Share People wait in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Mumbai, India, on 29 April. AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade ‘There are so many hurdles.’ Indian scientists plead with government to unlock COVID-19 data May. 4, 2021 , 12:10 PM Reporting for this story was supported by a journalism grant from the Thakur Family Foundation, which has not influenced the contents of this report. Indian researchers say they urgently need better access to data collected by government agencies to help them understand and fight the country’s devastating second pandemic wave. An open letter published on 29 April that has 740 signatories so far asks the government for access to databases on COVID-19 testing and genomic sequencing and urges it to remove other obstacles to research.