India is currently reporting around double the daily cases of the United States and Brazil, the two other worst affected countries, though its daily death toll is lower. India’s total infections rank after only the United States, having overtaken Brazil on Monday.
The jump in infections, for which Health Minister Harsh Vardhan acknowledged widespread failure by citizens to heed curbs on movement and social interaction as contributory factors, has prompted calls for the government to cancel huge public events. But hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus are set to bathe in the Ganges river on Wednesday, the third key day of a weeks-long festival.
NEW DELHI: India is to fast-track emergency approvals for Covid-19 vaccines that have been authorised by Western countries and Japan, paving the way for possible imports of Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna shots.
The move, which will drop the need for companies to do small, local safety trials for their vaccines before seeking emergency approval, follows the world s biggest surge in cases in the country this month.
India has the biggest vaccine manufacturing capacity in the world and had exported tens of millions of doses before its own demand skyrocketed and led to a shortage in some states.
Its need for imports would be a blow to dozens of poor countries that had relied on the country to run their inoculation drives.
India is to fast-track emergency approvals for COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorised by Western countries and Japan, paving the way for possible imports of Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna shots.
Northlines
Kalyani Shankar
The Opposition should develop credible policy alternatives instead of blaming the Govt, and the Centre must be transparent in distribution of the COVID shots
Should political parties play politics over COVID-19? That is what is happening over the delivery of vaccines in the last few days. It has resulted in a fight between the Opposition-ruled States and the Centre for more doses of the coveted jabs as the former and the latter have accused each other of “discrimination” and “neglect” respectively.
When COVID-19 hit the country in January 2020, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi took the Chief Ministers (CMs) and even the public on board about how to effectively deal with the situation. He held several meetings with the CMs and consulted and guided the States, promising them of all possible help. They worked in tandem.
India s COVID surge puts squeeze on world vaccine supply latimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from latimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.