Indian drug regulator on Sunday approved Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for restricted emergency use in the country.
Noted virologist Shahid Jameel said he does not believe that eventually, Covaxin would turn out to be safe and show more than 70 per cent efficacy.
Total cases: 8,21,550
Total discharges: 8,01,414
Death toll: 12,166
Active cases: 7,970
Women walk back after collecting free gift hampers from a government fair price ration shop on the occasion of the harvest festival of 'Pongal' in Chennai on January 4, 2021. Credit: AFP Photo
Total cases: 6,27,256
Total recoveries: 6,11,970
Death toll: 10,597
Active cases: 4,689
Indian shares notched record closing highs on Monday for a second straight session of the new year, as investor sentiment lifted after the country gave emergency use approvals to twocoronavirusvaccines over the weekend.
The blue chip NSE Nifty 50 index ended up 0.82% at 14,132.90, while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex firmed 0.64% to 48,176.80, marking its first close above the 48,000 level.
India, which has the second-highest number ofcoronavirusinfections in the world, on Sunday approved for emergency use twocoronavirusvaccines – one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other by local company Bharat Biotech.
The country is expected to start a massive immunisation program within a week. Serum Institute of India, the local maker of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, intends to meet the nation's demand first before exporting its vaccine.
Reuters
Britain begins inoculating its citizens with the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine against Covid-19 giving the shot to Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, at a hospital in Oxford: Reuters
Thailand's prime minister on Monday urged the public to stay home to help contain the country's biggest coronavirus outbreak yet and avoid a strict lockdown, as authorities confirmed a daily record of 745 new infections.
Vietnam has agreed to buy 30 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca Plc , the government said on Monday, adding that authorities are also seeking to purchase vaccines from other sources, including Pfizer Inc.
The decline in India's daily Covid-19 cases has ensured a consistent fall in the active caseload, which constitutes 2.36 per cent of the total infections, while higher testing has led to the positivity rate further going down to 5.89 per cent, the Union health ministry said on Monday.
Tamil Nadu government permits to increase the seating capacity of cinemas, theatres, multiplexes from existing 50% to 100% following Covid-19 protocols
The Indian scientists have been successful in coming up with two 'made in India' Covid-19vaccines. The country is proud of its scientists: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inaugural address at National Metrology Conclave
A total of 238 new Covid-19cases, 518 discharges, and 2 deaths were reported in Telangana yesterday, says State Health Department Total positive cases: 2,87,740 Total recoveries: 2,81,083 Active cases: 5,106 Death toll: 1,551
India reports 16,505 new Covid-19 cases, 19,557 recoveries, and 214 deaths in last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry Total cases: 1,03,40,470 Active cases: 2,43,953 Total recoveries: 99,46,867 Death toll: 1,49,649
A political war broke out over the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine with opposition targeting the Modi government on issues ranging from “premature” approval of the indigenously-developed Covaxin, to fears of impotency post-vaccination.
School education matters a lot - to school managers, teachers and students. Parents do not go to schools as such but issues concerning school education do come home to them. Waking up their wards at the crack of dawn five (or six) days in a week, getting them ready, prim and proper.
Manchester City brushed off a series of coronavirus-related absences to outclass Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and reassert their Premier League title challenge.
As the daily coronavirus cases subsided in India, several states and cities have decided to reopen schools with the onset of the new year. From January, schools across several states are set to begin regular classes for Class 9-12, whose board exams for 2021 are yet to be held.
With some Congress leaders raising concerns over the grant of approval to Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asserted on Sunday that Covaxin is more likely to work against newer variants of the virus, including the UK variant, and asked politicians not to "discredit well laid out science-backed protocols" followed for approving the jab.
Serum Institute of India (SII), the local maker of the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine, said on Sunday it intends to concentrate on meeting India's own immediate demand in the next two months before exporting to other interested countries.
Covid-19 death toll in West Bengal rises to 9,792 with 26 new fatalities, infection tally jumps to 5,54,975 as 896 more people test positive; active case count 10,446: Health department bulletin