Wuhan Coronavirus Resource Thread

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 15 Apr 2021 06:10

Lot of good details, hence posting in full.

Dr Reddy's to also use govt cold chain infra for Sputnik V distribution

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), the Indian partner for Russia’s Sputnik V, will use the government’s vaccination cold chain infrastructure, along with its own cold chain capabilities, for last-mile distribution of the vaccine in India.

Further, 60-70 per cent of Sputnik V’s global production is set to take place in India, said DRL.

Sputnik V, a vaccine with 91.6 per cent efficacy — the highest among Covid vaccines available in India — requires a temperature range of -18 degrees C to -22 degrees C to remain stable.

Deepak Sapra, CEO (API and Pharmaceutical Services), DRL, said they have already tested the cold chain infrastructure in India through simulations. “We have tested the cold chain in simulation scenarios — from Hyderabad to as far as Manipur in the north-east, Ladakh in the north, and Tamil Nadu in south,” Sapra told reporters on Wednesday.

He added that Sputnik V would be imported in the frozen form from Russia this quarter. DRL is responsible for ensuring that the vaccine remains stable and sanctity of the cold chain maintained — from the manufacturing site in Russia to its cold chain point and eventually to all parts of India — the company said. “We have lined up a solution of compact boxes, using which the vaccine would be transported to various parts of India easily through a combination of air and road transport,” Sapra explained.

DRL will leverage the existing government cold chain infrastructure used in the national immunisation mission as well as its own cold chain capabilities, he added. “We already have experience in cold chain handling for our critical care products, like oncology. We will leverage that too,” Sapra said.

Meanwhile, stability data for the Sputnik V variant that will remain stable at 2-8 degrees C is being generated. “This will take a few more months. After that, we will approach the regulator again to modify the storage condition requirements to 2-8 degrees C. That will make the process of storage and transportation a lot easier,” Sapra said.

As of now, DRL’s contract with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is for 250 million doses for India. However, there is an option to increase the number of doses.

While the target is to produce 60-70 per cent in India, it will be imported from Russia at present, as long as the Indian sites — Hetero, Virchow, Panacea, Gland, Stellis, Shilpa — can peak their production of the vaccine.

Together, the Indian sites have over 850 million doses in annual capacity, and more partners are likely to be added soon.

Assuming that the Sputnik uses no raw materials or intermediates from the US or China, it is a good avenue for risk mitigation for India. In the long run though, India will have to build its own components of the entire supply chain.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 15 Apr 2021 06:12

Govt committed to ensure adequate availability of vaccines, says PM Modi

In his comments, Modi asserted that the government is committed to ensuring adequate availability of vaccines and highlighted that India has become the fastest nation to reach the landmark of 10 crore vaccinations.

Noting the positive impact of "tika utsav" (vaccination festival) in the last four days, he said that in this period, the vaccination drive was expanded and new vaccination centres also came up.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 15 Apr 2021 06:55

Lot of details, hence posting in full:

Pricing negotiations with Centre means new vaccine shots may take time to reach India

Global commitments of companies such as Moderna, Pfizer and J&J and the prospect of pricing negotiations with the Indian government mean that vaccine supplies from these companies to India might not be imminent, even as the government on Tuesday waived the requirement to conduct a bridging study before approval.

“This is a regulatory provision to enable those foreign-made vaccines which have been approved by credible foreign regulators. The pre-condition of having a bridging trial before getting approval in India has been done away with and has been replaced with a parallel bridging trial,” health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.

The decision has been taken in order to accelerate the pace and coverage of vaccination. “It also opens up doors for import of bulk or imports of finished vaccines,” added Bhushan. The new regulatory requirement is that the first 100 patients to receive the jab will be observed for seven days for any serious adverse reaction.

“This will also facilitate easier access to all the foreign vaccines which have been approved by credible foreign regulators,” Balram Bhargava, DG, ICMR said.

Moderna is in talks with the Tata Group to bring the vaccine to India. In January this year a Tata official regarding its talks with Moderna had told ET: “The requirement for vaccines in India will be huge and the Tata Group has a strong brand equity in the country to gain people’s trust and confidence by following approved guidelines for vaccines.”

