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A total of 719 doctors died due to Covid19, said IMA

On Saturday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that 719 doctors have lost their lives due to coronavirus in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, with Bihar recording the maximum fatalities.

According to IMA, Bihar has recorded 111 deaths, Delhi 109, Uttar Pradesh 79, West Bengal 63, and Rajasthan 43.

Also See: New mutants of Coronavirus

Among the southern states, Andhra Pradesh has reported 35 deaths, while 36 doctors succumbed to the virus in Telangana. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu recorded 32 deaths, while Karnataka and Kerala reported 9 and 24 deaths, respectively.

In May-end, IMA’s Bihar Branch had constituted an eight-member committee to probe the reason of the rise in deaths as Bihar topped the list in doctor deaths. The committee headed by Dr. Sahjanand Prasad Singh- IMA President-elect – is slated to ascertain as to why Bihar tops the list of doctor deaths due to Covid19 in India. The association has decided to give ₹10 lakh each to families of poor doctors.

Also Read: Issue of shortage of doctors in India- lessons from the Covid19 pandemic

Earlier, IMA revealed that at least 748 doctors died due to Covid19 in the first wave of the pandemic. Earlier, the apex medical body sought the centre’s intervention into the increasing incidents of physical violence against the doctors and the healthcare professionals in this country. IMA chief Dr Jeyalal has also asked for a declaration of a  ‘protective zone’ within the hospital to safeguard healthcare workers.

Meanwhile, on Friday, prominent neurologist and Padma Shri recipient Dr Ashok Panagariya died of post-Covid complications in Jaipur. He was 71. For the past several days, Dr Panagariya was on ventilator support at a private hospital.

His condition gradually deteriorated in the past two days and he died on Friday, hospital sources said.

Also Read: Increasing Preponderance of depression during Covid19 Pandemic

Plight of doctors

Dr Rajan Sharma was the national president of the Indian Medical Association in 2020.  Dr. Sharma had expressed the plight of doctors in one of his writings. On May 22, he penned a piece on the bruising experience of doctors battling Covid-19 pandemic (in India).

Dr. Sharma wrote, “The soldier comes home draped in the tricolour, a “martyr”.

The doctor returns unacknowledged

Silence prevailing

Both fight for their nation

And yet are awarded two starkly different stations?”

These lines paint the plight of doctors and the poor light in which they are treated even in such tough times as the current pandemic, where they are inevitable life savers.

The data on ‘doctor deaths’ should come as an eye opener for GOI, while India continues to reel under Covid19 with doctor deficiency syndrome.

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Auckland tops the annual ranking list of most liveable cities of EIU

Economist Intelligence Unit’s

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual ranking of most liveable cities has been shaken up by Covid-19. The ranking changed by the impacts of Covid19 has propelled Auckland to first place, replacing Vienna, which crashed out of the top 10. In the ranking, island nations of New Zealand, Australia and Japan fared best.

Since 2018, the Austrian capital had led the list. For years, it ran neck and neck with Melbourne at the top of the survey of 140 urban centres. New Zealand eliminated Covid-19 within its borders through lockdown measures, in which it was helped by its geographic isolation. This gave its cities a big boost in the rankings.

Also Read: Newly discovered species of Weta has been named after the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern

The EIU said in a statement, “New Zealand’s tough lockdown allowed their society to reopen and enabled citizens of cities like Auckland and Wellington to enjoy a lifestyle that looked similar to pre-pandemic life.”

Economist Intelligence Unit generally does not make the full ranking public. The last time Auckland was in the top 10 was in 2017. In that year, it came eighth, a position Melbourne shared with Geneva this year. This year, Vienna fell to 12th.

Also Read: Jacinda Ardern declares climate emergency in New Zealand: Assures to make NZ carbon neutral by 2025

Another city illustrated New Zealand’s advantage this year. The culinary capital and the political centre of NZ, Wellington also entered the top 10. It came fourth behind Osaka, which leapfrogged two spots to second place, and Adelaide, which moved past its compatriots Sydney & Melbourne to third place from 10th. The latest EIU ranking is from 2019 as last year’s was cancelled. The EIU said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on global liveability.”

Also Read: Jacinda Ardern wins a second term due to her effective handling of the Covid19 pandemic in New Zealand

It added, “Cities across the world are now much less liveable than they were before the pandemic began, and we have seen that regions such as Europe have been hit particularly hard.” Apart from liveability, four other categories assessed are stability, healthcare, education and infrastructure.

