Rabu, 09 Desember 2020
'Our children will starve': Indian farmers defend protests against new laws as workers join strike - South China Morning Post
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2020-12-09 10:01:51Z
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Selasa, 08 Desember 2020
India buys the largest number of Covid-19 vaccine doses in the world - The Straits Times
BANGALORE - India has bought 1.6 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines, which is more than any other country, according to a global analysis.
Using its massive manufacturing clout, the country purchased 500 million doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate, one billion from the American company Novavax and 100 million doses of the Sputnik V candidate from Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute, said the USA-based Duke University Global Health Innovation Centre.
India, a middle-income country, bought more doses than high-income countries such as the USA and the UK, and more than the EU as a whole, all of which have in-country vaccine development capacity.
The European Union has pre-booked 1.58 billion doses and the United States 1.01 billion doses.
Before any vaccine candidates have been approved by regulatory agencies, there are confirmed purchases for 7.3 billion vaccine doses, with another 2.5 billion doses under negotiation.
"Many of these countries will be able to vaccinate their entire populations - and some will be able to do so many times over - before billions of people are vaccinated in low-income countries," said the Duke report.
India's 1.6 billion doses would cover 800 million people, or 60 per cent of its population. In November, India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said 400 million to 500 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines were estimated to be made available for 250 million to 300 million people in India by July-August 2021.
The Duke report explained that rich countries negotiated purchases by investing public funds into vaccine research and development, and by using their purchasing power to strike early deals. Since none of the vaccine candidates has received regulatory approval, the countries hedged their bets by purchasing multiple vaccine candidates, in case some don't materialise.
As a middle-income country, India has been able to move to the front of the queue by using another strategy: leveraging its large manufacturing infrastructure.
"Countries with manufacturing capacity, such as India and Brazil, have been successful in negotiating large advance market commitments with leading vaccine candidates as part of the manufacturing agreements," said the Duke report, which was compiled after government officials across the world - including Indian officials - were consulted to explain their high procurement strategy.
India is the largest manufacturer of vaccines in the world, making 60 per cent of the global vaccine supply. It is also home to the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine producer.
Of the three vaccine candidates the South Asian country has booked, SII is manufacturing two within India: the Oxford University/Astra-Zeneca vaccine and the Novavax candidate.
Of the 3.73 billion doses of the Oxford and Novavax vaccines purchased by all countries, about 3 billion would be produced by SII.
Russia's Sputnik vaccine is also being manufactured by Dr Reddy's Lab in Hyderabad.
India's two domestic vaccine candidates have also received approval for entering Phase 3 of their clinical trials.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and Gujarat-based Zydus-Cadila "could also add about 400 million doses annually", said virologist Shahid Jameel, director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, to Press Trust of India.
India's vaccine distribution strategy is in line with the World Health Organisation's guidance about priority groups. Accordingly, the first doses will go to frontline workers, healthcare workers, sanitation, emergency services, and security services.
Next to get vaccinated would be those with the highest risk of mortality, that is people with co-morbidities and those older than 65 years of age.
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2020-12-08 11:06:15Z
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China condemns US sanctions against state leaders as ‘hysterical bullying’ - South China Morning Post
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- China condemns US sanctions against state leaders as ‘hysterical bullying’ South China Morning Post
- US targets more officials over Hong Kong as pressure builds on China CNA
- China blasts 'crazy' US sanctions over Hong Kong Yahoo Singapore News
- Travel plan ends Hong Kong-Shenzhen cross-border woes AsiaOne
- Chinese online platform JD Health rises 50% in stock debut CNA
- View Full coverage on Google News
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2020-12-08 10:30:28Z
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90-year-old British grandma is first in world to get Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine outside trial - The Straits Times
LONDON (REUTERS) - Ms Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Britain, has become the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine outside of a trial following its clinical approval.
An early riser, Ms Keenan received the jab at her local hospital in Coventry, central England, on Tuesday (Dec 8) morning at 0631 GMT (2.31pm Singapore time), a week before she turns 91.
Britain began rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday, the first Western country to start vaccinating its general population in what was hailed as a decisive watershed in defeating the coronavirus.
The mass inoculation will fuel hope that the world may be turning a corner in the fight against a pandemic that has crushed economies and killed more than 1.5 million, although ultra-cold storage and tricky logistics will limit its use for now.
"I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19," said Ms Keenan.
"It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year."
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2020-12-08 07:13:36Z
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British grandmother is first in the world to get Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine outside trial - CNA
LONDON: Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Britain, has become the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine outside of a trial following its rapid clinical approval.
She received the jab at her local hospital in Coventry, England, on Tuesday (Dec 8) morning at 6.31am UK time.
Britain began rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday, in what was hailed as a decisive watershed in defeating the coronavirus.
The mass inoculation will fuel hope that the world may be turning a corner in the fight against a pandemic that has crushed economies and killed more than 1.5 million, although ultra-cold storage and tricky logistics will limit its use for now.
"I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19," said Ms Keenan.
"It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year."
The first patients in line on what has been dubbed "V-Day" - the over-80s, care home workers and at-risk frontline health and social care staff - will roll up their sleeves for an initial dose from early morning.
