https://fpif.org/whats-up-with-the-herd/

There are several reasons for India’s current catastrophe. A more infectious variant started to appear in the population, which the World Health Organization this week labelled a global health risk. The Indian government was not only unprepared for the crisis, it was dangerously cavalier in its approach to the disease. After last year’s surge, it grew lax on testing and contact tracing. Nor did it put resources into the country’s inadequate medical system or in stockpiling key supplies like oxygen.

Then there are the errors of commission. The government did nothing, for instance, to prevent Kumbh Mela, a Hindu religious event last month that draws millions of pilgrims to a holy location on the Ganges, from turning into the largest super-spreader event on the planet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi even continued to hold mass political rallies as the COVID numbers began to rise.

When it comes to vaccines, the government has been slow to order doses, distribute them to the population, and secure the raw materials to scale up manufacturing. Although India is the world’s largest producer of COVID vaccines, less than 3 percent of Indians are fully inoculated against the disease.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10226028910334476&id=1387786704&sfnsn=scwshmo

S Sen: Covaxin is indigenously developed. The GoI has partnered with the Bharat Biotech.

The Union Government must let/persuade all the capable manufacturing units to go for producing this vaccine - at low price, on an urgent basis, by sharing the production process in order to massively hike the volume of vaccine production.
Here, no IPR of any foreign body is involved. There's no viable excuse to keep from doing it.
At least, for a while, let the Loot Maar Raj retreat.

Experts feel that the Centre’s stand against compulsory licensing – which the Supreme Court had floated as a tool it could use as part of its pandemic response – is not only contradictory to its position at international forums, it could end up jeopardising India’s efforts to ensure vaccine equity at the global level.
...
In simple terms, when a government invokes a compulsory license, it grants permission to a person to make or sell an invention or product without seeking permission from the patent holder. The question of compulsory licensing in India involves two important provisions under the Patents Act, 1970.

First is Section 92. Under this provision, the government can declare compulsory licensing for any patented invention in times of national or extreme emergency. Once a declaration is made, the controller general of patents can grant licenses to any applicant. The patent holder will be paid a royalty fixed by the controller general.

Section 100 of the Act, on the other hand, allows the Centre or others to use the invention for the purposes of the government, if deemed necessary. This would allow Indian companies to begin manufacturing while the royalty is negotiated. If the negotiations fail, it falls upon the High Court with the jurisdiction to fix a reasonable royalty.>>

AA : But the article itself quotes the govt's affidavit that 1 private and 3 public sector manufaturing facilities are to be got ready with enhanced capacities for production of vaccines. That would be Covaxin. Earlier in the month, it was reported in Mumbai that Haffkin Pharmaceuticals in the city would be producing Covaxin, but it would take them 6 months to start manufacturing. Quality of production is a concern with patent being thrown open. Process of production in Bharat Biotech was called into question by a country which was buying Covaxin. As for unilateral compulsory licencing by India, it would affect its negotiations with imports.

SS: I. It is the regulatory authority in Brazil which was dissatisfied with the production process in the Bharat Biotech plant.
That by itself is not too enlightening.
It may even mean (deemed) inadequacy of the system of documentation of the various stages of production.

II. There appears to be a (long) list of unused PSE plants.
Only the one in Maharashtra is going to be pressed into service.
There'd, similarly, be many in the private sector as well.

III. As regards quality, there must not be any laxity.
Any (allopathic) licensed drug manufacturing unit must be having its internal quality control and monitoring system.
On top of that, these are subject to overseeing by the central regulatory authority (CDSCO).
The original patent holder, by virtue of that mere fact, doesn't ipso facto guarantee quality.
The rejection of Covaxin by Brazil is an illustrative case.

scroll.in

Why is India calling for a global vaccine patent waiver, but against discussing one at home?  https://scroll.in/article/994672/why-is-india-calling-for-a-global-vaccine-patent-waiver-but-against-discussing-one-at-home?fbclid=IwAR0fc6T2ckUsL2tJDYZS4xuHk3X0voqFefwUb6hKXFYrXEEtATogwltzuno At the global stage, India is one of the co-sponsors – with South Africa – of a World Trade Organisation agreement demanding a waiver on intellectual property rights for vaccines for the duration of the pandemic. India’s proposal has recently gained steam, after US President Joe Biden announced his support, with hopes that this might make it easier for many more countries to get access to Covid-19 vaccines.