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Covid-19 update: India recorded 86,498 new cases in the lowest spike of daily cases in 66 days

In the 24 hours ending 8 am on Tuesday, India recorded 86,498 new cases, taking the country’s total infections to over 2.89 crore. This was the lowest spike of daily cases in 66 days. This is also the first time in over 2 months that the ‘daily-cases of infection’ have fallen below 1 lakh mark. Active cases have further declined to over 13 lakh and over 2.73 crore people recovered after testing positive. With 2,123 new deaths, the death-toll is now at 3,51,309.

Also See: New mutants of Coronavirus

On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to lift its coronavirus curfew from 7 am to 7 pm in all districts. An official spokesperson said that the night curfew and the weekend curfew will still be continued in all districts.

He said, “There will be relaxation in coronavirus curfew in all the districts of the state from Wednesday onwards, from 7 am to 7 pm, for five days as the active Covid cases have come below 600.” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed the Covid-19 situation in a high-level meeting convened through virtual medium on Tuesday. He decided to give the relaxations in the Covid curfew.

While announcing easing of several restrictions, Puducherry government too extended its ongoing lockdown by another week from June 7 midnight to June 14. Public transport services were allowed to operate till 5 pm. The opening of liquor shops is allowed from 9 am to 5 pm.

Also Read: Does SARS-Cov-2 have any natural predecessor?

Puducherry administration has permitted functioning of retail units of liquor shops, including arrack shops from 9 am to 5 pm every day by strictly adhering to COVID safety norms.

Door delivery of liquor within the Union Territory could also be permitted to reduce footfalls at the liquor and arrack shops. Goods transport, public transport facilities such as buses, autos, taxies are permitted to operate up to 5 pm every day. The Registration department is allowed to function while strictly following Covid norms.

While parks, gardens and entertainment centres, cinemas would continue to remain shut, the government has decided to allow morning walkers to use the beach road from 5 am to 9 am daily. Strollers should wear masks and maintain social distancing. All places of worship and religious institutions are now permitted to stay open till 5 pm.

Also Read: Indemnity from liability to be granted to vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer and Moderna

The order said that wedding ceremonies are permitted but only a maximum of 25 people can take part in it, while funerals and other rituals should have only a maximum of 20 mourners. Sale of vegetables and fruits will be allowed from 5 am to 5 pm. All commercial establishments can function from 9 am to 5 pm without an AC facility.

Some states have started the process of ‘unlocking’ by gradually easing coronavirus-induced restrictions and curfews, with the number of daily cases declining. Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh are some of these states unlocking. On the other hand, states like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Goa, have decided to continue with lockdown.

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A preprint study said Covishield Produced More Antibodies than Covaxin

covishield

A preliminary study by Coronavirus Vaccine-induced Antibody Titre (COVAT) found out that the Covishield vaccine produced more antibodies than Covaxin. The study involved healthcare workers (HCW) who have received both doses of either of the two vaccines.

In Covishield recipients, the seropositivity rates to anti-spike antibody were significantly higher as compared to that in Covaxin recipients after the first dose, as claimed by the study.

It said that both vaccines Covishield and Covaxin elicited a good response after two doses. But seropositivity rate and median anti-spike antibody were significantly higher in Covishield.

Also Read: Get revaccinated; US universities tell Indian students who took jabs of Covaxin & Sputnik V

The study said, “Amongst the 552 HCW (325 Male, 227 Female), 456 and 96 received the first dose of Covishield and Covaxin respectively. Overall, 79.3 per cent showed seropositivity after the first dose. Responder rate and median (IQR) rise in anti-spike antibody were significantly higher in Covishield vs Covaxin recipient (86.8 vs. 43.8 per cent; 61.5 vs 6 AU/ml; both p<0.001).”

The study involved those HCWs who have been administered either of the two vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, and are with or without past history of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Also Read: An uncertain wait for vaccines by India despite a liberalized regulatory framework

The study also said, “This ongoing, Pan-India, Cross-sectional, Coronavirus Vaccine-induced Antibody Titre (COVAT) study is being conducted amongst HCW, with or without past history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike binding antibody is being assessed quantitatively at four time-points between 21 days or more after the first dose to 6 months after the second dose.”

Also See: New mutants of Coronavirus

On immune responses generated, the study said, “While both vaccines elicited immune response, seropositivity rates to anti-spike antibody were significantly higher in Covishield recipient compared to Covaxin after the first dose. Ongoing COVAT study will further enlighten the immune response between two vaccines after the second dose.”

Important note

The study is a preprint and is being peer-reviewed. It has been submitted to a journal but appears as a preprint in MedrXiv, an online repository. It is among the few studies of the real-world effectiveness of vaccination in India. As of now, the study should not be used to guide clinical practice.

