Why lockdowns rather than vaccines remain weapon of choice even in second wave
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Police personnel in Mumbai checking commuters at Marine Drive after a 15-day-long partial lockdown was imposed to check the spread of Covid-19 cases
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Rashmi Kundu,
howindialives.com
India has opened doors for new foreign vaccines as active cases surge and vaccine shortages loom. However, ramp up will take time and restrictions will be the prime way to contain the spread in the current wave
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Earlier this week, India approved its third covid-19 vaccine (Russia s Sputnik V) and announced fast-track emergency approvals for vaccines cleared by foreign regulators. These moves come at a time when at least 10 states in India have complained of vaccine shortages and the weekly average of doses fell for the first time since immunisation began on 18 January. With 3.47 million average daily doses in the past week, the pace of vaccination has slowed down from 3.58 mil
Updated Apr 14, 2021 | 11:59 IST
The decision on Tuesday arrived shortly after the Drugs Comptroller General of India (DGCI) granted emergency-use authorisation to the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine. Representational image. | Photo Credit: iStock Images
Key Highlights
In making the latest decision, the Centre has invoked a clause in the 2019 mandate which allows Indian regulators to fast-track vaccine approvals if they have already been approved by a national regulator of a different country
The first 100 beneficiaries of a foreign-manufactured vaccine will need to be assessed for 100 days to determine safety outcomes before rollouts can be expanded in the country
The announcement paves the way for the entrance of foreign-made vaccines like that of Johnson & Johnson s (which already has a link-up with India s Biological E), Novavax (which has a link-up with SII) and Pfizer s
April 14, 2021
India is on its way to expand its “vaccine basket.” But is it too little too late?
The central government announced a change in its policy yesterday (April 13), under which Covid-19 vaccines that have received emergency approval elsewhere in the world would be fast tracked in India. Approvals by the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, or Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency Japan would grant vaccine makers faster approvals in India. Additionally, those vaccines that are listed in World Health Organization’s “(emergency use listing) may be granted emergency use approval in India,” the health ministry said in a press release.
Sputnik V s approval has arrived on the same day that India surpassed Brazil to become the second-hardest hit country in the world, now only behind the United States.
April 13, 2021
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, RDIF - Alexei Druzhinin×
Russia and India will be the largest production hubs for Sputnik V, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Russia’s Gamalaya Centre, said Kirill Dmitriev, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The Indian drug regulator gave its go-ahead to the vaccine on Tuesday.
Five production partnerships have already been tied up, and more would be announced in the next two weeks, said the chief of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, and these could be with large pharmaceutical companies or partnerships to “fill finish” vaccines, he said.
While India would be the 60th country to approve Sputnik V, he did not clarify the number of doses that would be available for India. Production would commence shortly and touch 50 million doses a month by summer, he said, indicating that the roll-out could be by May. Other manufacturing hubs include Korea and China, he added.