Coronavirus Vaccine

An ICMR study has conclusively documented that Covid vaccination did not increase the risk of unexplained sudden death among young adults in India, instead lowering their odds, Union Health Minister J P Nadda told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Past COVID-19 hospitalization, family history of sudden death and certain lifestyle behaviours increased the likelihood of unexplained sudden death, he said responding to a question. He said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that the ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology conducted a study titled 'Factors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India' -- a 'multicentric matched case-control study' -- at 47 tertiary care hospitals in 19 states and Union Territories during May-August last year. The cases were apparently healthy individuals without any known co-morbidity, who suddenly (less than 24 hours of hospitalisation or seen apparently healthy 24 hours before death) died of ...

The Centre on Tuesday stated in the Supreme Court that the Covid 19 pandemic was "a disaster like no other" and vaccination saved people's lives. The submission was made when a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale was hearing a plea over the alleged vaccine-induced deaths of two women. After additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, said Covid was a disaster like no other, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the women's parents, responded, "We are not contesting that. We do not dispute." The plea, filed by the parents of the two women, claimed after the first dose of their Covishield vaccination, the women suffered severe adverse effects following immunisation (AEFI). Bhati said the apex court had holistically looked into the aspect of Covid vaccination and delivered a verdict dealing with the aspect of AEFI. "Ultimately, it is a question of balancing the equities. Covid was a disaster like no other," she said, "covid vaccination has

Several doctors and healthcare professionals have signed a petition calling for the immediate suspension of all COVID-19 mRNA products because they fear the jabs could be contributing to an alarming rise in excess deaths. A petition known as the HOPE Accord attracting signatures from around the world went online recently to alert the international community on the continued use of the COVID mRNA vaccines. These vaccines, using gene-based technology, were given emergency use authorisation as one of the tools to address the coronavirus pandemic. A growing body of evidence suggests that the widespread rollout of the novel Covid-19 mRNA vaccine products is contributing to an alarming rise in disability and excess deaths, reads the Hope Accord petition. This new technology was granted emergency use authorisation to address a situation that no longer exists. Going forward, the burden of proof falls on those still advocating for these products to compellingly demonstrate that they aren't .

Union Minister JP Nadda highlights India's commitment to improving global healthcare standards and highlighted the country's contributions to global healthcare during the Covid-19 pandemic

The new Covid variant was initially detected in Germany in June, according to the BBC. Since then, it has been found in several other countries, including the UK, US, Denmark, and more

Bharat Biotech on Wednesday announced a collaboration with Alopexx Inc for development and commercialisation of the latter's broad-spectrum anti-microbial vaccine in India and other low income countries. As part of the collaboration, the companies will co-develop and commercialise the vaccine -- AV0328, in India and other licensed territories, Bharat Biotech said in a statement. Alopexx would be entitled to a one-time upfront payment and milestone payments, as well as royalties on future sales of AV0328 in the licensed territories, it added. "Our goal is to develop solutions to reduce anti-microbial resistance through vaccination. This collaboration aligns with our mission to provide safe, affordable, and high-quality vaccines to combat infectious diseases globally," Bharat Biotech Executive Chairman Krishna Ella said. Alopexx CEO Daniel Vlock said, this collaboration brings the company one step closer to addressing the critical need for affordable, broad-spectrum antimicrobial ..

The contagion still killing 1,700 people every week across the world, says WHO

The Congress on Friday hit out at the government over the Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Limited (BIBCOL) reportedly facing a "grim future", and said shutting down vaccine PSUs will only erode the country's capabilities further. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed that the BIBCOL factory in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, that was at the forefront of India's fight against polio before, hasn't produced a single vaccine since December 2022. "Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation (BIBCOL) was set up in the late 1980s, at the personal initiative of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, to make India self-sufficient in the production of oral polio vaccines. It was my good fortune to have been associated with its establishment at Bulandshahr in UP as part of the technology mission on immunisation," Ramesh said in a post on X. But BIBCOL now faces a "grim future in the era of the non-biological PM", h