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US President Joe Biden announced vaccine distribution plans; Kamala Harris dialed New Delhi

U.S. President Biden

In a press briefing held on Thursday, US President Joe Biden announced the vaccine distribution plan. He announced the first details of the US sending 80 million Covid19 vaccines overseas with the stated aim of “ending the pandemic globally.”

The President stated that US will donate 75% of its unused vaccines against Covid19 to the UN-backed COVAX facility, which is facilitating distribution of vaccine to all people across the world.

The White House stated that out of the first tranche of 25 million doses, about 19 million will go to the COVAX, with around 6 million allocated for  South and Central America, 7 million allocated for Asia and 5 million for Africa. In Africa, US would be working in coordination with the African centre for Disease control and prevention. White House further stated that the remaining doses, just  over  6 million, will be shared directly with countries experiencing surges and other partners and neighbours including Canada, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, India as well as for United Nations frontline workers.

Also Read: Trends in US foreign policy- which archetype might Biden fit in

The US administration led by Joe Biden has been under a lot of pressure to provide vaccines and other necessary aid to various nations that have been hard-hit by the pandemic. Experts and observers from various organizations and countries have implored US administration to provide such hard-hit nations with its abundant supply of vaccines. At a White House briefing, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that some of the initial doses would go to India, Gaza and the West Bank and other nations and areas facing crises.

In the statement, Biden stated that the first 25 million of the vaccines would be given to lay the ground for increased global coverage. White House pointed out that it aims to share 80 million doses globally by June-end, mostly through Covax. It added that 25% of the nation’s excess will be kept in reserve for emergencies and for the US to share directly with allies and partners.

President Biden added in the statement that as long as the pandemic is raging anywhere in the world, American people will still be vulnerable. He further added that US is committed to bringing the same urgency to international vaccination efforts that has been demonstrated inside US.

Also Read: The plausible link between the Abraham Accords & the Afghan peace process

NSA Jake Sullivan added that US will retain the say on where the doses distributed through Covax ultimately go.

Sullivan said, “We are not seeking to extract concessions, we are not extorting, we are not imposing conditions the way that other countries who are providing doses are doing; we are doing none of those things.”

He further added, “These are doses that are being given, donated free and clear to these countries, for the sole purpose of improving the public health situation and helping end the pandemic.”

Statement given by Biden also stressed that his administration supports temporary waiving of intellectual property rights for Covid19 vaccines.

Also Read: After he leaves the office Trump may be missed in the Middle-East-the testing ground for Biden’s foreign policy

In separate calls with Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador, President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago, US Vice President Kamala Harris informed that the countries will be receiving vaccine doses, beginning June-end. In the coming week, Vice president Harris would be visiting Guatemala and Mexico.

Many countries have requested vaccine doses from the United States. But till now, only Mexico and Canada have received a combined 4.5 million doses.

US administration also announced plans to share enough vaccine shots with South Korea to vaccinate its 550000 troops who are serving alongside American service members on the peninsula. One million shots of Jansen vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson have been shipped to South Korea, on Thursday, said White House Covid19 coordinator Jeff Zients.

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Union health ministry said that mixing of Covid-vaccines is not a protocol yet

Covid-vaccines

Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said that the mixing of vaccines against Covid19 is not the protocol till further updates. The Ministry said, “The same vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) will be administered for both doses. There is international research underway on the mixing of vaccines as the possibility of a positive effect is also plausible but a harmful reaction cannot be ruled out either. It is an unresolved scientific question, science will settle it.”

Also Read: An uncertain wait for vaccines by India despite a liberalized regulatory framework

Earlier, it was reported that India might soon begin testing the feasibility of a regimen that mixes two different Covid-19 vaccines to see if it helps boost immune response to the virus. Feasibility study for this purpose is being seriously contemplated by the central government.

The feasibility testing may be carried out both by using vaccines that are currently available in the country, and those that are in the pipeline.

 Also Read: Issues faced by India in dealing with Covid 19 resurge- Is it too late to contain the Second Wave

Dr N K Arora, chairman of the Covid-19 working group under the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) on Monday told a national daily that work is expected to begin “in a few weeks”.

As part of the process of feasibility study, approximately eight vaccines may be mixed and matched, Dr Arora said.

The eight vaccines include the three vaccines that are currently approved for use in the country, Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, and the Russian made Sputnik-V. Collaboration between bodies like the Indian Council of Medical Research and the companies that developed and produced the vaccines will carry out the clinical testing as part of the exercise. The feasibility tests will study different factors such as whether vaccines based on different platforms can be given together. The study would also cover which vaccines to administer in the first and second doses.