At home, however, the Indian government is not only taking a different stance, it has even asked the Supreme Court to not even discuss or mention the use of the state’s power to override intellectual property rights for essential drugs or vaccines, claiming these could have “serious, severe and unintended adverse consequences in the countries efforts being made on global platform.”

sAre the new gap between vaccines a result of science or lack of vaccines?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-hqodcwlHc  India today video on 14th May. Morning Newswrap| Covid Infection Is Slowing Down In India; Decoding Gap Between Covid Jabs

Are governments adjusting the gap between doses? https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/covid-19-india-second-wave-vaccine-shortage-gap-between-vaccine-jabs-7269540/

Lots of governments have been doing so. For instance, Canada has done this for all of their vaccines. In fact, they’ve decided to go with a four-month interval. I think many countries have decided that there is enough evidence to show that, for the AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield in India), increasing the gap between doses definitely gives better value. If you look at the effectiveness data in the single-dose studies from the UK, you can see quite clearly that one dose is working very well and that it’s perfectly fine to lose the second dose for at least 12 weeks.

Can waiting longer for the second dose of Covishield increase the risk of infection?

As far as the argument that increasing the dosing interval for Covishield could lead to breakthrough infections is concerned, there is no data so far that proves you will get a greater number of breakthrough infections that result in disease comparing 4-, 8- or 12-week intervals. Data from the first three months of vaccinations in the UK is all based on a single dose — what we’re seeing there is good protection with the first dose.

https://in.news.yahoo.com/news/halt-construction-central-vista-project-172552126.html Ritu Priya, professor at Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and a member of the Vikalp Sangam Core group said, 'The focus now must shift on human and environmental health and well-being.' The statement said given the impacts of climate change and other ecological damage and impending pandemics that are predicted to become more frequent in the coming decades, 'it is important to question a development ideology based only on growth in GDP, which is meaningless as shown by the pandemic'.

'Such growth has only increased inequalities, economic insecurity amongst tens of millions, and ecological devastation,' it said.

The full focus of economic activities in the name of 'development' from now on must be on human and environmental health and well-being. Indicators that reflect these, beyond GDP, must guide economic planning, it added.

https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2021/05/12/des67-env-central-vista.html "The pandemic's second wave in India is a systematic political failure for which the government needs to be held accountable. The spread of the virus has shown the strong relationship between our environment and human health, "While the central and state governments have necessary resources to carry these out, and must be held accountable for them, civil society groups and bodies of local self-governance in villages and cities must also put full efforts into making these possible.
"Indeed, the more communities are able to be relatively independent and self-reliant in avoiding or dealing with such crises, the stronger India will be," it said.

For other posts on COVID: See http://emeets.lnwr.in/index.php/covid

14th May 2021 The estimate of 217 crores is based on anticipated production indicated by companies. Total population above 18 around 81 crore!

Next week itself we are to get 15.6 crore SputniV K Paul, head of Task Force: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/coronavirus-second-wave-later-rather-than-sooner-govt-unveils-roadmap-for-supply-of-covid-vaccines-7314278/  

“From the beginning, the Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of External Affairs together have been in touch with Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. It is still ongoing,” Paul said.

“We had formally asked them (the pharma companies), and also held a discussion. We asked them: ‘Would you please want to send doses to India; please would you like to manufacture in India?’ We told them that we would find partners and would assist them. We also asked them if they want to do fill and finish,” he said.

States float tenders but know it’s a long shot, say Centre’s job to buy https://indianexpress.com/article/india/states-float-covid-vaccine-tenders-but-know-its-a-long-shot-say-centres-job-to-buy-7314275/ 

GLOBAL tenders for Covid vaccines by the Mumbai civic body and the Uttar Pradesh government for 1 crore and 4 crore doses respectively, and plans of at least half-a-dozen other states to call for bids, may yield little to no results, unless Russia and China step in with supplies.

Such global tenders for vaccine supply by sub-national governments amid supply shortages are the first publicly known instances during this pandemic. The states may be going through the motions to publicly announce their intent to citizens, but most reckon the slim chances since they have to compete with advance orders by other countries and procurement efforts by a global Covid-19 vaccine facility.

