Chidambaram slams Centre for delay in decision taking regarding inviting other COVAXIN manufacturers ANI | Updated: May 15, 2021 12:53 IST
New Delhi [India], May 15 (ANI): Pointing out the Centre s delay in taking decision, former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday asked who will be accountable for the avoidable infections and loss of lives due to the central government s delay to invite other vaccine manufacturers to produce COVAXIN.
In a series of tweets, Chidambaram said the suggestion for compulsory licences be issued to other manufacturers had been offered by the Congress four weeks before the government took the decision. Four weeks after the CWC demanded that compulsory licenses be issued to other manufacturers, the central government has decided to invite other manufacturers to apply to produce COVAXIN! he said.
PIL seeking reduction of COVID vaccine price filed in Delhi HC ANI | Updated: May 15, 2021 23:00 IST
By Sushil Batra
New Delhi [India], May 15 (ANI): A public interest litigation has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking direction to respondents to reduce the price of COVIDvaccine for citizens.
The petitioner Rakesh, a social activist, through Advocates AK Dubey and Pawan Kumar states that earlier the price of COVIDvaccine at the private hospital was Rs 250 which was reasonable.
The petition states that Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has fixed the price of Covaxin to the state government at Rs 600 per dose while the same is priced for private hospital at Rs 1200 per dose. Similarly, the Pune-based Serum Institute of India, the manufacturer of Covishield fixed the price at Rs 400 per dose for state government and Rs 600 per dose for private hospitals. The prices are higher in India than in foreign countries.
Besides asking the Adar Poonawalla-backed pharma behemoth to come to its rescue, the Delhi government s letter mentioned that vaccination centres will have to be shut down due to the non-availability of vaccines
Rare blood clot disorder among people who received J&J vaccine
Amid reports of vaccine shortage coming from different parts of the country, the Centre and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech on Thursday exppressed their willingness to invite other companies to produce Covaxin in a bid to ramp up vaccine production in the country.
Welcoming the Centre s decision, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted, We are very glad that Central government has agreed to allow other companies to manufacture Covaxin. We sincerely hope they will consider our other suggestion of importing vaccines as One Nation and not as different states seriously as well.
New Delhi [India], May 14 (ANI): Amid the worrying shortage of COVID-19 vaccines across the country, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said if there is a need to float a global tender, it should be done by the Central government.