Moderna has received funding from the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness to develop its vaccine, and as part of the funding deal the the company is supposed to supply to low and middle income countries. India is considered an LMIC.

“We have noted the recent announcement with regard to the regulatory pathway for global vaccines,” a Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement. “We remain committed to continuing our engagement with the government towards making the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine available for use in the government's immunisation programme,” it said.

ET has learnt that J&J, which has a tie-up with India's Biological E for manufacturing its single-dose vaccine in India, is negotiating with the government over the price of the vaccine. J&J did not respond to email queries by ET.

Pfizer and Moderna have supply commitments to at least 12 countries, with the US cornering the bulk of it that have pre-purchased vaccines from these two companies to deliver a cumulative 1 billion doses. Pfizer is contractually bound to deliver 200 million doses to the US government by July 2021, followed by 500 million doses to the European Union by end of 2021. It has received $2 billion from the US government to deliver these vaccines. And it has negotiated a price of $14.90 per dose with the EU to deliver these vaccines.

“Earlier Pfizer withdrew its application from India as the Indian regulator had not waived off the requirement to conduct bridging trials then,” said a senior government official. Moderna has also received $1 billion from the US government and has to deliver 300 million doses by the end of July 2021 and 160 million doses to EU by end of 2021, followed by 50 million doses to Japan, 40 million to Canada and South Korea.

The above confirms what Suraj-san had posted earlier. None of these vaccines are going to make it to India in time to make a difference.

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 15 Apr 2021 07:09

disha wrote:
On Gates, please check out connections between Gates Foundation and its proxy in India an American NGO called PATH, GSK and Merck, UPA government and PATH in 2006. And cervical cancer and HPV vaccine.

Now this is getting into the realm of conspiracy theories. The connections between Bill Gates, his foundations, and the entities you are listing here prove Nothing, Nada, Zilch.

If he was conspiring with UPA regime, implying that he was anti Modi why did praise Modi and his governance in the past and tried to work with India? Below are a couple of example from a 10 sec google search.

https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/bill-gates ... ion-26276/

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bill-ga ... el-2335995

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/we- ... 61099.html

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/video/a ... 2021-01-05

Bill Gates at best is a capitalist dipping into convenient philanthropy and at worst is a capitalist that would not let go of any opportunities, however vulgar.

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 15 Apr 2021 07:11

Kakkaji wrote:
The above confirms what Suraj-san had posted earlier. None of these vaccines are going to make it to India in time to make a difference.

Why is there such a delay? AZ applied for emergency authorization in early December 2020 and we waited more than 4 months to fast track this?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/astrazenec ... 1607348660

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 15 Apr 2021 07:32

Jay wrote:
Kakkaji wrote:
The above confirms what Suraj-san had posted earlier. None of these vaccines are going to make it to India in time to make a difference.
Why is there such a delay? AZ applied for emergency authorization in early December 2020 and we waited more than 4 months to fast track this?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/astrazenec ... 1607348660

Serum is the one who has been approved for AZ/Oxford vaccine sometime in Feb.

Pfizer refused to meet Indian authorities and withdrew their application when they asked them for data

Sumeet · Post by **Sumeet** » 15 Apr 2021 08:04

Vips wrote:
fanne wrote:
Do read what Pfizer asked the south American countries as quid pro quo for the vaccine. You will get an idea.
Indian Government announced there would be no price gouging and the max price that could be charged was $3.5. So Pfizer withdrew the application as it was a loosing proposition for them to even borne the cost of stage II and Stage III trials which were mandatory at that time.

Most Indians in Tier 1 to 3 cities can pay Rupees 800-1500 ($20) for vaccine. It's the poor mass which needs cheaper one. We should have let individuals pay (those who can afford to) and get people vaccinated. Encourage folks to get their helps (servant, driver etc) vaccinated. Poorer people could also be given dose at subsidized rate.