At current (old-may11th)  rate of Covid-19 vaccination, India may take 3.5 years to reach herd immunity https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/story/coronavirus-current-rate-vaccination-india-years-herd-immunity-covid-1801320-2021-05-11  The vaccine math arrived through a back-of-the-envelope calculation that shows that 94.5 crore people need to be given two shots of Covishield or Covaxin for herd immunity. This means a requirement of 189 crore vaccine doses. 

Herd Immuninty

>> Population of India — 135 crore

>> Vaccine coverage for herd immunity — 94.5 crore People

>> Total vaccine doses needed — 189 crore

How To Fix India's Flawed Vaccination Drive??? Pharma Veteran Chandru Chawla Explains https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRnoq6afP2s 

A masterstroke needed from the PM to accelerate Universal COVID-19 vaccination – A letter to the PM https://www.expresspharma.in/a-masterstroke-needed-from-the-pm-to-accelerate-universal-covid-19-vaccination-a-letter-to-the-pm/ 

Addressing the demand-supply gap. Prof R Ramakumar has estimated the very immediate needs. One would need to factor in imminent mutating strains and the possible expected risk to the youth and children.
Addressing the distortion in vaccine access due to the recent policy liberalization. The benefits of “one procurer system for universal vaccination” are undeniable
To eliminate barriers to access – technology and connectivity being the most notable though not the only ones

National Task Force for Vaccine Procurement, NTVP, must be set up as an autonomous body by the Government of India, empowered to do the following:

Set the mandate for the “One Procurer” policy – The terms must be set on universal understood norms of compassionate pricing and access and must deal with attempts at “price gouging” firmly.
Set the “quantitative need” for vaccines, considering factors like priority for risk populations, emerging risk factors such as mutant variants and need for booster doses, etc. guided by the Scientific horsepower in its member body.
Negotiate with both Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech in a manner that ensures transparency, balances need for supply urgency without mercenary pressure, helping debottleneck “prioritization of national v/s international commitments” as well as their internal supply chain constraints, with calibrated diversification of supply sources
Set the terms for Compulsory licensing of the Bharat Biotech vaccine, which was developed using Indian taxpayer money, and engineer the transfer of its know-how to other sites in India where capabilities for upstream, downstream, formulation and fill-finish value addition exist. There are possibly half a dozen Indian sites at the bare minimum that can absorb this know-how and get to commercial scale in record time.
Negotiate with alternate sites using creative solutions such as leasing, pay for service or paying even “business disruption premium” for sites that need to disrupt existing business commitments to free capacity and capability.
Qualify and negotiate with both Russian and Chinese vaccine suppliers, waiving off geopolitical pressures and considerations.

The NTVP must be funded with at least Rs 70,000 crores

Coronavirus: Facts vs Myths | The gap between two doses of the Covishield COVID-19 vaccine can be increased to 12-16 weeks, a government panel recommended Thursday, according to a report by news agency PTI. https://youtu.be/BThU1LprK2g  Karnataka Health Minster Dr Ashwath-narayan tweeted today, "Today, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), the advisory group on #COVID19 vaccines, recommends increasing the gap between 2 doses of #Covishield to 12-16 weeks.". Is vaccine shortage driving the vaccine policy?

What Is The Science Behind Increasing COVID Vaccine Doses Gap? | Coronavirus Pandemic | CNBC-TV18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzuw3eg7Rok

Increased Gap In Covishield Does To 12-16 Weeks: Science Or Vaccine Shortage? | Left, Right & Centre  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bxERfCzTX4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_o8OW0tVsI The ‘Online-Only' Slot Booking on CoWIN Makes Vaccine Inaccessible for Many | The Quint

Coronavirus pandemic, the first casualty seems to be the health care sector https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZv3EU6xkAQ

The healthcare sector in India is a victim of the overall caste mentality of our society. Lacking community spirit and civic values, we find it impossible to develop efficient public systems, whether it be transport, electricity, water, or healthcare. We are unable to think publicly and act publicly, everything in our society must be divided into corporate spheres imitating the division between touchables and untouchables. We defend our private interests even during a pandemic and fail to realize that we rise and fall together. COVID has showed us once again how ill-prepared we are to unite against a common enemy. The dismal failure of the healthcare system is just a symptom of a much wider failure to emerge as a nation. Hiring more healthcare personnel might take us through this crisis but the only long-term solution is to develop a sense of public good over and above private or caste interests.

