damages in excess of 100 crore for the same and will defend such malicious claims," the SII warned.

The 40-year-old volunteer, who works as a business consultant, had, in the legal notice, stated that he "must be compensated, in the least, for all the sufferings that he and his family have undergone and are likely to undergo in future".

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According to the notice, the participant has been diagnosed with acute neuro encephalopathy, which has allegedly been linked as a side-effect of the Covishield shots that he took on October 1.

Along with the SII, the notice was served to other avenues involved in the development and production of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

"Our client developed severe neurological health complications after he was given the test dose. We had sent a legal notice to the Serum Institute; Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR); AstraZeneca, UK; Drugs Controller General of India; Andrew Pollard, Chief Investigator, Oxford Vaccine Trial; The Jenner Institute Laboratories, University of Oxford; and the Vice-Chancellor of Sri Ramachandra Higher Education and Research," N.G.R. Prasad, an advocate of the volunteer, said.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Serum Institute of India has demanded Rs 100 crore as damages to its reputation in a defamation suit after a Chennai-based volunteer served a legal notice to the Serum Institute of India (SII) demanding Rs 5 crore compensation for the alleged neurological complications he developed after being administered a test dose of its Covidshield vaccine.

The Serum Institute of India has demanded Rs 100 crore as damages to its reputation in a defamation suit after a Chennai-based volunteer served a legal notice to the Serum Institute of India (SII) demanding Rs 5 crore compensation for the alleged neurological complications he developed after being administered a test dose of its Covidshield vaccine. Also read: Vaccine causes adverse reaction in volunteer, inquiry underway Terming vaccine trial participant's claims as "malicious and misconceived in nature" the Pune-based pharma giant claimed that "there is absolutely no correlation with the vaccine trial and the medical condition of the volunteer". Also read: Sputnik V can boost efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine: Russian research centre "The allegations in the notice are malicious and misconceived. While the Serum Institute of India is sympathetic with the volunteer`s medical condition, there is absolutely no correlation with the vaccine trial and the medical condition of the volunteer. The volunteer is falsely laying the blame for his medical problems on the Covid vaccine trial," the SII said. Also read: Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to undergo new global trials The SII stated that the medical team informed the volunteer that the complications were unrelated to the test dose administered to him. "The claim is malicious because the volunteer was specifically informed by the medical team that the complications he suffered were independent of the vaccine trial he underwent. In spite of specifically being made aware of the same, he still chose to go public and malign the reputation of the company," it stated. "It is evident that the intention behind the spreading of such malicious information is an oblique pecuniary motive. The Serum Institute of India will seek damages in excess of 100 crore for the same and will defend such malicious claims," the SII warned. The 40-year-old volunteer, who works as a business consultant, had, in the legal notice, stated that he "must be compensated, in the least, for all the sufferings that he and his family have undergone and are likely to undergo in future". × According to the notice, the participant has been diagnosed with acute neuro encephalopathy, which has allegedly been linked as a side-effect of the Covishield shots that he took on October 1. Along with the SII, the notice was served to other avenues involved in the development and production of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate. "Our client developed severe neurological health complications after he was given the test dose. We had sent a legal notice to the Serum Institute; Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR); AstraZeneca, UK; Drugs Controller General of India; Andrew Pollard, Chief Investigator, Oxford Vaccine Trial; The Jenner Institute Laboratories, University of Oxford; and the Vice-Chancellor of Sri Ramachandra Higher Education and Research," N.G.R. Prasad, an advocate of the volunteer, said. (With inputs from agencies)

Serum Institute of India rejects charges by ‘Covishield’ volunteer, threatens to seek Rs 100 cr damages

Coronavirus vaccine trials are going on in India and across the world and the race for the vaccine is in the last leg. India is a key player in global fight against coronavirus pandemic. CEO of Serum Institute of India, world's largest vaccine maker, has reiterated that the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be made available in India initially. Adar Poonawala (CEO, Serum Institute of India) made the statement on the same day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the company on Saturday (November 28).

Poonawala said that the institute will look at the COVAX countries after the vaccine has been made available in India. COVAX countries are mainly in Africa. Poonawala said that while AstraZeneca and Oxford University were taking care of markets in UK and Europe, Serum Institute's priority would be India and COVAX countries.

"As of now, we don't have anything in writing with the govt of India on how many doses they will purchase but the indication is that it would be 300-400 million doses by July, 2021," he said. He was quoted by ANI.

PM Narendra Modi visited Serum Institute of India after visiting other vaccine hubs like Ahmedbabad. Zydus-Cadila is developing a vaccine in Ahmedabad while Bharat Biotech is developing an indigenous vaccine.

Speaking after Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s visit to the SII facility in Pune, Poonawalla said PM Modi discussed in detail the vaccination scenario and reviewed the vaccine production status. Poonawala said he was amazed how well-versed PM Modi was about vaccines.

"Had a good interaction with the team at Serum Institute of India. They shared details about their progress so far on how they plan to further ramp up vaccine manufacturing. Also took a look at their manufacturing facility," PM Modi said in a tweet after his visit.

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Had a good interaction with the team at Serum Institute of India. They shared details about their progress so far on how they plan to further ramp up vaccine manufacturing. Also took a look at their manufacturing facility. <a href="https://t.co/PvL22uq0nl">pic.twitter.com/PvL22uq0nl</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1332671849545797632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

SII is in the process of applying of emergency use licence in two weeks. It will be distributed in India initially and then the Covax countries of Africa. 
&nbsp;

Coronavirus vaccine trials are going on in India and across the world and the race for the vaccine is in the last leg. India is a key player in global fight against coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus vaccine trials are going on in India and across the world and the race for the vaccine is in the last leg. India is a key player in global fight against coronavirus pandemic. CEO of Serum Institute of India, world's largest vaccine maker, has reiterated that the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be made available in India initially. Adar Poonawala (CEO, Serum Institute of India) made the statement on the same day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the company on Saturday (November 28). Poonawala said that the institute will look at the COVAX countries after the vaccine has been made available in India. COVAX countries are mainly in Africa. Poonawala said that while AstraZeneca and Oxford University were taking care of markets in UK and Europe, Serum Institute's priority would be India and COVAX countries. "As of now, we don't have anything in writing with the govt of India on how many doses they will purchase but the indication is that it would be 300-400 million doses by July, 2021," he said. He was quoted by ANI. PM Narendra Modi visited Serum Institute of India after visiting other vaccine hubs like Ahmedbabad. Zydus-Cadila is developing a vaccine in Ahmedabad while Bharat Biotech is developing an indigenous vaccine. Speaking after Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s visit to the SII facility in Pune, Poonawalla said PM Modi discussed in detail the vaccination scenario and reviewed the vaccine production status. Poonawala said he was amazed how well-versed PM Modi was about vaccines. "Had a good interaction with the team at Serum Institute of India. They shared details about their progress so far on how they plan to further ramp up vaccine manufacturing. Also took a look at their manufacturing facility," PM Modi said in a tweet after his visit. Had a good interaction with the team at Serum Institute of India. They shared details about their progress so far on how they plan to further ramp up vaccine manufacturing. Also took a look at their manufacturing facility. pic.twitter.com/PvL22uq0nl — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 28, 2020 × SII is in the process of applying of emergency use licence in two weeks. It will be distributed in India initially and then the Covax countries of Africa.

COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed in India initially, Serum Institute reiterates

With the year 2020 inevitably ending in the next few weeks, the thought amongst the people all over the world is whether the coming year 2021 will be free of COVID 19 (justifiably known as Wuhan virus, as it certainly spread only from Wuhan in China).

In early 2020, many people thought that COVID 19 would be a localized affair in China but later on, it proved to be a global pandemic.