In India, 11.9 lakh excess deaths occurred in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, 17 per cent higher compared to 2019, an international study has found. The estimate is about eight times higher than the official COVID-19 deaths in India, and 1.5 times the World Health Organization's estimates, researchers, including those from the University of Oxford, UK, said. Using data of over 7.65 lakh individuals, the study estimated changes in life expectancy at birth, by gender and social group between 2019 and 2020 in India, a country where one-third of global pandemic excess deaths are thought to have occurred, according to the authors. The data was taken from the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5). The life expectancy in women fell by 3.1 years, while it fell by 2.1 years in men, the authors said. Gender inequalities in healthcare and resource distribution within households could be possible reasons, they said. The patterns contrast with those seen in high-income countries, where .

The World Health Organization says tens of thousands of Covid cases are being reported globally. The actual number of infections is likely to be significantly higher

The Commission signed deals with COVID vaccine supplies AstraZeneca, Sanofi, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, BioNTech, Pfizer, Moderna and others at the height of the pandemic

The U-WIN portal, a replication of the Covid-19 vaccine management system Co-WIN, is set for a pan-India launch likely by the end of August, aiming to maintain an electronic registry of routine immunisations, official sources said. Currently, U-WIN is in pilot mode across all states and Union Territories, except for West Bengal, which is yet to start uploading data, the sources told PTI, adding that it is still under consideration in the state. The U-WIN platform captures every vaccination event for pregnant women and children under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in the interim Budget for 2024-2025 that U-WIN, along with intensified efforts under Mission Indradhanush, will be rolled out nationwide for managing immunisation. "The U-WIN will ensure timely administration of vaccine doses by digitally recording every vaccination event under the Universal Immunisation Programme among all pregnant women and children aged 0

Moderna had argued Pfizer and BioNTech copied mRNA advances it had pioneered and patented well before the Covid-19 pandemic began in late 2019

With fresh COVID-19 cases bubbling up in some parts of the country, health officials are setting course for a fall vaccination campaign. An influential government advisory panel on Thursday recommended new shots for all Americans this fall. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must endorse the recommendation. Officials acknowledged the need for vaccinations is not as dire as it was only a few years ago. Most Americans have some degree of immunity from being infected, from past vaccinations or both. COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last month were at about their lowest point since the pandemic first hit the United States in 2020. But immunity wanes, new coronavirus variants keep emerging and there are still hundreds of COVID-19-associated deaths and thousands of hospitalizations reported each week. What's more, health officials have reported upticks this month in COVID-19-associated emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and a pronounced increase i

French President Emmanuel Macron is joining several African leaders on Thursday to kick off a planned $1 billion project to accelerate the rollout of vaccines in Africa, after the coronavirus pandemic exposed gaping inequalities in access to them. The launch of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which will provide financial incentives to vaccine manufacturers, offered a momentary break for Macron from domestic political concerns as legislative elections loom on June 30 and July 7. Many African leaders and advocacy groups say Africa was unfairly locked out of access to COVID-19 treatment tools, vaccines and testing equipment that many richer countries bought up in huge quantities after the pandemic swept the world starting in 2020. WHO, advocacy groups and others want to help Africa get better prepared for the next pandemic, which many health experts say is inevitable. When the coronavirus pandemic began, South Africa was the only country in Africa with any ability to .

The amount will be finalised at a meeting on Thursday in Paris, where donors will make pledges for the organisation's plan for 2026-2030

The lawsuit filed by Kansas, a US state, alleged that Pfizer promoted its vaccine's safety while hiding evidence linking it to pregnancy complications, such as miscarriages, and heart inflammations

The Chinese currency has fallen more than 2% against the dollar since the start of the year, raising costs in yuan terms for Chinese travellers abroad

The funding is part of Project NextGen, a $5 billion initiative led by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)

The world's largest vaccine maker currently has the capacity to produce 3 billion doses of all types of vaccines each year, but only sells about 1.5 billion doses annually