For other post see http://emeets.lnwr.in/index.php/covid/

India's health system has not crumbled only because of the pandemic. It was barely adequate at the best of times, and in many parts of rural India virtually non-existent. Today, we are being compelled to notice this and acknowledge it because of the health emergency the country faces. But each year, these areas see many such emergencies in the form of other diseases such as dengue, malaria, and encephalitis as well as perennials such as tuberculosis. In states where there is chronic malnutrition and stunting amongst children, exacerbated by the absence of medical intervention, thousands of infants die every year from something that is easily treatable, diarrhoea.

When this crisis is over, although there is no sign of it at present, we must continue to focus on this failed health system in so many parts of India. The pandemic has shown us that gloating about being an "emerging" economy means nothing when people can die from the lack of oxygen during a pandemic, or the absence of clean water at other times. - Kalpana Sharma
https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/05/13/for-post-pandemic-media-public-health-needs-to-be-the-biggest-story

India would be much better placed if the government fulfilled its promises of increasing health spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP and investing more in primary health care.

"States Left To Compete In International Market:" Arvind Kejriwal On Vaccines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkjlu9wBgy4 States are facing a massive shortage of vaccines, bringing the vaccination drive to a halt for those between 18 to 44 years of age. At least 10 state governments are floating global tenders to acquire the requisite stock of vaccines. On Tuesday Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments decided to issue global tenders for procurement of COVID-19 vaccines as the domestic supply has failed to keep up with the rising demand. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha have also issued global tenders for procuring vaccines as quickly as possible.

States should show some leadership: 

why can't the opposition states come together and jointly bid for vaccines. It will show us, the voter, that they have a working alternative to centralised leadership in 2024!!!

Some of you will recall that Prashant Kishore after the Bengal victory, said that in order to win 2024, the opposition will have to have a face and a concrete demonstration of their potential to pose a challenge, and be able to project that to the public.. not just in the last 15 days of campigning through alliances, but through a concrete programme. What better challenge than the COVID crisis to reach the people of India.. 

What if? What if Mahua moitri, kanimozhi, Supriya sule, Priyanka Gandhi, atishi, and one of the again baug women had to come together to say they are going to form a caucus, to develop a strong common economic and social development programme and a joint governance system????

For other documentation o COVID:  http://emeets.lnwr.in/index.php/covid 

Azim Premji at RSS lecture: Truth and good science key to tackle the Covid-19 crisis, and the scale and spread of the pandemic need to be accepted truthfully.https://indianexpress.com/article/india/azim-premji-at-rss-lecture-truth-and-good-science-key-to-confront-crisis/ 

It is both a health as well as an economic crisis.

“we need to restructure our society and economy such that our country does not have this kind of inequity and injustice”.

2 min video https://youtu.be/kGLGKhnCoIQ at  ‘Positivity Unlimited’ series of lectures organised by the RSS-linked Covid Response Team

Covid vaccines: Will drug companies make bumper profits? 

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55170756  

Thanks to the way these vaccines have been funded and the number of firms joining the race to make them, any opportunity to make big profits could be short-lived.

Who put the money in?
Due to the urgent need for the vaccine, governments and donors, have poured billions of pounds into projects to create and test them. Philanthropic organisations such as the Gates Foundation backed the quest as well as individuals including Alibaba founder Jack Ma and country music star Dolly Parton.

Firms that began work on vaccines for other diseases such as Zika and Sars had their fingers burnt. On the other hand, the market for flu' jabs, which is worth several billion dollars a year, suggests that if Covid-19, like flu, is here to stay and requires annual booster jabs, then it could be profitable for the firms that come up with the most effective, and most cost-effective products.

Some firms don't want to be seen to be profiting from the global crisis, especially after receiving so much outside funding. The large US drugmaker, Johnson & Johnson, and the UK's AstraZeneca, which is working with a University of Oxford-based biotech company, have pledged to sell the vaccine at a price that just covers their costs. AstraZeneca's currently looks set to be the cheapest at $4 (£3) per dose.

Should they be sharing their technology?
With so much at stake, there have been calls for the know-how behind the new vaccines to be pooled, so that other firms in India and South Africa, for example, can manufacture doses for their own markets.

Ellen 't Hoen, director of research group Medicines Law and Policy, says that should have been a condition of receiving public funding.

