People wait for the arrival of Covid-19 vaccine doses at a centre in India’s Mumbai city on 12 July, 2021
(AFP via Getty Images)
India’s biggest association of doctors has warned that a third wave of Covid-19 is “inevitable and imminent”, and urged the central and state governments not to let their guard down.
The Indian Medical Association said that in many parts of the country, both the government and the people are being complacent and engaging in mass gatherings without following Covid-appropriate norms.
It said: “Tourist bonanza, pilgrimage travel, religious fervour are needed, but can wait for a few more months.”
This comes after pictures went viral last week of people in India flocking to domestic tourism hotspots as the number of coronavirus cases declined and restrictions eased.
The Delhi government has warned that several vaccination centres will be closed as the national capital has run out of vaccines. The inoculation drive was also stopped in 24 out of 30 districts in the state of Odisha due to a shortage of shots.
Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration added a warning to Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine, saying that data suggests there is an increased risk of a rare neurological disorder after inoculation.
And South Korea, which is battling a surge in infections, reported more than 1,000 daily cases for a seventh consecutive day on Tuesday morning.
India says no laxity in Covid protocol ahead of Parliament session
Om Birla, speaker of India’s lower house of Parliament, has said that there will be no laxity in following Covid-19 protocol during the Parliament session which is scheduled to begin on 19 July and go on till 13 August.
Members who have taken even one dose of Covid-19 vaccine will not be required to undertake an RT-PCR test. Mr Birla said that arrangements will be made to ensure members are sitting at an appropriate distance from each other.
It will be the first time that both the houses will sit simultaneously since the pandemic began last year.
Akshita Jain13 July 2021 07:09
Indian state adds 1,478 backlog deaths due to Covid
The Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on Monday added 1,478 backlog deaths to its current toll of Covid-19, according to reports.
The backlog deaths are from the deadly second wave of the pandemic which were left out of the official toll.
The additional deaths were reported after a government order urged all district authorities to report any deaths till 30 June which were not added to the government’s Covid portal till then, according to The Indian Express.
The report quoted officials as saying that mostly the deaths which happened in private hospitals or of patients who were under home isolation were identified later.
Akshita Jain13 July 2021 06:43
WHO review process for India’s homegrown vaccine ‘Covaxin’ begins
Indian drugmaker Bharat Biotech — which manufactures India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ — has said that the review process for its shot has begun at the World Health Organisation.
The company, which had a pre-submission meeting with the UN health body last month, said it expects to receive emergency use listing at the earliest.
Bharat Biotech has said that data from phase 3 clinical trial showed Covaxin is 77.8 per cent effective against symptomatic Covid-19 infections.
Akshita Jain13 July 2021 06:20
Mixing and matching Covid vaccines a ‘dangerous trend,’ says WHO
The World Health Organisation has advised against mixing and matching of Covid-19 vaccines from different manufacturers, terming it a “dangerous trend” because there is little data available on its effects for now.
The UN health body’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan was quoted by Reuters as saying: “It’s a little bit of a dangerous trend here. We are in a data-free, evidence-free zone as far as mix and match.”
Dr NK Arora, member of India’s Covid task force, had reportedly said last month that the country plans to study a regimen of mixing Covid-19 vaccines.
Akshita Jain13 July 2021 05:50
Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic for Tuesday 13 July, 2021.
Akshita Jain13 July 2021 05:03