While the USA, European countries and India were amongst those heavily impacted by COVID 19, China claimed that it had “conquered” COVID 19 virus. &nbsp;As transparency is notoriously absent in countries like China and North Korea, till today, no one believes that these two countries have freed themselves completely from CIOVID 19 pandemic.

The controversy, whether COVID 19 virus leaked out accidentally from a laboratory in Wuhan or allowed to spread by China, would continue for a long time to come and when the world would one day be out of this COVID 19 crisis, several investigations would be carried out on how the virus really happened. China would be in the centre of such controversies for all time in future.

While COVID 19 has caused great sufferings and death of many thousands of people, another worst impact is that the confidence of the world community that the world could be made a healthy place due to the scientific advancements have been badly shaken.

Of course, due credit should be given to the medical research agencies and pharmaceutical companies for having initiated massive research efforts to find a vaccine to treat COVID 19. However, nearly ten months of research efforts have not still yielded adequately reliable and positive results. &nbsp;While the world community is grateful to the medical researchers, the inner feeling amongst the cross-section of people is that maybe science and research have limitations. &nbsp;Nobody can say anything conclusively on this at this stage.

Now, the uppermost question is as to what is in store for the world in 2021.&nbsp;While everyone wishes that science should defeat COVID 19 virus, everyone is keeping the fingers crossed and with feelings of very high anxiety.

&nbsp;In the absence of foolproof treatment, some cosmetic solutions were suggested desperately like wearing the mask, washing hands, drinking hot water, social distancing etc. While the governments helplessly declared lockout to prevent the spread of the virus and many people observed the guidelines such as wearing masks etc., everyone knows that this cannot be the ultimate solution.

The World Health Organisation has now become conspicuous due to several of its failures such as not forewarning the world, issuing frequently contradictory statements and it’s poor leadership have been thoroughly exposed. Today, people do not think that WHO can help in finding a solution to outsmart this dreaded virus.&nbsp;

With much fanfare, US President Trump claimed that hydroxychloroquine could be the drug of choice to treat the COVID 19. Some scientists agreed and some disagreed and finally the faith in hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus have now been completely lost.

The next drug suggested was Remdesivir drug, which was supported by several scientists and many hospitals started prescribing it for COVID patients. Now, WHO has issued a statement that Remdesivir is no good for treating COVID 19.&nbsp;

Then, plasma treatment was suggested and some scientists agreed and some did not. Now, WHO again issued a statement rejecting plasma treatment.

Thus, medical researchers have been agreeing and disagreeing about the drug for treating COVID 19.

These days, the world has been constantly hearing about the “successful” development of a vaccine to treat the virus. &nbsp;One company claims 90% success for its vaccine, another one claims 95% success for its vaccine and third one claims 70% success. Meanwhile, Russia started claiming that it has developed the vaccine and named it sputnik, without revealing any detailed data to enable the scientists across the world to verify the claims. . Meanwhile, China, as usual, has claimed success in the development of vaccines and nobody knows whether it has really done it.

The highest matter of concern about the claimed success of the vaccine is that several acknowledged and prescribed stages for testing the efficacy of the vaccine have been bypassed. &nbsp;While it is known that the clinical trial conducted properly would take around 5 to 6 years, the success of vaccine has been claimed after conducting trials just for three to four months.

It is very well known that the same drug or vaccine has different levels of positive or adverse impact on people living in different climatic conditions, with different food habits and different age groups. &nbsp; Many people think that announcing success rates for developed vaccines without worldwide clinical trials for adequate periods is not only a calculated risk but could also be termed as an unethical medical claim.

However, given the desperate conditions that the world faces today, nobody wants to raise the shortened clinical trial as an issue and everyone is hoping against hope that the calculated risk of using these vaccines would be less and at an acceptable level.&nbsp;

One has to keep in view the fact that in the last several years, a number of drugs which have been approved and used after elaborate clinical trials have been later on proved to be harmful and banned.&nbsp; The world is hoping that the vaccine developed for COVID 19 will not have a similar fate.

The question haunting everyone as the year 2021 will dawn is whether the introduced new vaccines may do more harm than good due to hitherto unknown side effects. People silently wonder whether an unfortunate situation would develop when the year 2021 would become the victim of hastily developed vaccines to treat COVID 19, just as the world became a victim of COVID 19 in 2020.

The worldwide consensus now appears to be that the crisis is so serious that every possible solution should be tried to save humanity, irrespective of the cost and risk involved.

While the world prays that year 2021 should be free of COVID 19, the world also prays that the developed vaccines should work successfully.

The desperate world is now praying to God to help humanity out of this crisis. Is there any other way?

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do&nbsp;not represent the views of&nbsp;WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse&nbsp;the views of the writer)

With the year 2020 inevitably ending in the next few weeks, the thought amongst the people all over the world is whether the coming year 2021 will be free of COVID 19 (justifiably known as Wuhan virus, as it certainly spread only from Wuhan in China).

With the year 2020 inevitably ending in the next few weeks, the thought amongst the people all over the world is whether the coming year 2021 will be free of COVID 19 (justifiably known as Wuhan virus, as it certainly spread only from Wuhan in China). In early 2020, many people thought that COVID 19 would be a localized affair in China but later on, it proved to be a global pandemic. While the USA, European countries and India were amongst those heavily impacted by COVID 19, China claimed that it had “conquered” COVID 19 virus. As transparency is notoriously absent in countries like China and North Korea, till today, no one believes that these two countries have freed themselves completely from CIOVID 19 pandemic. The controversy, whether COVID 19 virus leaked out accidentally from a laboratory in Wuhan or allowed to spread by China, would continue for a long time to come and when the world would one day be out of this COVID 19 crisis, several investigations would be carried out on how the virus really happened. China would be in the centre of such controversies for all time in future. While COVID 19 has caused great sufferings and death of many thousands of people, another worst impact is that the confidence of the world community that the world could be made a healthy place due to the scientific advancements have been badly shaken. Of course, due credit should be given to the medical research agencies and pharmaceutical companies for having initiated massive research efforts to find a vaccine to treat COVID 19. However, nearly ten months of research efforts have not still yielded adequately reliable and positive results. While the world community is grateful to the medical researchers, the inner feeling amongst the cross-section of people is that maybe science and research have limitations. Nobody can say anything conclusively on this at this stage. Now, the uppermost question is as to what is in store for the world in 2021. While everyone wishes that science should defeat COVID 19 virus, everyone is keeping the fingers crossed and with feelings of very high anxiety. In the absence of foolproof treatment, some cosmetic solutions were suggested desperately like wearing the mask, washing hands, drinking hot water, social distancing etc. While the governments helplessly declared lockout to prevent the spread of the virus and many people observed the guidelines such as wearing masks etc., everyone knows that this cannot be the ultimate solution. The World Health Organisation has now become conspicuous due to several of its failures such as not forewarning the world, issuing frequently contradictory statements and it’s poor leadership have been thoroughly exposed. Today, people do not think that WHO can help in finding a solution to outsmart this dreaded virus. With much fanfare, US President Trump claimed that hydroxychloroquine could be the drug of choice to treat the COVID 19. Some scientists agreed and some disagreed and finally the faith in hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus have now been completely lost. The next drug suggested was Remdesivir drug, which was supported by several scientists and many hospitals started prescribing it for COVID patients. Now, WHO has issued a statement that Remdesivir is no good for treating COVID 19. Then, plasma treatment was suggested and some scientists agreed and some did not. Now, WHO again issued a statement rejecting plasma treatment. Thus, medical researchers have been agreeing and disagreeing about the drug for treating COVID 19. These days, the world has been constantly hearing about the “successful” development of a vaccine to treat the virus. One company claims 90% success for its vaccine, another one claims 95% success for its vaccine and third one claims 70% success. Meanwhile, Russia started claiming that it has developed the vaccine and named it sputnik, without revealing any detailed data to enable the scientists across the world to verify the claims. . Meanwhile, China, as usual, has claimed success in the development of vaccines and nobody knows whether it has really done it. The highest matter of concern about the claimed success of the vaccine is that several acknowledged and prescribed stages for testing the efficacy of the vaccine have been bypassed. While it is known that the clinical trial conducted properly would take around 5 to 6 years, the success of vaccine has been claimed after conducting trials just for three to four months. It is very well known that the same drug or vaccine has different levels of positive or adverse impact on people living in different climatic conditions, with different food habits and different age groups. Many people think that announcing success rates for developed vaccines without worldwide clinical trials for adequate periods is not only a calculated risk but could also be termed as an unethical medical claim. However, given the desperate conditions that the world faces today, nobody wants to raise the shortened clinical trial as an issue and everyone is hoping against hope that the calculated risk of using these vaccines would be less and at an acceptable level. One has to keep in view the fact that in the last several years, a number of drugs which have been approved and used after elaborate clinical trials have been later on proved to be harmful and banned. The world is hoping that the vaccine developed for COVID 19 will not have a similar fate. The question haunting everyone as the year 2021 will dawn is whether the introduced new vaccines may do more harm than good due to hitherto unknown side effects. People silently wonder whether an unfortunate situation would develop when the year 2021 would become the victim of hastily developed vaccines to treat COVID 19, just as the world became a victim of COVID 19 in 2020. The worldwide consensus now appears to be that the crisis is so serious that every possible solution should be tried to save humanity, irrespective of the cost and risk involved. While the world prays that year 2021 should be free of COVID 19, the world also prays that the developed vaccines should work successfully. The desperate world is now praying to God to help humanity out of this crisis. Is there any other way? (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer)

