One of the world's largest vaccination campaigns was launched yesterday in India, with a sanitation worker, doctors and nurses receiving their shots in what the government declared as the beginning of the road to victory against Covid-19.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Maharashtra may go the UK way for maximum spread
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Synopsis The Indian government has procured an initial 12 million doses from Serum Institute, which makes Covishield, and Bharat Biotech, maker of Covaxin.
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An Indian expert said, based on the data, the gap could be even longer for the vaccine made by SII based on AstraZeneca-Oxford technology.
Mumbai: Maharashtra may delay the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by up to six weeks, similar to the strategy that countries such as the UK and Canada have adopted in order to inoculate as many people as possible. The state is also set to inoculate people as soon as supplies are received, without keeping aside half for the second dose. These will then be given from further supplies.
NEW DELHI: As India begins the nationwide Covid vaccination drive amid a significant decline in active cases, experts say the inoculations is necessary and the timing is apt as it can help avoid a new wave, particularly in the wake of the new UK strain which has higher transmissibility.
“We are fortunate to be starting the vaccination drive at this time with the first wave in decline. This will help in timely vaccination of a significant proportion of the population if at all the second wave does hit us,” said Dr A S Soin, chairman of Medanta Liver Institute.
Vaccination is urgently required at a point when herd immunity is yet to develop and the economy and travel are opening up, increasing the risk of a wider infection spread, experts said.
India starts what authorities claim is the world's fastest and largest inoculation drive, with an estimated 191,000 healthcare workers receiving a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday.