Posted on April 20th, 2021
Soutik Biswas India correspondent Courtesy BBC
image captionFamily members of a person who died of Covid-19 react during a cremation
In early March, India’s health minister Harsh Vardhan declared the country was “in the endgame” of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Vardhan also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership as an “example to the world in international co-operation”. From January onwards, India had begun shipping doses to foreign countries as part of its much-vaunted “vaccine diplomacy”.
Mr Vardhan’s unbridled optimism was based on a sharp drop in reported infections. Since a peak of more than 93,000 cases per day on average in mid-September, infections had steadily declined. By mid-February, India was counting an average of 11,000 cases a day. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths from the disease had slid to below 100.
The SII’s announcement came as new coronavirus infections and deaths set fresh records in India.
Authorities registered approximately 295,000 fresh cases and 2,023 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to health ministry data. Both were highest-ever single-day tallies.
‘Atrocious’
As soon as the SII announced its prices, a senior politician and former federal minister belonging to the main opposition Congress party criticised the government, saying the different prices for states “will bleed dry the already reeling state finances”.
“We demand one nation, one price for centre and state government,” Jairam Ramesh tweeted on Wednesday.
Central Govt will continue to pay Rs 150 per dose for Covishield. State govts will now be charged Rs 400 a dose. This is not cooperative federalism. This will bleed dry the already reeling state finances. Atrocious!
India s Massive COVID Surge Puzzles Scientists - Scientific American scientificamerican.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scientificamerican.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Search Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin gives a press statement about vaccine arrival from Sinovac at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Banten last Sunday.
(Antara Photo/Muhammad Iqbal) This Could Be Us: India s Covid-19 2nd Wave Serves as a Warning for Indonesia BY :JAKARTA GLOBE APRIL 20, 2021
Jakarta. Authorities have warned against the Covid-19 second wave in Indonesia, raising concerns that euphoria surrounding vaccination would cause people to drop their discipline in implementing health protocols that could trigger a spike in cases like what happened in India.
The Southeast Asia country reported 5,095 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, around a third of its peak in January. In comparison, India reported 273,802 new cases on Monday, spiking by 589 percent in the past month and already exceeding its first peak in December.
Pfizer and Moderna have announced that those who received two doses of their Covid-19 vaccines might probably need a booster shot, later this year followed by an annual shot.