Prayer for the Covid-19 free Year 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, visited Bharat Biotech, a Hyderabad-based Pharmaceutical company to know about the progress made in the development of indigenous coronavirus vaccine. The visit was part of his inspection of vaccine development in vaccine-hubs of India.

"At the Bharat Biotech facility in Hyderabad, was briefed about their indigenous Covid vaccine," Modi tweeted.

During his visit, PM Modi congratulated the scientists for the progress they made in the trial so far.

The Prime Minister met with the company officials in a conference hall and deliberated on the progress made in bringing out a vaccine.

Later, he also briefly interacted with a few employees.

Before flying to Hyderabad, PM Modi visited pharma major Zydus-Cadilla's work on vaccine development in Ahmedabad.

After his Hyderabad visit, PM Modi was due to fly to Pune for a visit to Serum Institute of India, the company that will manufacture coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford University and Astrazeneca.

(With agency inputs)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, visited Bharat Biotech, a Hyderabad-based Pharmaceutical company to know about the progress made in the development of indigenous coronavirus vaccine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, visited Bharat Biotech, a Hyderabad-based Pharmaceutical company to know about the progress made in the development of indigenous coronavirus vaccine. The visit was part of his inspection of vaccine development in vaccine-hubs of India. "At the Bharat Biotech facility in Hyderabad, was briefed about their indigenous Covid vaccine," Modi tweeted. During his visit, PM Modi congratulated the scientists for the progress they made in the trial so far. The Prime Minister met with the company officials in a conference hall and deliberated on the progress made in bringing out a vaccine. Later, he also briefly interacted with a few employees. Before flying to Hyderabad, PM Modi visited pharma major Zydus-Cadilla's work on vaccine development in Ahmedabad. After his Hyderabad visit, PM Modi was due to fly to Pune for a visit to Serum Institute of India, the company that will manufacture coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford University and Astrazeneca. (With agency inputs)

Bharat Biotech working with ICMR for speedy progress on vaccine: PM Modi

Mission to innoculate every human on this planet cannot be complete without India, the world's second-most populous nation. But this is not the only reason why India is important. More than 100 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine will be made in India. Russia's direct investment fund made the announcement today.

Developers of the Russian vaccine have tied up with an Indian drugmaker &nbsp;hetero to make the jab

The Sputnik V is just one of the many vaccines that will be produced in India. The vaccine is undergoing trials in India already. It was tested on 100 people in the first phase. The vaccine is now in its final phase of the trial in which it will be tested on thousands of people.

Data from this trial will be shared with the Indian regulators. If the vaccine works and is safe India will approve Sputnik V.

That would also mean, green lighting the large scale manufacturing in India.

It's not just the Russians who are betting on India's capabilities.

The makers of the Oxford vaccine have a similar arrangement with the Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine maker in the world.

If the jab gets the go-ahead. SII Wants to churn out 10 million doses every month.

It has an agreement to manufacture one billion doses of the Oxford vaccine.

Reportedly SII plans to reserve half of the stock for India.

The other half will be supplied to low-income nations through GAVI, a global vaccine alliance.

On Saturday, November 28 India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit three cities for a vaccine tour. He will visit the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad.

The company is making its own vaccine and expects to introduce it in March next year.

Then, prime minister Modi will be in Hyderabad to visit the facilities of Bharat Biotech, which is making Covaxin.

The prime minister's last stop will be the Pune-based Serum Institute of India.

India makes 60 percent of the world's vaccines. It is home to six major manufacturers. 30 vaccine candidates are being developed in India alone. Five are in clinical trials. India has around 27 thousand cold chain stores. From there vaccines can be supplied to eight million locations.

Of course, India needs more and better facilities to develop, store and distribute the vaccines. But these numbers should tell you why India has a headstart

When it comes to the vaccines, it's the same headstart that the world's leading vaccine makers are hoping to leverage to end this pandemic. 
&nbsp;

Mission to innoculate every human on this planet cannot be complete without India, the world's second-most populous nation. But this is not the only reason why India is important.

Mission to innoculate every human on this planet cannot be complete without India, the world's second-most populous nation. But this is not the only reason why India is important. More than 100 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine will be made in India. Russia's direct investment fund made the announcement today. Developers of the Russian vaccine have tied up with an Indian drugmaker hetero to make the jab The Sputnik V is just one of the many vaccines that will be produced in India. The vaccine is undergoing trials in India already. It was tested on 100 people in the first phase. The vaccine is now in its final phase of the trial in which it will be tested on thousands of people. Data from this trial will be shared with the Indian regulators. If the vaccine works and is safe India will approve Sputnik V. That would also mean, green lighting the large scale manufacturing in India. It's not just the Russians who are betting on India's capabilities. The makers of the Oxford vaccine have a similar arrangement with the Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine maker in the world. If the jab gets the go-ahead. SII Wants to churn out 10 million doses every month. It has an agreement to manufacture one billion doses of the Oxford vaccine. Reportedly SII plans to reserve half of the stock for India. The other half will be supplied to low-income nations through GAVI, a global vaccine alliance. On Saturday, November 28 India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit three cities for a vaccine tour. He will visit the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad. The company is making its own vaccine and expects to introduce it in March next year. Then, prime minister Modi will be in Hyderabad to visit the facilities of Bharat Biotech, which is making Covaxin. The prime minister's last stop will be the Pune-based Serum Institute of India. India makes 60 percent of the world's vaccines. It is home to six major manufacturers. 30 vaccine candidates are being developed in India alone. Five are in clinical trials. India has around 27 thousand cold chain stores. From there vaccines can be supplied to eight million locations. Of course, India needs more and better facilities to develop, store and distribute the vaccines. But these numbers should tell you why India has a headstart When it comes to the vaccines, it's the same headstart that the world's leading vaccine makers are hoping to leverage to end this pandemic.