There is no point in shutting those vaccines out. Choice must be given to end consumer. Pfizer's vaccine is so far best against Covid as per available data.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 15 Apr 2021 08:06

^^ Pfizer vaccine at ₹1500? With all its onerous logistical challenges? Surely you must be joking sir.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 15 Apr 2021 09:12

Jay wrote:
Kakkaji wrote: The above confirms what Suraj-san had posted earlier. None of these vaccines are going to make it to India in time to make a difference.
Why is there such a delay? AZ applied for emergency authorization in early December 2020 and we waited more than 4 months to fast track this?
https://www.wsj.com/articles/astrazenec ... 1607348660

The two vaccines are not the same thing.

1. Covishield
* Applied for Phase 3 trials in India in October 2020
* Got clearance to perform Phase 3 trials in November 2020.
* Immediately funded and conducted trials and reported results in mid December, requested EUA
* Got EUA on Jan 3 2021
* Started use and exports on Jan 16.

2. Pfizer
* Seeks purchase orders from India in December 2020. GoI asks Pfizer to follow protocol and do local trials.
* Demands mid January that it wants orders and payment before discussing EUA.
* Govt reiterates demand. Pfizer declined and withdrew EUA application in early February 2021.

As to what's happened now, the Government hasn't 'backed down'. They used the benefit of TIME. With time, they have the history of how these vaccines worked elsewhere, to make a more informed decision. Don't make the mistake of thinking that an EUA that can be made today can be based on exactly the same understanding as one 4 months ago. That is not how science works.

In the past four months, all these vaccines have been used extensively, and now the Government can allow accelerated bridging trials rather than require full trials.

All vaccines have seen side effects, and issues with their use and all of them have had their original EUAs updated multiple times with updated information , including Pfizer.
First EUA: Dec 11 2020
Second EUA: Feb 25 2020
UK authorization:
Original EUA: Dec 11 2020
MHRA Condition of Authorization: 2 Dec 2020, amended 30 Dec 2020, 28 Jan 2021, 30 Mar 2021

March 2021: Hong Kong halts use of Pfizer vaccine
Suspicions grow that nanoparticles in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trigger rare allergic reactions
And just money:
April: Pfizer halts Israel shipments after failure to pay on time

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 15 Apr 2021 09:33

IMHO, the use of mRNA vaccines should be limited for viruses like SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) for a large country like India. These vaccines target the specific spike protein and toward that end they are very effective, but if there is a significant mutation in this spike protein it may be ineffective. One of the earlier variations was SARS-Cov and MERS, but there is no indication that the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines are effective against these. The need for a broader spectrum of a viral vector vaccine will be important as this type of biological warfare is only going to change. The mRNA methodology may prove to be quite effective for AIDS and certain types of specific cancers and they have their purposes.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 15 Apr 2021 09:42

oh man! Hearing sad stories .. How did we let this happen?

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 15 Apr 2021 09:59

Anecdotal evidence that vaccinations are helping. Several age 60+ friends & family are discharged from hospital and back home this week. All had received 1 dose last month.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 15 Apr 2021 10:30

The efficacy rate of vaccines is something that requires explanation.

Pfizer and Moderna are not 'better'. They were created from cell cultures of the earliest Covid cases. They were trialed very early before there were a lot of mutations around in the trial population, and the UK variant (B.1.1.7) was the dominant one. The AZ vaccine and J&J were trailed later, against a more diverse trial population where there were more mutations.
USCF med link

In contrast, the mRNA vaccine trials were not conducted in the presence of high levels of the variants, so less is known about how well they protect against the variants. Real-world data from Pfizer vaccinations suggest they are effective against the B.1.1.7 variant originally detected in the U.K.

NEJM report of Pfizer performance against multiple variants
New Israeli study showing more breakthrough cases (Covid despite vaccination) when exposed to Brazilian variant vs UK one.
link

Basically:
1. Will it prevent you from getting Covid at all ? None of these vaccines do that perfectly. People have been getting Covid after one or two doses. Yogi Adityanath just tested positive though he got his first dose early April. Others have got it after 2 doses.
2, Will the vaccine prevent you from getting severe Covid ? Most efficacy measures are related to this since breakthrough cases indicate getting Covid despite vaccination.
3. Will it prevent you from being hospitalized and dying ? Pretty much any vaccine will do this with effectively extremely high effectiveness. Maybe not the Chinese ones.

