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Mutant strain: India’s infections rise to 82

Cases of the mutant strain of COVID-19 first detected in the United Kingdom now number at 82 in India, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The mutant strain of the disease – caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – has raised concerns as it is considered more contagious …

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COVID-19 vaccine exports from India in the next few weeks

COVID-19 vaccine exports will commence in the weeks to come, the Government has confirmed. This is despite earlier confusion that the country’s largest vaccine manufacturer was not authorised to do so. India is gearing up for a mass vaccination campaign expected to begin next week. This follows emergency use authorisation for two vaccine candidates: one …

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The cost of the COVID-19 vaccine

The cost of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca will total US$3-4 per dose for the Government and US$6-8 for the private sector. This is according to Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive officer of the Serum Institute of India (SII) – the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. Poonawalla said “we want …

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India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme to be the largest in the world, Modi says – but concerns linger

India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is set to be the world’s largest, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nonetheless, concerns remain over the quick speed of the approval process. Modi’s remarks came in the wake of a national trial of India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme on Saturday, as well as in the wake of emergency use authorisation …

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New COVID-19 strain not yet in India

The new variant of COVID-19 identified in the United Kingdom recently is not present in India. However, the Union Government is in talks with UK experts to discuss the new COVID-19 strain due to concerns that it appears to be a “super spreader.” “We have not detected this mutation,” said Dr Vinod K. Paul, a …

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Anaemia still a concern among India’s women and kids

The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data reasserts anaemia as a major concern in India – especially among its women and children. According to the fifth set of NFHS data, India’s prevalence of the disease is the highest in the world. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare posits a rate of 39.86 …

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Child malnutrition: Is India backsliding?

The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data indicates that child malnutrition remains a major social crisis in India, with the advances made in tackling child malnutrition over the course of recent years coming undone.  Results from NFHS-5 paint what Scroll.in aptly describes as “a disconcerting picture.” Multiple states, Scroll.in reports, have seen hard-won gains …

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Vaccine drive preparations underway in Delhi amidst ambitious national targets

India is gearing up for a mass vaccine drive against COVID-19. Delhi alone has identified an estimated 3,500 healthcare workers to begin training for the gargantuan task in the national capital. “The training drive started on Monday,” said Dr Suneela Garg of Maulana Azad Medical College. “Today [Tuesday] is the second day of the training. …

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Medical research: ICMR calls for investment

India must scale up its investment in medical research, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).  Dr Bharam Bhargava, director-general of the ICMR, issued the call as he delivered his keynote address at the 37th Foundation Day celebrations of the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in the Uttar Pradesh state …

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Hunger crisis continues, post-lockdown

Even months after strict lockdown measures were relaxed, India’s hunger crisis is ongoing. The Right to Food Campaign and other organisations launched “Hunger Watch”, surveying eleven states and interviewing 3,994 people. Marginalised groups are especially hard-hit by the hunger crisis, the survey found. As compared to the period before India entered a national lockdown, approximately …

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