India holds key to global fight against coronavirus pandemic

As the world inches closer to a vaccine that works, India is shaping its own strategy for a rollout to decide how will the vaccine be distributed. Because the world has its eyes on how India handles this. This is for two reasons,

<ul>
	<li>India has a large population. Putting an end to the pandemic here will be a big victory in the fight against the Wuhan virus. And vaccines are being seen as the ultimate weapon to defeat this pandemic.</li>
	<li>India is one of the biggest exporters of vaccines. And the early batches will have limited supplies. India has the responsibility of making sure that a shot reaches every Indian...</li>
</ul>

So, the world has an eye on what India's strategy could look like.

We have an early idea of India's playbook.

India could vaccinate at least 250 to 300 million citizens by july 2021. This could include about 30 million healthcare and frontline workers.

For this, India could end up procuring 500 to 600 million vaccine doses. This is a massive undertaking. One that would require coordination at the level of the central government, the states and the districts.

The most important question is, who will get these vaccines?

This could be a list of priorities.

<ul>
	<li>Healthcare workers would come first.</li>
	<li>Then citizens above 65 years of age.</li>
	<li>Then people within the age bracket of 50 to 65.</li>
	<li>Followed by those who are below 50 years of age and suffering from ailments</li>
</ul>

Reportedly, members of the police, paramilitary and those working in sanitisation could also get a shot on priority.

If you are below 50 years and are healthy you'll be last in line to get a shot. The vaccines will be given out only after regulatory approvals.

First, the manufacturers will have to move for permissions. They are likely to be allowed to supply the vaccines under emergency use authorisation. The vaccines will go to the health care workers first.

At least initially these vaccines may not be available commercially. You may not be able to go to a pharmacy and buy this shot. This means if you are healthy you will have to wait a little while longer.

India may not opt for the Pfizer vaccine.

Reportedly, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said it doesn't make sense for India to consider it yet. The vaccine hasn't been even given a license yet even by US Government.

Pfizer is an American company. It has moved for emergency authorization in the US. Its vaccine is one of the frontrunners in the rollout. The company plans to distribute the vaccine by Mid-December worldwide.

But there is a problem. This vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70-degree temperatures. Basically, in an ultra low-temperature freezer. Despite the hurdles Pfizer remains confident.

"If times go as as they should, we believe that by mid-december, at the end of december, the vaccine may be authorised for use and that way it can begin to be used in the united states, but we are also doing the same submission in other agency regulators around the world, in Australia, in Japan, in the united kingdom, in the European economic community, with which we are convinced that before the end of the year the vaccine will be used not only in the united states but in various parts of the world," said Alejandro Cane, Pfizer's head of vaccines, medical and scientific affairs for Latin America and Canada.

So, it seems like Pfizer will send its first vaccine consignments to the developed world.

Which vaccine will India end up getting then?

&nbsp;Reportedly, India has placed advanced orders for two vaccines. The Astrazeneca-Oxford shot and Sputnik V.

The Oxford vaccine will be supplied via the Serum Institute of India. The company says it has already produced 40 million doses and by January they could have up to 100 million doses.

The Serum Institute says it plans to sell each shot to the Indian Government for three dollars or 250 Indian Rupees.

This oxford vaccine can be up to 90 percent effective.

What about Sputnik V shot?

On Tuesday, its makers said this vaccine is 95 percent effective and they will sell it at 10 dollars per shot.&nbsp;

This is a two-shot vaccine. So that means 20 dollars for two shots.

In India, makers of the Sputnik V have tied up with Dr Reddy's. A trial is underway in India.&nbsp;

Earlier this month Russian President Vladimir Putin said that India and China may produce the Sputnik V for the world.

There is another option....Covaxin, made by Bharat Biotech.

Reportedly, Covaxin could be at least 60 percent effective. And it could be rolled out by mid-2021. The vaccine is in its last phase of trials.

So there are multiple options for India to choose from. All that we have to do now is wait for these shots to clear the safety tests.

As the world inches closer to a vaccine that works, India is shaping its own strategy for a rollout to decide how will the vaccine be distributed. Because the world has its eyes on how India handles this.

As the world inches closer to a vaccine that works, India is shaping its own strategy for a rollout to decide how will the vaccine be distributed. Because the world has its eyes on how India handles this. This is for two reasons, India has a large population. Putting an end to the pandemic here will be a big victory in the fight against the Wuhan virus. And vaccines are being seen as the ultimate weapon to defeat this pandemic. India is one of the biggest exporters of vaccines. And the early batches will have limited supplies. India has the responsibility of making sure that a shot reaches every Indian... So, the world has an eye on what India's strategy could look like. We have an early idea of India's playbook. India could vaccinate at least 250 to 300 million citizens by july 2021. This could include about 30 million healthcare and frontline workers. For this, India could end up procuring 500 to 600 million vaccine doses. This is a massive undertaking. One that would require coordination at the level of the central government, the states and the districts. The most important question is, who will get these vaccines? This could be a list of priorities. Healthcare workers would come first. Then citizens above 65 years of age. Then people within the age bracket of 50 to 65. Followed by those who are below 50 years of age and suffering from ailments Reportedly, members of the police, paramilitary and those working in sanitisation could also get a shot on priority. If you are below 50 years and are healthy you'll be last in line to get a shot. The vaccines will be given out only after regulatory approvals. First, the manufacturers will have to move for permissions. They are likely to be allowed to supply the vaccines under emergency use authorisation. The vaccines will go to the health care workers first. At least initially these vaccines may not be available commercially. You may not be able to go to a pharmacy and buy this shot. This means if you are healthy you will have to wait a little while longer. India may not opt for the Pfizer vaccine. Reportedly, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said it doesn't make sense for India to consider it yet. The vaccine hasn't been even given a license yet even by US Government. Pfizer is an American company. It has moved for emergency authorization in the US. Its vaccine is one of the frontrunners in the rollout. The company plans to distribute the vaccine by Mid-December worldwide. But there is a problem. This vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70-degree temperatures. Basically, in an ultra low-temperature freezer. Despite the hurdles Pfizer remains confident. "If times go as as they should, we believe that by mid-december, at the end of december, the vaccine may be authorised for use and that way it can begin to be used in the united states, but we are also doing the same submission in other agency regulators around the world, in Australia, in Japan, in the united kingdom, in the European economic community, with which we are convinced that before the end of the year the vaccine will be used not only in the united states but in various parts of the world," said Alejandro Cane, Pfizer's head of vaccines, medical and scientific affairs for Latin America and Canada. So, it seems like Pfizer will send its first vaccine consignments to the developed world. Which vaccine will India end up getting then? Reportedly, India has placed advanced orders for two vaccines. The Astrazeneca-Oxford shot and Sputnik V. The Oxford vaccine will be supplied via the Serum Institute of India. The company says it has already produced 40 million doses and by January they could have up to 100 million doses. The Serum Institute says it plans to sell each shot to the Indian Government for three dollars or 250 Indian Rupees. This oxford vaccine can be up to 90 percent effective. What about Sputnik V shot? On Tuesday, its makers said this vaccine is 95 percent effective and they will sell it at 10 dollars per shot. This is a two-shot vaccine. So that means 20 dollars for two shots. In India, makers of the Sputnik V have tied up with Dr Reddy's. A trial is underway in India. Earlier this month Russian President Vladimir Putin said that India and China may produce the Sputnik V for the world. There is another option....Covaxin, made by Bharat Biotech. Reportedly, Covaxin could be at least 60 percent effective. And it could be rolled out by mid-2021. The vaccine is in its last phase of trials. So there are multiple options for India to choose from. All that we have to do now is wait for these shots to clear the safety tests.