This is what the vaccines do - they almost entirely eliminate the worst outcome (hospitalization and dying), unless you were extremely high risk to begin with, such that a bad cold could kill you. They don't keep you from getting sick, and even if you are in the high risk group you should generally make it. Some vaccines may do better than others when it comes from severe Covid in response to certain strains. None of them mean you should stop wearing masks.

Raja · Post by **Raja** » 15 Apr 2021 13:38

What's the situation in UP like? There's a lot said about MH, but vaccination numbers have been even worse in UP and Bihar. Rajasthan has been out performing all of them.

nits · Post by **nits** » 15 Apr 2021 15:07

Do we have any data in Public domain on PM Care fund and how much is utilized so far; may be a part of it can go to give required grant and support to vaccine manufacturers

nits · Post by **nits** » 15 Apr 2021 15:12

Ok here is what i found on PM Care Website - https://www.pmcares.gov.in/

As of FY 19-20; 3100 crore was donated to fund and was allocated from PM CARES Fund for the following activities:-

Rs. 2000 Crore : For supply of 50,000 ‘Made-in India’ ventilators to Government Hospitals run by Centre/States/UTs
Rs. 1000 Crore : For care of migrant labourers (funds allotted to State/UT Govts.)
Rs. 100 Crore : For vaccine development

Note this is for FY19-20 and now we have closed FY20-21 and i believe donation # of last 1 year which will be much higher and can be used for vaccines or may have been getting used; info is not there in public domain

Ashokk · Post by **Ashokk** » 15 Apr 2021 19:18

Argentina Says Russia’s Covid-19 Vaccine More Effective Than Chinese, Indian Competitors

Argentina’s health ministry has said Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is more effective at preventing coronavirus infections than its Chinese and Indian competitors, the South American country’s media reported Wednesday.

Argentina has so far distributed the first doses of Sputnik V among 2.6 million recipients, China’s Sinopharm among 1.2 million and India’s Covishield among more than half a million, according to the Telam news agency.

Argentina’s health ministry reported that 0.27% of Sputnik V recipients contracted Covid-19 two weeks after the first dose, according to Telam. That compares to 0.49% of Sinopharm and 0.46% of Covishield first-dose recipients.

“This is a surveillance evaluation,” the health ministry’s communicable disease control director Juan Manuel Castelli was quoted as saying at a press briefing. “These are auspicious results, but you have to be cautious.”

“The vaccine clearly decreases the potential occurrence of complications, hospitalizations and deaths but does not completely prevent the disease,” Castelli was quoted as saying.

Argentina’s research council this week published a report showing that 94% of Sputnik V first-dose recipients produced specific antibodies. The report, involving 288 participants and overseen by the country’s science ministry, said 100% of two-dose recipients had developed specific antibodies.

Argentina, the first Latin American country to authorize Sputnik V in December amid questions among international experts over its safety, is among several countries battling a renewed spike in Covid-19 cases.

A total of 60 countries have approved Sputnik V, with India the latest country to authorize Russia’s jab this week.

Research published in The Lancet medical journal in February showed Sputnik V to be 91.6% effective, though developers have acknowledged it to be less effective against the South African variant.

Russia has been one of the world’s most-affected countries by the virus and has recorded at least 422,000 excess deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Primus · Post by **Primus** » 15 Apr 2021 20:01

Anybody has information on the current situation in different states? Getting a lot of WA forwards with doom and gloom stories about people dying and gross under reporting esp by BJP states?

The MOHFW site is claimed to have incorrect data due to the above and the public site covid19.org info is countered by individuals reporting sensational stuff from Bhopal and other places. There is so much FUD being spread it is unbelievable.

Primus · Post by **Primus** » 15 Apr 2021 20:09

I had an elderly couple come into my office yesterday, when I asked them if they have been vaccinated, they both said no and they will not take it either. The wife said 'people are dying from the vaccine and they are not telling you'. Husband said 'it does not work anyway'.

No amount of logic can persuade such people.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 15 Apr 2021 20:40

Primus wrote:Anybody has information on the current situation in different states? Getting a lot of WA forwards with doom and gloom stories about people dying and gross under reporting esp by BJP states?

