It is time countries acted with a humanitarian approach at WTO and relaxed IPR provisions for Covid-19 vaccines. And it can be done without disincentivising R&D efforts.
In affidavits to SC, 9 states have said SII & Bharat Biotech have either expressed inability to supply the stock by May-end or said there will be staggered delivery over the next 2-3 months.
In a tweet Wednesday, Bharat Biotech Joint Managing Director Suchitra Ella said the company has already dispatched Covaxin lots to 18 states on 10 May.
Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said Covaxin manufacturer in a letter referred to instructions from govt officials and it means that central govt is controlling the vaccine supply.
Covaxin, indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, is being used on adults in India's ongoing Covid vaccination drive.
Modi govt Friday said it had told states to prioritise second dose of Covid vaccines over first dose in a 70:30 ratio, in what may be its first admission about shortage of vaccines.
The move to cut the price from Rs 600 per dose follows widespread criticism of Bharat Biotech's pricing policy as it sold Covaxin to the central government at Rs 150 per dose.
The move comes after many states objected to different pricing of the vaccines, with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal saying this is not time for profiteering.
SII will supply 200 million doses and Bharat Biotech is to supply another 90 million doses to the government by July at a pre-agreed rate of Rs 150 per dose.
By turning a blind eye to the snakes in his own backyard, Trudeau is setting the stage for a disaster of epic proportions for his country, his people, and the world at large.
In Episode 1544 of CutTheClutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta looks at some top economists pointing to the pitfalls of ‘currency nationalism’ with data from 1991 to 2004.
While there are patrolling points (PP) 10, 11, 12, 12A and 13 in the Depsang Plains, the patrol in the region Monday was carried out to only one point as decided by India and China.
While we talk much about our military, we don’t put our national wallet where our mouth is. Nobody is saying we should double our defence spending, but current declining trend must be reversed.
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