India shapes strategy for coronavirus vaccine rollout

Modest economic recovery next year on vaccine hopes.

Business Watch: Recent vaccine news has boosted Indian stocks

Britain President Boris Johnson has announced new measures which bring back regional approach to tackle COVID-19. Fresh measure has to be taken to open business where infection rate is low. Boris Johnson has said that government will not force anyone to get vaccinated.

Britain Government will not force anyone to get vaccinated

AstraZeneca has announced that its vaccine candidate has shown an average efficacy of about 70% , The vaccine candidate has been developed along with the Oxford. The potential vaccine against the novel coronavirus maybe around 90 percent effective, the company said citing interim analysis of results from late-stage clinical trials.

Oxford-AstraZeneca says COVID-19 vaccine candidate is 70% effective

India has said that the final trails of indigenous vaccine could end in another 2 months. Covaxin, the vaccine candidate developed by Bharat Biotech India Limited (BBIL) in collaboration with Indian ICMR, has received approvals from DCGI's. Expert Committee has given the approval of the final and Phase III clinical trials.

India plans to vaccinate over 200 million people by July 2021

A top official of the US government's vaccine development effort has said on Sunday that the United States hopes to begin a sweeping program of Covid vaccinations in early December. 
 
Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasal-spray-that-aims-to-fight-covid-19-other-respiratory-illness-gets-million-dollar-funding-344698">Nasal spray that aims to fight Covid-19, other respiratory illness gets million-dollar funding</a>

Some 70% of the US population of 330 million would need to be inoculated to achieve "herd" immunity from the virus, a goal the country could achieve by May, according to Dr Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for "Operation Warp Speed."

Slaoui said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would likely grant approval in mid-December for distribution of the vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech, launching the largest inoculation campaign in U.S. history. 
 
'Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of approval' by the US Food and Drug Administration,' Moncef Slaoui said.

"So I expect maybe on Day Two of the approval, on the 11th or the 12th of December."

Citing reports, AFP said that FDA vaccine advisors will meet between December 8 and 10 to discuss approval of vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna have said that their vaccines against COVID-19 are at least 95 per cent effective.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech confirmed on Friday (December 20) that they had applied to US health regulators for emergency use authorisation (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first to do so in the US as the pandemic rages around the world. The companies have said that they are prepared to ship vaccines as soon as they get a go-ahead from the government.

The USA is the worst affected country in the world. It has had more than 12,000,000 coronavirus cases so far. The death tally is fast approaching 300 thousand. Nearly 5 million people are still affected due to coronavirus.

(With inputs from agencies)

A top official of the US government's vaccine development effort has said on Sunday that the United States hopes to begin a sweeping program of Covid vaccinations in early December.

A top official of the US government's vaccine development effort has said on Sunday that the United States hopes to begin a sweeping program of Covid vaccinations in early December. Also Read | Nasal spray that aims to fight Covid-19, other respiratory illness gets million-dollar funding Some 70% of the US population of 330 million would need to be inoculated to achieve "herd" immunity from the virus, a goal the country could achieve by May, according to Dr Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for "Operation Warp Speed." Slaoui said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would likely grant approval in mid-December for distribution of the vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech, launching the largest inoculation campaign in U.S. history. 'Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of approval' by the US Food and Drug Administration,' Moncef Slaoui said. "So I expect maybe on Day Two of the approval, on the 11th or the 12th of December." Citing reports, AFP said that FDA vaccine advisors will meet between December 8 and 10 to discuss approval of vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna have said that their vaccines against COVID-19 are at least 95 per cent effective. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech confirmed on Friday (December 20) that they had applied to US health regulators for emergency use authorisation (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first to do so in the US as the pandemic rages around the world. The companies have said that they are prepared to ship vaccines as soon as they get a go-ahead from the government. The USA is the worst affected country in the world. It has had more than 12,000,000 coronavirus cases so far. The death tally is fast approaching 300 thousand. Nearly 5 million people are still affected due to coronavirus. (With inputs from agencies)

Covid vaccine could reach first Americans by December 11: Top health official

Head of US government's coronavirus vaccine effort said on Sunday that the country hopes to begin a sweeping vaccination in early December. If such an effort takes place, it will mark first mass vaccination against coronavirus and will also be a decisive step against the global Covid-19 pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than a million people worldwide. The number of active cases worldwide is more than 15 million at present.

"Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of approval" by the US Food and Drug Administration, Moncef Slaoui told CNN.&nbsp;

"So I expect maybe on Day Two of the approval, on the 11th or the 12th of December."

Citing reports, AFP said that FDA vaccine advisors will meet between December 8 and 10 to discuss approval of vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna have said that their vaccines against COVID-19 are at least 95 per cent effective.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasal-spray-that-aims-to-fight-covid-19-other-respiratory-illness-gets-million-dollar-funding-344698">Nasal spray that aims to fight Covid-19, other respiratory illness gets million-dollar funding</a>

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech confirmed on Friday (December 20) that they had applied to US health regulators for emergency use authorisation (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first to do so in the US as the pandemic rages around the world. The companies have said that they are prepared to ship vaccines as soon as they get a go-ahead from the government.

USA is the worst affected country in the world. It has had more than 12,000,000 coronavirus cases so far. The death tally is fast approaching 300 thousand. Nearly 5 million people are still affected due to coronavirus.

(With agency&nbsp;inputs)

Head of US government's coronavirus vaccine effort said on Sunday that the country hopes to begin a sweeping vaccination in early December. If such an effort takes place, it will mark first mass vaccination against coronavirus and will also be a decisive step against the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Head of US government's coronavirus vaccine effort said on Sunday that the country hopes to begin a sweeping vaccination in early December. If such an effort takes place, it will mark first mass vaccination against coronavirus and will also be a decisive step against the global Covid-19 pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than a million people worldwide. The number of active cases worldwide is more than 15 million at present. "Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of approval" by the US Food and Drug Administration, Moncef Slaoui told CNN. "So I expect maybe on Day Two of the approval, on the 11th or the 12th of December." Citing reports, AFP said that FDA vaccine advisors will meet between December 8 and 10 to discuss approval of vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna have said that their vaccines against COVID-19 are at least 95 per cent effective. Also Read | Nasal spray that aims to fight Covid-19, other respiratory illness gets million-dollar funding Pfizer and its partner BioNTech confirmed on Friday (December 20) that they had applied to US health regulators for emergency use authorisation (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first to do so in the US as the pandemic rages around the world. The companies have said that they are prepared to ship vaccines as soon as they get a go-ahead from the government. USA is the worst affected country in the world. It has had more than 12,000,000 coronavirus cases so far. The death tally is fast approaching 300 thousand. Nearly 5 million people are still affected due to coronavirus. (With agency inputs)

Covid-19 vaccination may start in early December in US: Top official

“Our vaccine, therefore, costs about the same as a flu shot, which is between $10 and $50,” he was quoted as saying.

Moderna to charge $25-$37 for COVID-19 vaccine, says CEO

Ethan Zhang needed to get back to work. Work was in Ivory Coast, however, and since January the global coronavirus outbreak had stranded the 26-year-old translator in mainland China.

Then friends told Zhang of a way he could get his hands on what might be the world’s most coveted prize: a coronavirus vaccine. Though China’s vaccine candidates have not formally been proved safe or effective, officials have been injecting them into thousands of people across the country, ostensibly under an emergency-use policy. One such campaign, his friends said, was underway in the city of Yiwu in eastern China.

Zhang took a plane to Yiwu from Beijing that night. He stood in line for four hours outside a hospital. He paid $30. He got his shot.

