Recent figures reveal a huge gap in child healthcare in India, at a time when experts warn of the vulnerabilities of young people to COVID-19 in a looming third wave. Experts expressed misgivings about a severe deficit in child healthcare at primary health centres and community health centres. Per data shared by a parliamentary standing […]
immunisation
Vaccine drive crosses 55 crore, unused doses remain
According to a provisional report, India’s vaccine drive surpassed the milestone of administering 55 crore and set a record in the last 24 hours. However, many vaccine doses provided to states and union territories remain unused. The past 24 hours saw 88.13 lakh doses administered, taking the cumulative number of shots in arms to 554,730,609 […]
Moderna vaccine to reach India shortly
The Moderna vaccine is to become available in India by July 15th, reports indicate. Cipla, a pharmaceutical firm based in Mumbai, received the nod to import doses of the Moderna vaccine from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) last month. It became the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to receive emergency use authorisation from the Centre […]
Covishield approval sought from EU
India is seeking approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Covishield, one of its COVID-19 vaccines. Covisheld approval is being sought on an emergency authorisation basis from the bloc’s apex medical regulatory body. The Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactures Covishield, which is the Indian variant so to speak of the COVID-19 vaccine produced […]
CureVac trials add questions for mRNA vaccines
Following the success stories of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, many thought mRNA vaccines paved the way for the future of immunisation. These theories may be faced with a setback as phase-III trials of fellow mRNA vaccine candidate CureVac has achieved subpar results. CureVac, based in Tübingen, Germany, announced data from the […]
Inoculation record achieved, but concerns remain
Monday saw India administer a record 8.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Nonetheless, concerns remain surrounding the pace of an inoculation campaign once billed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as set to be the largest in the world. “Today’s record-breaking vaccination numbers are gladdening,” Modi tweeted. “The vaccine remains our strongest weapon to fight COVID-19. […]
Free vaccines from the Centre; A federalised policy a welcome shift
Vaccines will be offered free of charge to those aged eighteen and over, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced. The Prime Minister announced the free vaccines policy during an address to the nation yesterday, in which he stated “the Government of India itself will buy 75 percent of the total vaccine production from vaccine manufacturers […]
Why we need to worry about vaccination during COVID
Concerns over the pace of vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic have been amplified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, amidst fears that fewer children will be vaccinated against life-threatening diseases due to the disruption of the crisis. “These disruptions threaten to reverse hard-won progress to reach more children and adolescents with a wider […]
Routine immunisation in a pandemic: Interview with Dr Badri Patnaik
Experts have voiced concerns about the potential for the COVID-19 pandemic to disrupt routine immunisation services – and a possible resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. Health Issues India talks to Dr Badri Patnaik, Head Medical, India and South Asia for Sanofi Pasteur on these themes. The World Health Organization and GAVI, among other organizations, have spoken […]
Video: Dr Joël Calmet on polio, immunisation, and COVID-19
Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, UNICEF issued a stark warning last month that “South Asia could face yet another health emergency if children across the region do not receive their life-saving vaccine shots.” It noted “the South Asia region is also home to two of the last polio endemic countries in the world, Afghanistan and […]