Coronavirus vaccine news highlights: All eyes on India as world's largest inoculation drive begins tomorrow

Preparations are underway as India is set to carry out its first phase of vaccination on Saturday, January 16. PM Modi will on Saturday morning launch the campaign at 3,006 session sites across all the states and Union Territories and around 100 beneficiaries would be vaccinated at each site. Healthcare workers, both in government and private sectors including ICDS workers, will receive the vaccine in this phase. Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday proposed a $1.9 trillion rescue package to combat the economic downturn and the Covid-19 crisis. The package includes more than $400 billion to combat the pandemic directly, including money to accelerate vaccine deployment.

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4,000 health workers to get Covid-19 vaccine in Mumbai daily

As many as 4,000 health workers will be administered Covid-19 vaccine every day at nine vaccination centres in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Friday.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will launch the vaccination drive from a centre at Bandra Kurla Complex on Saturday, the civic body stated in an official release.

The vaccination will start at Vile Parle-based Dr R N Cooper Hospital, it was stated.

Uttarakhand all set to join COVID-19 vaccination drive

Uttarakhand is all geared up to join the first phase of the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination programme that begins on Saturday.

Vaccination sessions will be held at 34 health centres spread over 13 districts of the state with 100 healthcare workers to be administered the first dose of Covishield at each of the centres on the first day, Mission Director Sonika said.

So, a total of 3,400 healthcare workers will be given vaccine shots in the state on the first day, she said.

COVID-19 vaccination programme to be rolled out at 139 centres in Telangana on Jan 15

Covid-19 vaccination programme would be rolled out at 139 centres in Telangana on Saturday.

State Health Minister Eatala Rajender said he would attend the event at the Gandhi government hospital, while Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan would participate in the programme at the state-run Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) (both in Hyderabad).

He said ministers, MPs, MLAs and other public representatives occupying different posts would also attend the event at different places on Saturday.

Noida gets 28,840 doses, vaccination begins Jan 16

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar has got 28,840 doses of vaccines for COVID-19 for the first phase of the much-anticipated vaccination drive set to take place on Saturday, according to officials.

Hundreds of frontline healthcare workers will be the first to get jabs of the Covishield vaccine at six centres in Noida and Greater Noida in the district, Additional Chief Medical Officer and District Immunisation Officer Neeraj Tyagi said.

Vardhan reviews preparedness for nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday reviewed preparations for the launch of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive scheduled to begin on January 16 and visited the dedicated Covidcontrol room set up at the Nirman Bhawan premises of the health ministry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first phase of the pan India roll-out of Covid-19 vaccination drive at 10:30 AM via video conferencing.

China Covid-19 vaccinations gather momentum as outbreaks spread

A little-known Beijing museum of urban planning looks set to see more visitors after being converted into a Covid-19 vaccination site as China faces seeks to ramp up inoculations amid a new upsurge in infections.

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Pfizer to reduce vaccine deliveries to Europe, says Norway

Pfizer will temporarily reduce its deliveries to Europe of its vaccine against COVID-19 while it upgrades its production capacity, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said on Friday.

"We received this message today a little before 10am (0900 GMT). We had expected 43,875 vaccines doses from Pfizer in week 3 (next week). Now it appears that we will get 36,075 doses," the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said in a statement.

Covid-19 vaccine drive to be held at 10 centres in Aurangabad

The administration in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district is all set for the COVID-19 vaccination drive, which will take place at 10 centres in the region on January 16, a health official said on Friday.

As many as 100 healthcare workers will be inoculated at each of these 10 centres, the official said.

While four centres have been earmarked for Aurangabad rural in Vaijapur, Paithan and Sillod talukas, six are in Aurangabad city, including the Government Medical College, civil surgeon Dr Sundar Kulkarni said.

Nepal approves AstraZeneca Covid vaccine for emergency use

Nepal on Friday granted approval for AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine against the novel coronavirus in the country.

"Conditional permission has been granted for emergency use authorization of COVISHIELD vaccine against Covid-19 in Nepal," a statement by the country's Department of Drug Administration said.

Delhi geared up for Covid-19 vaccination roll-out tomorrow at 81 sites

The national capital is all set for the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination exercise on Saturday at 81 centres with healthcare workers who have been in the forefront of the fight against the pandemic to be given the shots first.

The inoculation drive will be kicked off from the state-run LNJP Hospital with a simple ceremony in the presence of Chief Minister Kejriwal and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

The 81 sites include six central government facilities -- AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, Kalawati Saran Children Hospital and two ESI hospitals.

Can Covid-19 vaccine cause infertility? Harsh Vardhan busts myth

Ahead of the Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took to Twitter to bust some myths surrounding the process.