And he expressed little worry that the substance that had been injected into his arm is still in the testing phase, an attitude that is stirring worry among global health experts.

“I feel more relieved now that I have protection,” Zhang said. “Since they’ve started using it on some people on an emergency-use basis, it shows that there’s a certain guarantee.”

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China has made its unproven candidates widely available to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness to a country that has long been skeptical of vaccines after a spate of quality scandals. Government officials and top pharmaceutical executives speak proudly of being inoculated.

The campaign has succeeded perhaps too well. Yiwu’s 500 doses were consumed within hours. Other cities are limiting doses or asking people to show proof that they are traveling. The overwhelming demand has inspired a cottage industry of scalpers — called “yellow cows” in China, the people who usually score the newest iPhones or hot railway tickets — charging as much as $1,500 for an appointment.

Those users could be taking big risks. People who have taken ineffective vaccines might believe they are safe and engage in risky behavior. They can be barred from taking another, better vaccine because they have already been injected. In a few cases in the past, unproven vaccines have caused health risks.

The potential problems often go undiscussed. Copies of the vaccination consent forms for one candidate that were reviewed by The New York Times did not specify that the product was still in testing.

“These kinds of risks have not been clearly revealed,” said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on health care in China.

Any reports of deaths or illness could reignite mistrust in vaccines. China spent years vowing to clean up its vaccine industry after scandals.

“We risk losing confidence in people if indeed adverse effects occur,” said Kristine Macartney, director of the National Center for Immunization Research and Surveillance in Sydney.

It is unclear how many people have already received a vaccine candidate. China has made three of its four candidates in late-stage human testing, called Phase 3 trials, available to tens of thousands of employees at state-owned businesses, government officials and company executives since July. Once Phase 3 trials are complete, the companies would submit results to the regulators of the countries that they want to sell their vaccines in. Authorities would review and assess them for approval.

Local governments have indicated that they plan to make the current vaccines available to more people. Beijing says it is keeping tabs on those who have been given the vaccines but has not disclosed any details.

The contrast with the United States is stark. A growing number of polls have shown that many Americans would not take a coronavirus vaccine, which could imperil efforts to stamp out the pandemic. According to a global online survey published in October in the journal Nature, respondents from China gave the highest proportion of positive responses when asked if they would take a “proven, safe and effective vaccine.”

“In China, there’s this trend of ‘everyone is getting it, so I want it, too,’” said Jennifer Huang Bouey, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corp. “Their problem is different from the U.S. They probably have to think about how not to create a riot when getting a vaccine, not so much how to try to roll it out.”

Chinese officials have defended making vaccine candidates available. Zheng Zhongwei, a top official at China’s National Health Commission, said last month that the move was a “very necessary means of protecting peoples’ lives and health,” given outbreaks abroad. Last week, Sinopharm’s chairman, Liu Jingzhen, announced that some 100,000 people have taken the company’s vaccine and none have shown any adverse reactions so far. He said that 56,000 of them had traveled abroad after taking the vaccine and none had been infected.

China’s drive has taken nationalistic overtones, with many celebrating the fact that the country has candidates in late-stage trials.

Wang Mingtao, 43, an employee in a gold mine company in Ghana, posted a video on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, of people lining up to get the vaccine at the Beijing headquarters of Sinopharm, the state-owned Chinese drugmaker, with the slogan: “My country is powerful.”

Wang, who traveled to Beijing from the northern city of Xian, said he was not worried about taking an experimental vaccine. He paid $150 for the vaccine, made by a Sinopharm subsidiary, the Beijing Institute of Biological Products.

The doses are not always being administered the way they should. On Sept. 26, Wang received two shots, one on each arm. The two doses are meant to be given 14 or 28 days apart. Wang said he was in a rush to travel and did not want to come back to Beijing.

“The country says this vaccine is OK,” he said, “so I think it is better to just take it.”

Liu said that “under special circumstances,” the two doses could be delivered at the same time, on each arm, according to the Guangming Daily newspaper.

The two shots are supposed to be administered days apart to generate a stronger immunity response, said Clarence Tam, an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health who researches vaccines.

The early releases have helped highlight one potential problem: deploying an approved vaccine. Demand is so high that the government and companies could struggle with distribution both at home and in other countries that Beijing has promised the treatment to.

Wendy Zhang, 26, a medical worker from the eastern city of Jinan, said she had to wait 57 days to get her second shot of a vaccine in October because the candidates had run out. She said she had felt relieved after getting it.

“There has been no adverse reaction after the vaccination, indicating that the safety of the vaccine developed by China is beyond doubt,” Zhang said.

Ethan Zhang needed to get back to work. Work was in Ivory Coast, however, and since January the global coronavirus outbreak had stranded the 26-year-old translator in mainland China.

Ethan Zhang needed to get back to work. Work was in Ivory Coast, however, and since January the global coronavirus outbreak had stranded the 26-year-old translator in mainland China. Then friends told Zhang of a way he could get his hands on what might be the world’s most coveted prize: a coronavirus vaccine. Though China’s vaccine candidates have not formally been proved safe or effective, officials have been injecting them into thousands of people across the country, ostensibly under an emergency-use policy. One such campaign, his friends said, was underway in the city of Yiwu in eastern China. Zhang took a plane to Yiwu from Beijing that night. He stood in line for four hours outside a hospital. He paid $30. He got his shot. And he expressed little worry that the substance that had been injected into his arm is still in the testing phase, an attitude that is stirring worry among global health experts. “I feel more relieved now that I have protection,” Zhang said. “Since they’ve started using it on some people on an emergency-use basis, it shows that there’s a certain guarantee.” × China has made its unproven candidates widely available to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness to a country that has long been skeptical of vaccines after a spate of quality scandals. Government officials and top pharmaceutical executives speak proudly of being inoculated. The campaign has succeeded perhaps too well. Yiwu’s 500 doses were consumed within hours. Other cities are limiting doses or asking people to show proof that they are traveling. The overwhelming demand has inspired a cottage industry of scalpers — called “yellow cows” in China, the people who usually score the newest iPhones or hot railway tickets — charging as much as $1,500 for an appointment. Those users could be taking big risks. People who have taken ineffective vaccines might believe they are safe and engage in risky behavior. They can be barred from taking another, better vaccine because they have already been injected. In a few cases in the past, unproven vaccines have caused health risks. The potential problems often go undiscussed. Copies of the vaccination consent forms for one candidate that were reviewed by The New York Times did not specify that the product was still in testing. “These kinds of risks have not been clearly revealed,” said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on health care in China. Any reports of deaths or illness could reignite mistrust in vaccines. China spent years vowing to clean up its vaccine industry after scandals. “We risk losing confidence in people if indeed adverse effects occur,” said Kristine Macartney, director of the National Center for Immunization Research and Surveillance in Sydney. It is unclear how many people have already received a vaccine candidate. China has made three of its four candidates in late-stage human testing, called Phase 3 trials, available to tens of thousands of employees at state-owned businesses, government officials and company executives since July. Once Phase 3 trials are complete, the companies would submit results to the regulators of the countries that they want to sell their vaccines in. Authorities would review and assess them for approval. Local governments have indicated that they plan to make the current vaccines available to more people. Beijing says it is keeping tabs on those who have been given the vaccines but has not disclosed any details. The contrast with the United States is stark. A growing number of polls have shown that many Americans would not take a coronavirus vaccine, which could imperil efforts to stamp out the pandemic. According to a global online survey published in October in the journal Nature, respondents from China gave the highest proportion of positive responses when asked if they would take a “proven, safe and effective vaccine.” “In China, there’s this trend of ‘everyone is getting it, so I want it, too,’” said Jennifer Huang Bouey, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corp. “Their problem is different from the U.S. They probably have to think about how not to create a riot when getting a vaccine, not so much how to try to roll it out.” Chinese officials have defended making vaccine candidates available. Zheng Zhongwei, a top official at China’s National Health Commission, said last month that the move was a “very necessary means of protecting peoples’ lives and health,” given outbreaks abroad. Last week, Sinopharm’s chairman, Liu Jingzhen, announced that some 100,000 people have taken the company’s vaccine and none have shown any adverse reactions so far. He said that 56,000 of them had traveled abroad after taking the vaccine and none had been infected. China’s drive has taken nationalistic overtones, with many celebrating the fact that the country has candidates in late-stage trials. Wang Mingtao, 43, an employee in a gold mine company in Ghana, posted a video on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, of people lining up to get the vaccine at the Beijing headquarters of Sinopharm, the state-owned Chinese drugmaker, with the slogan: “My country is powerful.” Wang, who traveled to Beijing from the northern city of Xian, said he was not worried about taking an experimental vaccine. He paid $150 for the vaccine, made by a Sinopharm subsidiary, the Beijing Institute of Biological Products. The doses are not always being administered the way they should. On Sept. 26, Wang received two shots, one on each arm. The two doses are meant to be given 14 or 28 days apart. Wang said he was in a rush to travel and did not want to come back to Beijing. “The country says this vaccine is OK,” he said, “so I think it is better to just take it.” Liu said that “under special circumstances,” the two doses could be delivered at the same time, on each arm, according to the Guangming Daily newspaper. The two shots are supposed to be administered days apart to generate a stronger immunity response, said Clarence Tam, an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health who researches vaccines. The early releases have helped highlight one potential problem: deploying an approved vaccine. Demand is so high that the government and companies could struggle with distribution both at home and in other countries that Beijing has promised the treatment to. Wendy Zhang, 26, a medical worker from the eastern city of Jinan, said she had to wait 57 days to get her second shot of a vaccine in October because the candidates had run out. She said she had felt relieved after getting it. “There has been no adverse reaction after the vaccination, indicating that the safety of the vaccine developed by China is beyond doubt,” Zhang said.