The MOHFW site is claimed to have incorrect data due to the above and the public site covid19.org info is countered by individuals reporting sensational stuff from Bhopal and other places. There is so much FUD being spread it is unbelievable.

This is not correct. MoFHW is tracking accurately. If anything, responsible state governments are keeping track of deaths as they monitor graveyards and cremation grounds.

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 15 Apr 2021 20:46

Primusji, no data from ANY country will be 100% accurate. That said throughout 2020 i was closely comparing the MoHFW numbers and the numbers reported in local vernacular newspapers for 2 districts in my state and the numbers were within 10%, so government numbers are pretty close to the ground situation. Local newspapers that update the deaths and hospitalizations give you the clearest picture of the situation in an area. That said it i am still not clear why situation in richer states is so grim compared to that in poorer state, with all the flak MH government deserves no one can claim that the public healthcare system in Bengal or Bihar is better compared to Maharashtra or Gujarat but here we are.

As for the number of so called "educated" people spreading nonsense about vaccines, these are the very people who will visit crowded restaurants, malls, weddings etc and blame the government when cases started rising and ambulances wait for hours outside the hospital for intake.

The need of the hour is for vaccine centers across India to work in 3 shifts,24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. We cannot reduce hospitalizations and cases by turning away people with appointments saying it is Gudi Padwa or Ambedkar Jayanti or some other public holiday. Ramping up production is one part of it but managing logistics and administration is up to the local governments and that's where we are failing.

Primus · Post by **Primus** » 15 Apr 2021 21:27

My argument about the numbers is that if BJP states are under reporting (and therefore look good on paper), how come the same strategy is not being employed by the non-BJP states like MH. It is not as if they are run by 'honest' governments.

What is happening is that some local paper or TV outlet is showing scenes of death and despair somewhere in a BJP state and extrapolating it to widespread disaster everywhere in the same state, the implication being that the news is much worse than is being shown, with a deliberate attempt to make the BJP government look good.

I believe it is just another tactic by the BIF to create fear and increase calls for 'Mudi Shud Rejine'. Just as we have a (somewhat) pro Dharma forum here, it has long been obvious that there are many inherently BIF WA and other groups that promote and distribute all sorts of misinformation.

Primus · Post by **Primus** » 15 Apr 2021 21:30

Ambar wrote:Primusji, no data from ANY country will be 100% accurate. That said throughout 2020 i was closely comparing the MoHFW numbers and the numbers reported in local vernacular newspapers for 2 districts in my state and the numbers were within 10%, so government numbers are pretty close to the ground situation. Local newspapers that update the deaths and hospitalizations give you the clearest picture of the situation in an area. That said it i am still not clear why situation in richer states is so grim compared to that in poorer state, with all the flak MH government deserves no one can claim that the public healthcare system in Bengal or Bihar is better compared to Maharashtra or Gujarat but here we are.

I wonder if there isn't some sinister plot somewhere to create a holocaust of deaths in India from COVID which will then topple the Modi regime, resulting somehow in a phoenix-like rise of Pappu from the ashes.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 15 Apr 2021 22:17

Please stop quoting WA forward FUD theories about undercounted cremations etc . This is entirely pointless handwaving if the goal here is clarity. There's going to be a lot of noise and smoke, and rushing in with a broom to knock more dust into the air is not a meaningful act.

2.6 million vaccinations to 8pm on Thursday. 117 million total.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage ... ID=1712137

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 15 Apr 2021 22:52

Primus wrote:I had an elderly couple come into my office yesterday, when I asked them if they have been vaccinated, they both said no and they will not take it either. The wife said 'people are dying from the vaccine and they are not telling you'. Husband said 'it does not work anyway'.

No amount of logic can persuade such people.

In the last week my extended family has lost two members who have passed on due to covid related complications.

