1.8m DOSES OF COVID VACCINE GIVEN BY THE UAE
▶ Another 131,939 inoculations in Emirates as India launches huge drive
Almost 1.8 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered in the UAE since a nationwide immunisation drive began last month.
Health officials yesterday announced that 131,939 doses of the two vaccines approved in the UAE had been given across the county in the preceding 24 hours.
The government aims to inoculate half the population by the end of March.
The UAE reported a record number of Covid-19 cases for a fifth day in a row yesterday, as 3,432 more infections were announced.
The latest increase brought the total to 249,808.
Another 3,118 patients overcame the virus as the recovery tally increased to 222,106.
Seven people died, taking the death toll to 740.
Schools in Abu Dhabi will continue distance learning for three more weeks, authorities announced.
Pupils had been set to return to classrooms today.
Authorities said the decision, which affects private and public schools in the emirate, was made to safeguard the “health and safety of the schooling community”.
India, meanwhile, began the world’s largest Covid-19 vaccination programme yesterday to inoculate 300 million of its 1.4 billion population in six months.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the large-scale campaign on his YouTube channel, praising the country’s scientists and health workers for their efforts to contain a virus which has killed more than 150,000 people in India, battered its economy and left tens of millions without a way to earn a living. Authorities plan to inoculate 10 million doctors, nurses and other hospital workers in the initial phase.
India this month approved the use of two vaccines for emergency use, both of which will be produced locally.
The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca will be distributed under the name Covishield, while the other, developed by the Indian company Bharat Biotech, is called Covaxin.
It has not yet completed its Phase 3 human clinical trials.
Many vaccination centres were decked with balloons and flowers and staff cheered and clapped as the immunisations began.
A sanitation worker at a New Delhi hospital was the first person to be vaccinated.
“I feel very happy after taking the shot,” Manish Kumar said at the All India Institute for Medical Sciences in the capital.
Earlier, Canada and the UN praised Jordan for providing vaccines to refugees as well as its own citizens.
Jordan began its first public inoculations on Wednesday, with hospitals in the northern provinces of Irbid and Mafraq giving out the first doses.
The government has begun inoculating the most vulnerable and the elderly, with people registering through an online portal and being given an appointment by text message.
About 200,000 people registered for the first wave.
The global coronavirus death toll passed the grim milestone of 2 million at the weekend, further highlighting the importance of nations’ attempts to inoculate as many people as possible.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday started the world’s largest national coronavirus vaccination drive, which will initially cover about 300 million vulnerable people from its 1.4 billion population.
Mr Modi waved off the drive on his YouTube channel while praising India’s scientists and health workers for their work in dealing with the disease that has killed more than 152,000 people, battered its economy and left tens of millions without livelihoods.
“We have got two vaccines in such a short time. It’s a testimony to our scientists’ talent and skills,” he said.
India this month approved the use of two vaccines for emergency use, and both of them will be produced locally.
The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca will distributed under the name Covishield, while the other developed by the Indian company Bharat Biotech is branded Covaxin. Covaxin is in Phase 3 clinical trials.
About 300,000 people were expected to be vaccinated at more than 3,000 centres on the first day.
Many centres were decked with balloons and flowers and staff cheered and clapped as immunisations began.
A sanitation worker at a New Delhi hospital was the first person to be vaccinated.
“I feel very happy after taking the shot,” Manish Kumar said after receiving the inoculation at the All India Institute for Medical Sciences in the Indian capital.
Authorities plan to inoculate 10 million doctors, nurses and other hospital workers in the initial phase.
People belonging to priority groups that include health workers, the over 50s and those deemed at high-risk such as diabetics, will be inoculated for free by June in the first stage.
“Our vaccination programme is driven by humanitarian concerns – those exposed to maximum risk get priority,” Mr Modi said.
“This disease kept people away from their families. The mothers cried for their children. People could not meet their elderly admitted at hospitals. We could not bid adieu to those who died with proper rituals.”
Mr Modi warned his countrymen not to lower their guard against the disease and to follow preventive protocols such as wearing masks and social distancing.
India is the worst-affected country after the US. About 10.5 million cases of coronavirus have so far been diagnosed, but infection rates have dropped from a peak of about 100,000 cases a day in September to more than 15,0000 cases yesterday.
However, concerns remain over another wave of infections, including with new virus strains such as the one that emerged in the UK and which has infected 116 people in India.
At New Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, there was an air of jubilation among the staff after months of battling the pandemic. The hospital has treated more than 10,000 coronavirus patients since India’s outbreak began a year ago.
The heavily-guarded hospital was festooned with balloons and garlands and a red carpet was spread out for the nearly 100 frontline workers who were to be vaccinated.
Doctors, nurses and technicians eagerly waited for their turn in a large hall as officials in protective gear administered the vaccine in a side room and handed a red rose to each recipient, some of whom flashed victory and thumbs-up signs.
“I feel elated and privileged to have been vaccinated as one of the frontline workers. I have not experienced any side effects so far and I am looking forward to the second dose,” one recipient told The National.
But at some centres, recipients were asked to sign consent forms before taking the locally developed Covaxin vaccine that the government approved for emergency use in “clinical trial mode” because its Phase 3 human trial has not been completed.
The approval led to controversy, and reports emerged of shoddy clinical trials in the central city of Bhopal, where trial subjects were denied consent papers and medical care.
A Delhi hospital doctors’ association yesterday expressed safety concerns over Covaxin and demanded they be given the Covishield vaccine instead.
The government has dismissed such concerns and asked the public not to be misled, saying both the vaccines were safe and effective.
India is using its vast experience from previous public immunisation drives, such as for polio, in the coronavirus vaccination campaign.
National and local electoral rolls are being used to enlist recipients and a newly developed mobile application, CoWin, will be used to monitor the twodose vaccinations.
Armed guards were assigned to secure millions of vials of vaccine kept at nearly 30,000 cold storage warehouses.
About 100,000 deep freezers, refrigerators and solar-powered coolers are being used to keep the vaccines at the required temperature of between 28°C and 8°C.
The government has already procured nearly 16 million vaccine doses from the two manufacturers and will be buying nearly 60 million more in the weeks ahead.
At least five more vaccine candidates are going through clinical trials in India and are likely to win government approval by March.