Vaccine unproven? No problem in China, where people scramble for shots

On Monday, American company Moderna Inc announced a milestone in the development of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine. According to the company, the vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective. Today, Pfizer also announced that its vaccine is 95 per cent effective.

Participants in Moderna’s trials have revealed the side effects caused by the vaccine. Most commonly reported side effects include fever, arm pain, and fatigue.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/moderna-says-coronavirus-vaccine-945-effective-343623/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

One of the volunteers who received the Moderna jab spoke about his experience on “Fox and Friends”. The college student from the University of North Carolina, the participant shed light on the what happens to one after taking the vaccine.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/modernas-covid-19-vaccine-reaches-milestone-with-945-effectiveness-343509">Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine reaches milestone with 94.5% effectiveness</a>

The participant, Jack Morningstar received the initial dose of Modern’s vaccine. A month later, he received another job. He experienced side effects such as fatigue and some fever.

He also spoke about the misinformation being spread about the vaccines.&nbsp;

“As a tech-savvy person, I’ve become aware of a lot of the misinformation that’s being spread online about some of these vaccines and its process, and I’d just like to emphasise that I don’t think now’s the time to be fear mongering about vaccines,” he said during the interview with Fox and Friends.

While indirectly referring to people who believe conspiracy theories surrounding vaccines, including ones that claim vaccines cause autism (which have been disproven), he said that arm pain is a small price to pay when compared to the death count.

“I don’t think we should be fearful about a low-grade fever and little bit of arm pain. That’s nothing. But what we should be fearful of is a death tally of 240,000 that’s currently spiking at a terrifying rate, at that”, he said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-data-from-modernas-experimental-vaccine-is-truly-groundbreaking-343529">Why data from Moderna's experimental vaccine is truly groundbreaking</a>

Morningstar also claimed that he was able to deal with the side-effects by simply taking an ibuprofen. He also had some pain at the injection site, which is normal.

Moderna claims that the vaccine will remain stable at standard refrigerator temperature of 2-8 degree Celsius (36-48 degree F) for 30 days. Additionally, the vaccine may be stored for upto 6 months at -20 degrees Celsius.

Moderna’s data is based on analysis of 95 infections among participants in the trial. They received either a placebo or the vaccine.

Out of these, only five infections occurred among people who were inoculated, who were given the vaccine in two shots 28 days apart.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/a-vaccine-on-its-own-will-not-end-the-pandemic-says-who-chief-343501">'A vaccine on its own will not end the pandemic', says WHO chief</a>

Additionally, Moderna’s trials witnessed the participation of 30,000 people. And it was able to prevent severe cases of COVID-19, something Pfizer is yet to ascertain with its own vaccine.

Out of the 95 cases during Moderna’s trials, only 11 were severe. All of them occurred among patients who got the placebo. Moderna is part of the US government’s Operation Warp Speed programme, which intends to fast track vaccines for COVID-19, and its earliest deployment.

Just this year, the company intends to produce 20 million doses for the US. Out of these, millions have already been produced.&nbsp;Moderna is ready to ship these vaccines as soon as it received FDA authorisation.

On Monday, American company Moderna Inc announced a milestone in the development of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine. According to the company, the vaccine is 94.

On Monday, American company Moderna Inc announced a milestone in the development of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine. According to the company, the vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective. Today, Pfizer also announced that its vaccine is 95 per cent effective. Participants in Moderna’s trials have revealed the side effects caused by the vaccine. Most commonly reported side effects include fever, arm pain, and fatigue. One of the volunteers who received the Moderna jab spoke about his experience on “Fox and Friends”. The college student from the University of North Carolina, the participant shed light on the what happens to one after taking the vaccine. Also read: Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine reaches milestone with 94.5% effectiveness The participant, Jack Morningstar received the initial dose of Modern’s vaccine. A month later, he received another job. He experienced side effects such as fatigue and some fever. He also spoke about the misinformation being spread about the vaccines. “As a tech-savvy person, I’ve become aware of a lot of the misinformation that’s being spread online about some of these vaccines and its process, and I’d just like to emphasise that I don’t think now’s the time to be fear mongering about vaccines,” he said during the interview with Fox and Friends. While indirectly referring to people who believe conspiracy theories surrounding vaccines, including ones that claim vaccines cause autism (which have been disproven), he said that arm pain is a small price to pay when compared to the death count. “I don’t think we should be fearful about a low-grade fever and little bit of arm pain. That’s nothing. But what we should be fearful of is a death tally of 240,000 that’s currently spiking at a terrifying rate, at that”, he said. Also read: Why data from Moderna's experimental vaccine is truly groundbreaking Morningstar also claimed that he was able to deal with the side-effects by simply taking an ibuprofen. He also had some pain at the injection site, which is normal. Moderna claims that the vaccine will remain stable at standard refrigerator temperature of 2-8 degree Celsius (36-48 degree F) for 30 days. Additionally, the vaccine may be stored for upto 6 months at -20 degrees Celsius. Moderna’s data is based on analysis of 95 infections among participants in the trial. They received either a placebo or the vaccine. Out of these, only five infections occurred among people who were inoculated, who were given the vaccine in two shots 28 days apart. Also read: 'A vaccine on its own will not end the pandemic', says WHO chief Additionally, Moderna’s trials witnessed the participation of 30,000 people. And it was able to prevent severe cases of COVID-19, something Pfizer is yet to ascertain with its own vaccine. Out of the 95 cases during Moderna’s trials, only 11 were severe. All of them occurred among patients who got the placebo. Moderna is part of the US government’s Operation Warp Speed programme, which intends to fast track vaccines for COVID-19, and its earliest deployment. Just this year, the company intends to produce 20 million doses for the US. Out of these, millions have already been produced. Moderna is ready to ship these vaccines as soon as it received FDA authorisation.