Both were well below forty, one in bangalore and the other in bombay.

covid cases in both places are skyrocketing on a daily basis. In the place where I live 17 flats are sealed and the municipal authorities are coming tomorrow to inspect the premises.

and yet no one seems bothered. People are gallivanting around without masks, shops are doing their usual roaring business and families are playing their with little kids on the streets of the residential complex.

the parks are full and kids are playing on slides, swings and see saws with indulgent parents gossiping nearby.

are we all dumb or what.........

sankum · Post by **sankum** » 15 Apr 2021 22:58

Navratra time. Less people coming for vaccination?
Otherwise time for age limit to be reduced for vaccination eligibility.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 15 Apr 2021 23:04

sankum wrote:Navratra time. Less people coming for vaccination?
Otherwise time for age limit to be reduced for vaccination eligibility.

the vaccination protocols that we are following are the agreed global protocols.

no one, as yet, has reduced the vaccination age on a mass scale. Some odd case of the young, here and there, may be vaccinated, based on specific health triggers

at some appropriate time, the call may be taken by ICMR in consultation with many other national authorities to lower the age profile

Uttam · Post by **Uttam** » 15 Apr 2021 23:06

If we just focus on the 1st dose, there is a definite slowdown in the vaccination rate.

This is what we had on Friday of last week:

The 1st dose for 45-60 group went from 18.5 lakhs to about 12.5 lakhs and for the above 60 group, it went down from 9 lakhs to 7 lakhs. That is a reduction of about 32% in 45-60 group and 22% in the above 60 group. This drop is even more disturbing if you see that the govt. had significantly increased vaccination centers as part of the Tika Utsav.

Can people on the ground add to what is causing it? Is it one of these or a combination or something else:
1) Vaccine hesitancy is still very high
2) High prevalence Covid infections is actually scaring people from venturing out to get the vaccine (fear of infection).
3) Many centers had vaccines in short supply.

Any insights?

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 15 Apr 2021 23:11

I think comparing single day figures are simply too noisy, especially when it's not the same day of week. Anecdotally, Fridays numbers trend higher than Wed/Thurs numbers.

Do you think you can do an N-day average over successive complete weeks ?

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 15 Apr 2021 23:18

nits wrote:Do we have any data in Public domain on PM Care fund and how much is utilized so far; may be a part of it can go to give required grant and support to vaccine manufacturers

The CSR funds can be diverted for the PM cares fund and specifically channelled for vaccination related purposes.

we need to give very much more than just 100 crores for the vaccination effort including the development of the supply chain and manufacturing infrastructure

a lot of useless NGOs are making merry pretending to use it for environmentally friendly purposes

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 15 Apr 2021 23:19

The reduction in part is because of covishield shortage. My mother is due for her 2nd dose, she's been to the hospital 2 days in a row now and has come back without getting vaccinated. Yesterday they were closed and today the district hospital said they are out of covishield as they are receiving less than a dozen vials daily, she'll be trying again tomorrow. Covaxin on the other hand seems to have no problems with supply, and it is no surprise that many hospitals have now switched to covaxin from covishield, where as last month it was the other way around.

Uttam · Post by **Uttam** » 15 Apr 2021 23:23

Suraj wrote:I think comparing single day figures are simply too noisy, especially when it's not the same day of week. Anecdotally, Fridays numbers trend higher than Wed/Thurs numbers.

Do you think you can do an N-day average over successive complete weeks ?

Yes, I will give it a try and post it here.

nam · Post by **nam** » 15 Apr 2021 23:24

chetak wrote: and yet no one seems bothered. People are gallivanting around without masks, shops are doing their usual roaring business and families are playing their with little kids on the streets of the residential complex.

the parks are full and kids are playing on slides, swings and see saws with indulgent parents gossiping nearby.

are we all dumb or what.........

People seem to be doing this since last year. Yet there was no such spike. The numbers that we are seeing now are probably infected around 1 or 2 weeks back.

I wonder what triggered such a sudden spike on almost every major city in the country. What were people doing different a month back, compared to last year or early this year?

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 15 Apr 2021 23:27

Ambar wrote:The reduction in part is because of covishield shortage. My mother is due for her 2nd dose, she's been to the hospital 2 days in a row now and has come back without getting vaccinated. Yesterday they were closed and today the district hospital said they are out of covishield as they are receiving less than a dozen vials daily, she'll be trying again tomorrow. Covaxin on the other hand seems to have no problems with supply, and it is no surprise that many hospitals have now switched to covaxin from covishield, where as last month it was the other way around.