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Gujarat to launch Covid-19 vaccination drive from 161 centres

The Covid-19 vaccination drive in Gujarat will start for healthcare workers from 161 centres when the nationwide inoculation campaign kicks off on January 16, said Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to launch the nationwide vaccination campaign against coronavirus on Saturday, is expected to interact with some of the beneficiaries at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital (one of the sites) virtually from New Delhi, said officials.

Who should not take the vaccine?

5. Those who show active symptoms of Covid-19 can take the vaccine only 4-8 weeks after recovery

6. SARS-COV-2 patients who have been given SARS-Cov-2 monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma treatment must also defer vaccine administration by at least 4-8 weeks after recovery

7. Anyone with acute illness and hospitalised (even with non-Covid-19 related illnesses) should not take the vaccine now. They can take it 4 to 8 weeks after complete recovery

8. Covishield should be given with caution to those with thrombocytopenia (abnormally low platelets)

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Who should not be taking Covid-19 vaccine

Ahead of India's massive vaccination drive, the Union Health Ministry on Thursday released a comparative fact sheet for Covishield and Covaxin vaccines, their contraindications and minor adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs).

Who should not take the vaccine?

1. No person below the age of 18 should take the vaccine

2. Pregnant and lactating women should not be administered the Covid-19 vaccine. This is because women who are pregnant, lactating or expecting pregnancy confirmation have not been part of any vaccine trials

3. Anyone who has had an anaphylactic or allergic reaction to a previous dose of Covid-19 vaccine (during trials) should not receive the vaccine

4. Anyone who has immediate or delayed-onset anaphylaxis or allergic reaction to vaccines or injectable therapies, pharmaceutical products or food items should not take the vaccine

Vaccination drive to begin tomorrow in India: All you need to know

Around three lakh healthcare workers will get vaccine shots at 2,934 sites across the country on the first day of the massive nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive, a senior official said.

Each vaccination session will cater to a maximum of 100 beneficiaries.

According to the guidelines issued to the shortlisted vaccination centres, healthcare workers (those registered in Co-WIN to be vaccinated) on the launch shall include not only doctors, nurses but also nursing orderlies, safai karamcharis, ambulance drivers, and would be from a mixed age group, including above 50 years.

The full initial procurement of 1.65 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin-- has been allocated to all states and UTs in proportion to their healthcare workers database.

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Over 8,000 to be administered Covid-19 vaccine daily in Delhi

Around 8,000-8,100 people will be administered Covid-19 vaccine daily in the initial days at 81 sites in the national capital, which has so far received 2.74 lakh doses.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reviewed the preparations for the vaccination drive starting Saturday in which 81 sites in government and private hospitals have been readied.

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Instagram influencers are vaccine priority in wary Indonesia

Among the first in the queue for coronavirus vaccines in Indonesia has been one conspicuous group -- social media influencers.

Alongside President Joko Widodo as the world's fourth most populous country kicked off its vaccination drive on Wednesday was Indonesian television personality, Raffi Ahmad, who boasts almost 50 million followers on Instagram.

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Serum Institute expects WHO emergency approval for AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine Novavax soon

The Serum Institute of India expects WHO emergency-use authorization soon for the Oxford University/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, which it is producing for mid and low income countries, its chief executive said.

"The emergency use licensure from the WHO (World Health Organization) should be available and coming through in the next week or two, hopefully, because we have submitted everything," Adar Poonawalla told the Reuters Next conference on Thursday.

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Group of experts slams critics of India's approval process for Covid vaccines

A group of doctors and scientists on Thursday hit out at the critics of the government's approval to two Covid-19 vaccines, especially the one produced indigenously by Bharat Biotech, alleging that their "reprehensible" utterances are causing huge credibility crisis for the Indian scientific community.

In a statement signed by 45 medical professionals and scientists, the group expressed shock at the "irresponsible statements of vested interests" and accused these critics of casting aspersions on Indian experts' integrity by making politicised statements to doubt the recent research in the field of Covid vaccines.

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Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday morning will launch the campaign at 3,006 session sites across all the states and Union Territories and around 100 beneficiaries would be vaccinated at each site. Healthcare workers, both in government and private sectors including ICDS workers, will receive the vaccine in this phase.

Multiple public health researchers told DH that there were "no specific instructions given to the states on which vaccine is to be used for which category of workers".

The Union Health Ministry has procured 11 million doses of Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute, Pune and 5.5 million doses of Covaxin made by Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad. The full initial procurement of 16.5 million doses has been allocated to the states according to the healthcare worker database.