A participant in Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine trials reveals its side effects

Co-founder of BIONTECH Prof.Ugur Sahin tells that everything will get normal by winter 2021, the professor said that the vaccine will show results in summer 2021 and normalcy could return in winter 2021

Co-founder of BIONTECH  tells about another ray of hope in fight against COVID-19

Positive data on BioNTech and US partner Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine came as a happy surprise for not only the world, but also the married couple behind the German biotech firm. Physicians Ugur Sahin and Oezlem Tuereci, who bonded over their love of medical research, are the people behind the Covid-19 vaccine that could change the world.

Who is the couple behind Pfizer's COVID vaccine that could change the world?

Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer, said on Thursday it has made 40 million doses of AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine, and would soon begin making Novavax's rival shot, as they both seek regulatory approval.

India's Serum says made 40 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine

The US and Europe are in line to get the first doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine after a partnership between Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE delivered dazzling preliminary results in a large patient trial.

Countries queue for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Thursday vaccine developers should push to make billions of their COVID-19 vaccines to ensure access to all parts of the world, instead of focusing on the rich countries.

Fauci hopeful about the prospects for a successful COVID-19 vaccine

Countries in line for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

When will we have a Wuhan virus vaccine? A lot has been said this week following the Pfizer announcement. But the speculation discounted the bigger picture. We cannot forget that there are other candidates in the race to get the vaccine too. And most of them already have invoices ready. In other words, governments have pre-ordered vaccines. Those supplies will be delivered first. Before the rest of the world gets a shot. And that changes a lot.

There are 10 vaccine candidates in phase 3 of the trials. Which means that they are being tried on over 100 patients. All of whom are being closely monitored.

Following are the vaccine candidates in the race.

<ul>
	<li>Pfizer and BioNTech's BNT-162</li>
	<li>Oxford, Astrazeneca and Serum Institute of India's AZD-1222</li>
	<li>Russia's Sputnik V</li>
	<li>Bharat Biotech and National Institute of Virology's Covaxin</li>
	<li>Johnson and Johnson's vaccine candidate</li>
	<li>Moderna's MRNA-1273</li>
	<li>Novavax's NVX CoV 2373</li>
	<li>3 vaccine candidates being made in China</li>
</ul>

Out of these vaccines, Pfizer's candidate has shown over 90 per cent effectiveness. Sputnik V &nbsp;has shown &nbsp;92 per cent efficacy. India is among the many countries where Sputnik V is undergoing clinical trials.

Where will these vaccines reach first? The US and Europe will be the first to get Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's shot. The companies have signed an advanced purchase agreement for 100 million doses with the US. With the EU, the agreement is for over 200 million doses. They also have a deal with Japan for 120 million doses. And with UK for 30 million doses.

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Vaccine candidates and sponsors</td>
			<td>Pre-orders</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BNT-162 (Pfizer, BioNTech)&nbsp;</td>
			<td>US, UK, EU, Japan</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>AZD-1222 (Oxford Uni, Astrazeneca, IQVIA, Serum Institute of India)</td>
			<td>EU, Australia, India</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sputnik V (Gamaleya Institute)</td>
			<td>India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil and others</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Covaxin (Bharat Biotech, National Institute of Virology)</td>
			<td>Talks with 10 countries</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>JNJ-78436735 (Johnson &amp; Johnson)</td>
			<td>EU</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>mRNA-1273 (Moderna)</td>
			<td>US, Japan</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax)</td>
			<td>India</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

&nbsp;

When will we have a Wuhan virus vaccine? A lot has been said this week following the Pfizer announcement. But the speculation discounted the bigger picture. We cannot forget that there are other candidates in the race to get the vaccine too.

When will we have a Wuhan virus vaccine? A lot has been said this week following the Pfizer announcement. But the speculation discounted the bigger picture. We cannot forget that there are other candidates in the race to get the vaccine too. And most of them already have invoices ready. In other words, governments have pre-ordered vaccines. Those supplies will be delivered first. Before the rest of the world gets a shot. And that changes a lot. There are 10 vaccine candidates in phase 3 of the trials. Which means that they are being tried on over 100 patients. All of whom are being closely monitored. Following are the vaccine candidates in the race. Pfizer and BioNTech's BNT-162 Oxford, Astrazeneca and Serum Institute of India's AZD-1222 Russia's Sputnik V Bharat Biotech and National Institute of Virology's Covaxin Johnson and Johnson's vaccine candidate Moderna's MRNA-1273 Novavax's NVX CoV 2373 3 vaccine candidates being made in China Out of these vaccines, Pfizer's candidate has shown over 90 per cent effectiveness. Sputnik V has shown 92 per cent efficacy. India is among the many countries where Sputnik V is undergoing clinical trials. Where will these vaccines reach first? The US and Europe will be the first to get Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's shot. The companies have signed an advanced purchase agreement for 100 million doses with the US. With the EU, the agreement is for over 200 million doses. They also have a deal with Japan for 120 million doses. And with UK for 30 million doses. Vaccine candidates and sponsors Pre-orders BNT-162 (Pfizer, BioNTech) US, UK, EU, Japan AZD-1222 (Oxford Uni, Astrazeneca, IQVIA, Serum Institute of India) EU, Australia, India Sputnik V (Gamaleya Institute) India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil and others Covaxin (Bharat Biotech, National Institute of Virology) Talks with 10 countries JNJ-78436735 (Johnson & Johnson) EU mRNA-1273 (Moderna) US, Japan NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax) India

When are we getting the vaccine?

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sold $5.6 million of his stock in the US pharmaceutical company on the same day it announced promising results for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, filings showed Wednesday.

The company, however, has reportedly said the sale was part of a pre-arranged periodic divestment plan when the stock reaches a certain price.

According to a disclosure with US market regulator SEC, Bourla sold 132,508 shares at $41.94 each on Monday.

An executive vice president at the company, Sally Susman, also sold around $1.8 million in stock or 43,662 shares.

Pfizer shares rose by more than seven per cent after peaking at over 15 per cent on Monday, when the drugmaker announced that trials so far had shown its vaccine candidate being developed with German company BioNTech was 90 per cent effective.

The company had not responded to a request for comment from AFP, but a spokesman quoted by CNN described the sales as prearranged.

Sales at that price were previously scheduled as part of their personal financial management, the company said.

Such plans are designed to shield executives from insider trading accusations.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sold $5.6 million of his stock in the US pharmaceutical company on the same day it announced promising results for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, filings showed Wednesday.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sold $5.6 million of his stock in the US pharmaceutical company on the same day it announced promising results for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, filings showed Wednesday. The company, however, has reportedly said the sale was part of a pre-arranged periodic divestment plan when the stock reaches a certain price. According to a disclosure with US market regulator SEC, Bourla sold 132,508 shares at $41.94 each on Monday. An executive vice president at the company, Sally Susman, also sold around $1.8 million in stock or 43,662 shares. Pfizer shares rose by more than seven per cent after peaking at over 15 per cent on Monday, when the drugmaker announced that trials so far had shown its vaccine candidate being developed with German company BioNTech was 90 per cent effective. The company had not responded to a request for comment from AFP, but a spokesman quoted by CNN described the sales as prearranged. Sales at that price were previously scheduled as part of their personal financial management, the company said. Such plans are designed to shield executives from insider trading accusations.

Pfizer CEO sold $5.6 million in stock on the day of vaccine announcement 

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