"I think it was unwise of our governments to hand over that money without strings attached," she says. Those that are selling to countries with deeper pockets will start to see a return on their investment, whereas AstraZeneca, despite having deals to supply the highest number of doses, will only cover its costs.

https://science.thewire.in/health/covid-19-big-pharma-taxpayer-funded-development-profiteering/  

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/companies/ideas-for-profit-what-the-second-covid-19-wave-means-for-domestic-pharma-companies-6761011.html Ideas For Profit | What the second covid-19 ‘wave’ means for domestic pharma companies? https://youtu.be/gNdkGUIb75Q 

The Public Sector Is Crucial for Self-Reliance in Vaccines and Public Health https://science.thewire.in/health/covid-19-indian-psu-vaccines/  

vaccine development and production has been one of India’s strengths for over a century, and the public sector has ensured we have been self-reliant and cost-effective. However, these enterprises were undermined by globalisation, and we began to depend more on imports. At the same time, privatisation increased our immunisation cost and facilitated the backdoor entry of frivolous vaccines.

Indeed, it took a piece of public interest litigation in the Supreme Court, and castigation by a parliamentary committee, to reopen three suspended vaccine PSUs in 2012: the Central Research Institute, Kasauli; the Pasteur Institute of India, Coonoor; and the BCG Vaccines Lab, Chennai.

These three labs, plus the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research in Chennai, had been set up by the British from the late 19th century – around the same time Waldemar Haffkine produced the world’s first vaccine against the plague in Bombay in 1896-1897. The labs have since developed and produced vaccines and antisera against diphtheria, polio, tetanus, typhoid, smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever, among other diseases.

The Government of India must revive its pre-liberalisation policy to become self-reliant in vaccine technology development and self-sufficient in vaccine production. It’s time to stop thinking that investing to modernise PSUs and helping them adhere to GMPs is a wasteful activity.

A dose of truth: The real story of India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/health/a-dose-of-truth-the-real-story-of-india-s-covid-19-vaccination-programme-76548 

https://scroll.in/article/994763/as-indian-government-offers-some-answers-on-covaxin-patent-rights-more-questions-emerge  

In the report in The Hindu, Balaram Bhargava, the director general of the ICMR,  stated the following:

“The Public-Private Partnership was executed under a formal Memorandum of Understanding between the ICMR and the BBIL [Bharat Biotech] which includes a royalty clause for the ICMR on net sales and other clauses like prioritisation of in-country supplies. The product IP is shared. It is also agreed that the name of ICMR-National Institute of Virology will be printed on the vaccine boxes.”  

https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/uoi-affidavit-9052021-final-with-annexures-1-91-393168.pdf  IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIACIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTIONSUO MOTO WRIT PETITION (C) NO.3/2021IN THE MATTER OF:-IN RE : DISTRIBUTION OF ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES AND SERVICES DURING PANDEMIC

The DTE report said India has adequate capacity — the country has a panel of seven PSUs that have the capability to produce vaccines. But the manufacturing licences of three of these PSUs — Central Research Institute, Kasauli; BCG Vaccine Laboratory, Guindy; and Pasteur Institute of India, Conoor — had been cancelled in 2008 as they were not following the good manufacturing practices laid down in the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945.

In 2012, a decision was taken to revive these units. However, they were not made fully functional.

The DTE investigation revealed that India also has an Integrated Vaccine Complex in Tamil Nadu which was established to provide vaccines needed for the country’s Universal Immunisation Programme after the closure of the PSUs. Though ready since 2016, this unit too is defunct at the moment.

Its employees have not been paid their full salaries.

In a belated move, on April 16, 2021, the government announced a plan to include three PSUs in the vaccine-making process:

Haffkine Biopharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, Mumbai (a state PSU)
Indian Immunologicals Limited, Hyderabad (a facility under the National Dairy Development Board)
Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Limited, Bulandshahr (under the Department of Biotechnology).
Grants will be provided to upgrade these units.

The Union government has also decided to support Bharat Biotech to upgrade its facilities. All these steps are expected to double the current production capacity of the indigenously developed Covaxin by May-June 2021, and increase it nearly six to seven times by July-August 2021.

Vaccine production is expected to go up from one crore doses a month in April 2021 to about seven crore doses in July-August 2021, and nearly 10 crore doses per month by September 2021.

For other posts on COVID:  http://emeets.lnwr.in/index.php/covid