Home NEWS India’s vaccination drive hit by supply shortages

India’s vaccination drive hit by supply shortages

by Bioreports
22 views
india’s-vaccination-drive-hit-by-supply-shortages
3 hr 47 min ago

Several Indian states forced to postpone vaccine drives due to shortages

From CNN’s Manveena Suri in New Delhi 

People line up while waiting to receive a dose of the Covishield coronavirus vaccine, outside the Moti Lal Nehru Medical College in Allahabad on May 1.
People line up while waiting to receive a dose of the Covishield coronavirus vaccine, outside the Moti Lal Nehru Medical College in Allahabad on May 1. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images

Several Indian states were forced to postpone their Covid-19 vaccination plans on Saturday due to supply shortages, authorities said.

At least seven states or union territories were impacted by vaccine shortages as confirmed by CNN. These include the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharasthra and the union territory of Delhi, which includes the Indian capital, New Delhi.

India launched its vaccination drive on January 16, first prioritizing heath care and frontline workers, followed by people above the age of 60 and those over 45 with existing health conditions. The drive was expanded to include everyone above the age of 18 on Saturday.

India is facing a massive second wave of Covid-19 cases, reporting more than 400,000 in a single day on Saturday.

A total of 1,648,192 vaccine doses were given until 8 p.m., including 989,700 people who were given their first dose and 658,492 people who received a second dose, according to provisional figures in the press release.

Of those, 84,599 people between the ages of 18 and 44 received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to a press release issued by India’s Health Ministry on Saturday night. Fewer young people received vaccines because some states prioritized second doses and older people who hadn’t had their first dose. 

As of Saturday evening Indian time, a total of 156,637,825 vaccine doses have been administered since January across the country. A total of 28,591,381 people have received their second dose, about just under 2.2% percent of the country’s 1.3 billion population.

4 hr 15 min ago

India reports highest number of daily Covid-19 deaths

From CNN’s Manveena Suri in New Delhi

A priest performs the last rites of a patient who died of Covid-19 amid burning funeral pyres on May 1, in New Delhi, India.
A priest performs the last rites of a patient who died of Covid-19 amid burning funeral pyres on May 1, in New Delhi, India. Anindito Mukherjee/Getty Images

At least 3,689 Covid-19 deaths were reported in India on Sunday, the highest number identified in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.

To date, at least 215,542 people have died. according to figures released by the country’s health ministry.

Authorities reported another 392,488 new Covid-19 cases Sunday, the 11th consecutive day of more than 300,000 cases. That figure crossed 400,000 for the first time on Saturday.

At least 19,557,457 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in India.

4 hr 25 min ago

More than 243 million Covid-19 doses administered in the US, CDC data shows

From CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas

More than 243 million Covid-19 doses have been administered in the US, according to data published Saturday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC reported that 243,463,471 doses have been administered, nearly 78% of the 312,508,205 doses delivered.

That’s about 3,303,794 more doses reported administered since Friday, for a seven-day average of about 2.5 million doses per day.

More than 146 million people have now received at least one dose of vaccine, and more than 103 million people have been fully vaccinated, the data shows.

Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been given on the day reported.

5 hr 28 min ago

White House officials have 3 overarching Covid-19 vaccine goals for Biden’s next 100 days

From CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Kate Sullivan

The White House announced Friday that 100 million adults in the United States are now fully vaccinated.

The news comes as CNN reported that Biden’s coronavirus advisers are moving into the next phase of their response, from ramping up availability of Covid-19 vaccines to reaching those who have not yet gotten the shot. 

White House officials have three overarching goals for the next 100 days:

  • Increasing accessibility
  • Combating misinformation
  • Assisting those without the resources to get vaccinated

The Biden administration doubled and surpassed its initial goal of 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in its first 100 days, reaching the 200 million benchmark on April 21. It has been racing to get shots in arms as variants spread throughout the country.

The White House has poured resources into educating the American public about the safety and efficacy of the three Covid-19 vaccines that have received emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Association.

The Biden administration has launched TV ads to encourage vaccinations and increase public confidence in the vaccines as it ramps up distribution.

It also announced nearly $10 billion would be allocated toward increasing vaccine access and confidence in hard-hit communities across the country, which includes $3 billion of CDC funding to support outreach efforts in the states through community-based organizations and trusted community leaders.

Biden has said there will be enough vaccine for every adult American by the end of May. Every American over the age of 16 is now eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine across the country.

5 hr 34 min ago

How India’s Covid-19 crisis is slamming its economy

From CNN’s Parija Kavilanz

India’s government locked down the country last year to avoid an out-of-control Covid-19 outbreak that so many of the world’s countries had endured. The plan was largely successful, but it crippled India’s economy in the process.

Now India is facing its own devastating Covid-19 crisis, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reluctant to put his economy through another round of turmoil.

India’s economy may get crushed again regardless.

That’s beginning to play out in India’s leather industry.

India is a major global exporter of leather and leather goods. The country is the second-largest exporter of leather garments and fourth-largest exporter of leather goods in the world, according to the Indian Council for Leather Exports (a division of India’s Ministry of Commerce & Industry). It is also a major producer of footwear after China, producing nearly 3 billion pairs of shoes annually.

Last year, the pandemic dealt a serious blow to India’s leather industry. Leather exports slumped a steep 29.1% last year over the prior year, as the industry lost almost $1.4 billion in exports. That’s because shoppers in the United States, European Union and United Kingdom held off on purchases during their own lockdowns, according to Aqeel Panaruna, chairman of the Council for Leather Exports.

One industry expert, who didn’t want to be identified and is also infected with the coronavirus, said leather producers have suffered from a cumulative knock-on effect of a protracted shutdown last year. He’s worried that a worsening second wave could set the industry back once again.

Much of that worry is fueled by the dynamics of the industry’s workforce.

“The majority of the workforce is in the 18 to 45 years of age and have not been vaccinated as yet,” noted Sanjay Leekha, vice chairman of CLE.

Read the full story below:

India doesn't want to shut down its economy again. It may get crushed anyway

You may also like

Leave a Comment