A consignment, comprising as many as three million doses of Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine-Sputnik V, the biggest tranche so far, landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, earlier on Tuesday. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Russian Direct Investment Fund are in a pact to sell the first 125 million people doses (250 million vials) of Sputnik V in India. DRL has received approval from the Indian drug regulator (CDSCO) for restricted emergency use of Sputnik V.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has put forth some tough questions for centre, on vaccinations. It has raised question on the deadline declared by the GOI for immunizing the entire eligible population in the country. The Apex court has also asked on what basis the population in the 45+ age group is being chosen for free vaccination, when those in the age group of 18-44 continue to suffer the most.

The central government has pretty formidable tasks ahead in terms of vaccination against Covid19, when there is a talk of a third wave, and when it practically wasted the last 11 crucial months for preparation.

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An uncertain wait for vaccines by India despite a liberalized regulatory framework

India is now staring at a long uncertain wait for vaccines as there are talks of third wave, and as the order books of Pfizer, Moderna and Jansen are already filled up. This is despite the good relations India shares with the countries where the pharmaceutical giants are based.

Government of India on January 02 had announced that a committee of experts appointed by it has permitted emergency use of Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate “Covaxin” and Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine which is being produced by the Serum Institute of India.

At that time, as mentioned in a statement given by the health ministry, Subject Expert Committee of Central Drugs Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) met for two days. The statement further added that the SEC of CDSCO had recommended that the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) “grant permission for restricted emergency use” of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, subject to multiple regulatory conditions to the Serum Institute of India based in Pune city.

Also See: New mutants of Coronavirus

Subsequently, on February 03, the SEC had declined to recommend emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine that led the American pharmaceutical giant to withdraw its application.

Then the second wave of Covid19 came hounding delivering a rude shock, with dead bodies found floating in Ganga and many bodies nibbled away by dogs, a huge deficit of Oxygen, and suppression of information regarding Covid deaths. In this dystopic backdrop, on April 13, the GOI made a U-turn on the vaccine-front for procurement. It announced that it would not enforce the condition of phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in the country for vaccines that had been cleared by US, EU, UK, and Japanese regulators, and listed by the WHO.

Also Read: SOS-Some Ominous Signs

Inspite of the liberalized regulatory framework, after 45 days, pharma giants like Pfizer and Moderna are yet to enter into any purchase agreement with India.

India has reported 1,49,017 Covid-related deaths, between February 3 and May 24. The vaccine- shortage has slowed or stopped vaccinations across the country, plus the failure to vaccinate threatens to take away gains from the lockdowns imposed by almost all states.

Also Read: Dystopia 2020

India, led by people who always paint a picture of Vishwaguru, and languishing with a vaccine shortage is not in any position to get vaccines from the pharma-giants like Pfizer and Moderna. The reason is simple.  Many other countries are in the line way ahead of India waiting for their confirmed & paid-for orders for vaccines. While other countries were placing orders, and US and EU were investing in vaccine research, authorities in India were busy in election rallies.

Therefore, India is essentially looking at a long time waiting for vaccines, as the government had been busy in elections, pushing ahead central vista project and twiddling thumbs on vaccine front.

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Students who lost their parents to Covid19 will get free coaching and accommodation in Kota

Kota

News of relief comes for students who are studying at Kota, especially those whose families have been struck by the pandemic.

Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla took the initiative of helping the students by bringing onboard the coaching institutes of Kota. Mr. Birla said on Wednesday that students who are preparing for medical and engineering entrance exams and have lost their parents or earning member of the family to Covid-19 will be provided free coaching and accommodation in Kota, Rajasthan.

Om Birla is the MP from Kota, which is a major coaching hub for competitive examination preparations in the country. He held a meeting with the directors of coaching institutes in the city and requested them to come forward to help the needy in these challenging times, his office said in a statement.

At his request, the institutes agreed to provide free coaching, accommodation and food to students from across the country who have lost their parents or earning member of the family due to Covid-19, the statement said.

Director of Allen Career Institute, Naveen Maheshwari announced that the institute will set up a relief fund of ₹50 lakh to help the families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Maheshwari made this announcement during the meeting with Birla, who thanked the coaching institutes for their noble gesture. Birla said that during these challenging times it is important that the society comes together and helps each other.

In 2003, Om Birla had won his first assembly elections contesting from Kota South. As the BJP candidate for the Kota constituency Om Birla was elected to the 16th & 17th Lok Sabha.