Ambar ji,

Also try the municipal facilities for covishield. Look at multiple locations in your own locality and maybe, if needed by casting the net just a bit wider than that.

It might work out easier there.

Uttam · Post by **Uttam** » 15 Apr 2021 23:38

Yes, this seems to be just a one-day blip, though the increase in vaccination rate for the 45-60 has been decelerating. Hopefully, vaccination will pick up next week.

I will keep updating my spreadsheet next week to see if there is any pattern. There are some holes in the data as I couldn't find the press releases for 8 pm in the earlier part of April.

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 15 Apr 2021 23:47

Suraj wrote:I think comparing single day figures are simply too noisy, especially when it's not the same day of week. Anecdotally, Fridays numbers trend higher than Wed/Thurs numbers.

Do you think you can do an N-day average over successive complete weeks ?

This is a great blog post on how to do N-day metric to track underlying data.

https://moultano.wordpress.com/2021/01/ ... g-average/

There is a linked google sheet with local linear regression, instead of N-day moving average. Perhaps you can implement that as well?

Uttam · Post by **Uttam** » 16 Apr 2021 00:46

Mumbai's Haffkine Institute Gets Centre's Nod to Produce Covaxin

The Union government has given its permission to the city-based Haffkine Institute to manufacture Covaxin, an anti-coronavirus vaccine of Bharat Biotech, an official said on Thursday.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 16 Apr 2021 00:57

Uttam wrote:Mumbai's Haffkine Institute Gets Centre's Nod to Produce Covaxin

The Union government has given its permission to the city-based Haffkine Institute to manufacture Covaxin, an anti-coronavirus vaccine of Bharat Biotech, an official said on Thursday.

Excellent news. In addition to the 50m doses of Sputnik V coming in May and the expedited bridging trial approval process, I can almost pretend the Govt took all the recommendations in my recent article seriously

DrRatnadip · Post by **DrRatnadip** » 16 Apr 2021 01:12

Primus wrote:Anybody has information on the current situation in different states? Getting a lot of WA forwards with doom and gloom stories about people dying and gross under reporting esp by BJP states?

The MOHFW site is claimed to have incorrect data due to the above and the public site covid19.org info is countered by individuals reporting sensational stuff from Bhopal and other places. There is so much FUD being spread it is unbelievable.

- Situation in MH is very bad in metro cities like Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur.. Availability of beds is close to zero.. Oxygen supply from distributers is unreliable.. We have to contact so many suppliers daily to get few oxygen cylinders.. Number of enquiries I receive daily for Oxygen beds and ventilaters is at least 10 times last wave.. A friend started Covid facility two days back and it was full within six hours..

- Fortunately many of my friends practicing in peripheral districts have noticed steady decline in covid pts since last week..Hope this trend continues..But I personally feel that this wave will last at least three more months..

- I dont think Govt is hiding data of deaths on purpose.. But I know many people living in my paternal village who died of covid like illness.. I enquired about reason of not doing testing or treatment.. They simply said everyone in family gets infected simulteneously and due to severe fatigue, muscle pain associated with this strain ,there is nobody to take them to city for testing and treatment.. Most hospitals in city are already overburdeoned.. This might be one of the reason of under reporting..

- Steroids like MPS and dexa are playing big role in controlling symptoms and overall progression of disease.. Remdesivir is at best supportive and does not appear to improve mortality .. Fabiflu doesnt seem to work more than placebo this time..

- Its my humble advise to everyone going for vaccination that they should take all possible precautions to avoid getting infection at vaccination centers.. I know few people who most likely contracted virus in hospital while getting vaccinated..

DrRatnadip · Post by **DrRatnadip** » 16 Apr 2021 01:18

vera_k wrote:Anecdotal evidence that vaccinations are helping. Several age 60+ friends & family are discharged from hospital and back home this week. All had received 1 dose last month.

You are right.. Vaccines definitly help in preventing severe disease..