They will then require a second jab in 21 days' time.
Last week Britain became the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Britain has been one of the worst-affected countries in the world, with more than 61,000 deaths in the outbreak from 1.6 million cases.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who spent days in intensive care with COVID-19 earlier this year, called it a "huge step forward in the UK's fight against coronavirus".
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who has offered to have the jab on live television to allay public fears, said the roll-out was a "key moment" that would protect the most vulnerable.
The head of the state-run National Health Service in England, Simon Stevens, said it was a "decisive turning point" against the "greatest health challenge" since the NHS was founded in 1948.
Regulatory approval for the vaccine was given last Wednesday, sparking a race against time to prepare scores of vaccination centres across the country.
READ: After year-long sprint, COVID-19 vaccines finally at hand
The UK has ordered 40 million doses of the jab - enough to vaccinate 20 million people - with 800,000 in the first batch.
Up to four million doses are expected by the end of December.
QUEEN COULD LEAD WAY
The mass vaccination drive is a coordinated response by all four nations of the UK - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - which normally set their own health policies.
The public has been largely favourable to the rapid approval of the vaccine, but ministers and health professionals are aware they still need to combat mistrust.
The independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency maintains that no corners were cut and its assessment and approval procedures met stringent international norms.
READ: EU criticises 'hasty' UK approval of COVID-19 vaccine
NHS England said thousands had already been given the jab during trials with no serious side effects.
Nevertheless, it has been reported Queen Elizabeth II, who at 94 is among those first in the line for the vaccination because of her age, could front a public awareness campaign urging compliance.
The government said it will hand out vaccine cards to remind people to get the booster after three weeks, but insisted it was not introducing immunity certificates.
"MARGINAL IMPACT" IN WINTER
The chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said the vaccine will as a result only have a "marginal impact" on hospital numbers over the winter months.
Johnson called for patience and urged the public to stick to strict social distancing guidelines to prevent a spike in cases, particular as rules are relaxed over Christmas.
READ: Commentary: Great news, the first approved COVID-19 vaccine is here. But don't throw away your masks yet
Health officials have already run into a logistical headache about how to administer the vaccine to elderly or infirm care home residents.
The vaccine needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius, leaving hospitals and other medical hubs as the only places able to deal with such ultra-low temperatures.
With the Pfizer-BioNTech drug made in Belgium, concerns have also been raised about potential disruption to supply when Britain leaves the European Union's single market and customs union.
But the UK government said the military is on stand-by to air-lift the vaccine if there is any border disruption from Jan 1.
The bulk of Britain's vaccine requirements are expected to be met by a jab developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, which is awaiting regulatory approval.
The government has ordered an initial 100 million doses of the drug, which is cheaper to manufacture, and easier to store and transport using conventional fridges.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
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2020-12-08 05:36:33Z
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China is Asia’s No 1 military, economic threat: US commerce chief Wilbur Ross - South China Morning Post
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- China is Asia’s No 1 military, economic threat: US commerce chief Wilbur Ross South China Morning Post
- Chinese minister calls for talks with US to resume, reset in ties The Straits Times
- Trump not planning new tariffs on China before January: Official CNA
- Commentary: Parts of Asia will miss Donald Trump's tough China policy CNA
- How Japan and Indonesia could help ease US-China tensions South China Morning Post
- View Full coverage on Google News
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2020-12-08 05:22:45Z
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Senin, 07 Desember 2020
Canada set to receive first doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine earlier than expected - CNA
OTTAWA: Canada will start receiving its first doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine before the end of December, sooner than expected, with millions more to follow in early 2021, officials said on Monday (Dec 7).
The news could help the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fend off attacks from opposition parties that have accused Ottawa of acting too slowly to tackle a worsening coronavirus second wave.
Officials had initially expected to receive a total of six million doses of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna by the end of March.
READ: WHO warns against COVID-19 complacency amid vaccine rollout
That would be enough to inoculate three million people as both vaccines require two shots about a month apart.
But Trudeau said up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine Pfizer is producing with German partner BionNTech SE would arrive this month, and a further three million doses should be delivered at the start of 2021.
"It has been a difficult year, and we are not out of this crisis yet. But now, vaccines are coming," he told a briefing, repeating that Ottawa expects health regulators to approve the Pfizer vaccine this week.
Several provinces are reimposing restrictions on businesses and limiting the size of gatherings as the number of new cases sets daily records. Canada has reported a total of 415,182 cases of COVID-19 and 12,665 deaths.
READ: Commentary: Great news, the first approved COVID-19 vaccine is here. But don't throw away your masks yet
The doses will initially be delivered to 14 sites so priority groups such as healthcare workers, the elderly and people living in remote indigenous communities can be inoculated against the virus. The Pfizer vaccine was shown to be 95 per cent effective at preventing illness in a large clinical trial.
The armed forces will help with what Trudeau called the "incredibly complex" task of distributing the vaccines across what is the world's second largest nation by area, much of it remotely populated.
Erin O'Toole, leader of the official opposition Conservatives, said it was unacceptable Trudeau had not made clear when every Canadian would be vaccinated.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
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2020-12-07 23:07:34Z
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