In the 16th Lok Sabha, he was a member of the Standing Committee on Energy and Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

On June 19, 2019 Om Birla was elected as the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha, The Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam parties had moved notices for Birla and urged him to be impartial as presiding officer of the Lower House.

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US will work with COVAX to share vaccines; it intends to add to its vaccine manufacturing capacities

President Joe Biden said that US will be working with the WHO-backed COVAX facility and other partners for equitable distribution of around 80 million Covid19 vaccines. The vaccines would be provided from its stockpiles in line with Science and public health data gathered from around the world.  Biden is making good on his promise of making US an arsenal of the coronavirus vaccine-shots which are authorized by the FDA.

This gesture comes along with a clear intent of the US administration to augment & bolster its vaccine manufacturing capacities. The administration led by Joe Biden would be coordinating with the democracies around the world for a multilateral-effort in sharing of vaccines. In this regard, the POTUS is expected to announce the progress in the G-7 summit scheduled to be held in June, hosted by UK. On Monday, Biden had announced that US will share 20 million doses from its surplus stocks of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johson vaccines by the June-end, which will be in addition to an earlier US commitment to share 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines.

Also See: New mutants of Coronavirus

The vaccine diplomacy and cooperation would allow US manufacturers to hold or grow their share of the global market for vaccines, as signaled by Biden. This would allow the vaccine supply-chains to become an engine for creation of American jobs. Biden had cautioned that American contributions alone would not be able to resolve the crisis.

It is the first time that US administration has spoken officially about sharing of the vaccines that are authorized for use in the country. This move stems from the belief of Biden administration that it will have taken delivery of enough doses to protect everyone in the US by June.

Also Read: Issues faced by India in dealing with Covid 19 resurge- Is it too late to contain the Second Wave

The announcement by US came as India is reeling under the onslaught of the second wave of Covid 19 pandemic. On the world platform, as part of vaccine diplomacy, India had supplied around 60 million doses of vaccines to around 70 countries, and is now reeling under vaccine deficiency. In this context of making vaccines available for a larger number of people around the world, WHO has reminded Serum Institute of India of its commitment to Covax initiative. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that once the devastating Covid-19 outbreak, i.e. the second wave in India recedes, the SII will need to “get back on track and catch up” on its delivery commitments to COVAX, the global initiative to supply coronavirus vaccines to nations around the world.

Also Read: Trends in Foreign Policy of post-Cold-War US -where Joe Biden might fit in

What is Covax

Covax, with which US would be working to share the vaccines with the world, is one of three pillars of the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. The ACT was launched in April by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and France in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Covax was designed to ensure that people in all corners of the world will get access to Covid -19 vaccines once they are available, regardless of their wealth.

COVAX will achieve this by acting as a platform that supports the research, development and manufacturing of a wide range of Covid-19 vaccine candidates, and negotiate their pricing. Covax approach is coordinated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the WHO.

GAVI, (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) is a global health partnership, and has an observer status at the World Health Assembly, a forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 member states.

As a public–private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunization in poor countries, GAVI brings together developing countries, donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF,  the World Bank, & the vaccine industry in both industrialized and developing countries. It also brings onboard the research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other private philanthropists to expand the vaccine outreach.

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Covid19 update: India reported 3,11,170 new cases of Covid19-Delhi extends lockdown for one more week

India-covid

Taking the total tally to 2.46 crore, India reported 3,11,170 new cases of Covid19 in the last 24 hours. Across the country, 4077 deaths were reported, and hence the toll now stands at 2,70,284 while the active caseload stands at 26.18 lakh. On Sunday, India also reported 3,62,437 discharges.

Rajeev Satav, Rajya Sabha MP of Congress, who had contracted Covid19, died on Sunday. The news was announced by Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala over Twitter.

Also See: New mutants of Coronavirus

Meanwhile, to combat the second wave of the pandemic, the lockdown in Delhi has been extended for one more week till May 24.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “We are extending the lockdown for one more week. Instead of tomorrow, lockdown is extended till next Monday, 5 am in Delhi.”

For seven days in a row, the seven-day average of daily cases has fallen. The positivity rate over the past week has dipped below 20% and the active cases have decreased by over 1.5 lakh during this period.

Also Read: Issues faced by India in dealing with Covid 19 resurge- Is it too late to contain the Second Wave

The West Bengal government on Saturday extended the lockdown in the state till May 30, amid a spike in the number of coronavirus infections. This came after the state registered its highest single-day spike of 20,846 fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the tally to 10,94,802.