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With 11 Covid-19 vaccination sites, Victoria Hospital to inoculate 1,100 health workers per day

The six health facilities that have been selected for the first day of Covid vaccination, of 760 vaccination sites in the city, are waiting for the vaccines to be sent to them on Saturday morning.

The hospitals have also readied a separate ward for reactions like anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction to medication, symptoms of which include rash, low pulse, and shock).

Victoria Hospital campus will have 11 vaccination sites, St John’s Hospital nine, KC General Hospital three and CV Raman General Hospital one. The other two are Jayanagar General Hospital and Mallasandra primary health centre. Though Victoria is required to vaccinate only 100 beneficiaries, they have got permission to vaccinate 200 health workers at two of their sites on Saturday itself — 100 at PMSSY and 100 at the Institute of Nephrourology (INU).

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Brazil sends plane after India agrees to expedite Covid-19 vaccine supply

Brazil is sending an aircraft to India after the South Asian nation’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, agreed to expedite vaccine shipment to the South American country.

The Serum Institute of India Pvt., the world’s largest producer of vaccines by volume, will supply 2 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford to Brazil, according to the nation’s Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello.

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India to treat Covaxin same as AstraZeneca's vaccine

India will treat a domestic Covid-19 vaccine "equally" with a prominent global one, even though the homegrown drug's efficacy has not been proven, and people will have no choice which they one they get, a top government vaccine official told Reuters.

Administering Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, a move cheered by nationalist politicians has worried some health experts who consider it rushed, as the vaccine has only limited, "clinical-trial mode" approval. In addition to efficacy concerns, the close monitoring required for its use will be a massive challenge in a country of 1.35 billion people.

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PM Modi to launch Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16 at 10:30 am via video conference, confirmed the PMO.

A total of 3,006 session sites across the nation will be virtually connected during the launch. About 100 people will be vaccinated at each site on January 16.

Jammu and Kashmir: The first consignment of 2540 dosages of covid vaccine reached Kathua, yesterday. The first phase of vaccination will begin on January 16.

First consignment of COVID-19 vaccine reaches Mizoram

A consignment of 18,500 COVID-19 vaccines, to be used in the first phase of inoculation, arrived in Aizawl from New Delhi on Thursday, a health department official said.

State Immunisation Officer Lalzawmi told PTI a total of 14,607 health workers have registered to receive vaccination.

In the first phase, 8,000 of them will get shots of the vaccine, she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch India's vaccination drive on Saturday.

Fact sheets for contraindications, adverse effects of Covid-19 vaccines out

The union government on Thursday released a comparative fact sheet for Covishield and Covaxin vaccines, their contraindications and minor adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs). A detailed note on contraindications and special precautions was also sent.

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WHO deplores 95% of Covid-19 vaccine doses limited to 10 countries

The World Health Organization's European branch on Thursday said 95 percent of vaccine doses so far administered worldwide were limited to 10 countries and called for a more equitable distribution.

In terms of total doses the top countries are the US, China, the UK, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Russia, Germany, Spain and Canada.

"Collectively, we simply cannot afford to leave any country, any community behind," WHO's regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said at an online press conference.

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When will Covid-19 vaccine be available for public?

Even as the inoculation drive against Covid-19 is set to start in two days, a Maharashtra government official said on Thursday that it will take six to seven months for the vaccine to become available for those who are not in the high-risk category.

Healthcare workers, frontline staff and people suffering from co-morbidities -- all these considered to be at high risk of contracting the infection -- will be administered the jab in the first three phases of the drive, starting January 16.

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Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16 but questions remain

Less than 48 hours before India kickstarts the world's biggest Covid-19 vaccination drive with two shots – Covaxin and Covishield - there are no clear answers on who would get what as both vaccines would be treated equally at the ground level though Covaxin lacks efficacy data.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday morning will launch the campaign at 3,006 session sites across all the states and Union Territories and around 100 beneficiaries would be vaccinated at each site. Healthcare workers, both in government and private sectors including ICDS workers, will receive the vaccine in this phase.

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Biden unveils plan to pump $1.9 trillion into pandemic-hit US economy

President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion stimulus package proposal on Thursday, saying in prime-time remarks that bold investment was needed to jump-start the economy and speed up the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden campaigned last year on a promise to take the pandemic more seriously than President Donald Trump, and the package aims to put that pledge into action with an influx of resources for the coronavirus response and economic recovery.

"A crisis of deep human suffering is in plain sight, and there’s no time to waste," Biden said on Thursday evening. "We have to act and we have to act now."

The aid package includes $415 billion to bolster the response to the virus and the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, some $1 trillion in direct relief to households, and roughly $440 billion for small businesses and communities particularly hard hit by the pandemic.