Bharat Rakshak

Karan M wrote:

sohamn wrote:

He never claimed supplies for Covishield was an issue, show me one interview of his which indicated to this. Always, he said the supply issue constrained covovax production - which is significantly more superior to covishield.

Covishield is based on UK tech and doesn't require the kind of filters/bags that Novavax requires, being a US tech. He mainly got burned by the fire in his new factory and hence the delay in ramping up production of covishield. Also, lack of free capital blocked sourcing raw materials as well.

Just go up this very thread and see interviews from SII officials themselves that they needed US supplies.

Economist wrote:Yet this ambition is at risk from American export controls on raw materials and equipment. Production lines in India, making at least 160m doses of covid vaccine a month, will come to a halt in the coming weeks unless America supplies 37 critical items.

On April 16th, Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive of the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine-maker, put out a tweet begging President Joe Biden to “lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the US...Your administration has the details”. Suresh Jadhav, SII’s executive director, says “we are absolutely concerned,” and that in the next four to six weeks the production of two vaccines will be affected: AstraZeneca’s, of which SII makes 100m doses a month, and Novavax’s, of which it expects to make 60m-70m doses a month. SII says it first alerted the American government to the impending problem two months ago.

I dont think you understand the issue. There is no UK tech or US tech in this business, beyond core IP regarding process and how the vaccine itself is designed and created. Supplies for consumables come from firms worldwide many of which are HQ in the US or with significant operations in the US and are hence subject to their laws and regulations. This is the same case in most industries where the US exercises disproportionate power thanks to its economic and military heft, backed up with laws which enable it to exercise that heft brazenly.

Karan M wrote:

Suraj wrote: It's never been an issue, in my view. AZ is not an American company. It is manufactured in US, EU, India and Japan at the very least. Japan has an AZ stockpile because their regulator has sat on their behinds and not approved it. With such a diverse production setup, one country cannot easily constrain it - SII can switch to another source.

The more egregious problem with US and AZ is that US produced - according to multiple references - over 50m doses of AZ and has not used it domestically, not approved it domestically, and refuses to export it to those who need it. DaiIchi started AZ production in Japan in March but the Japan govt has not approved it.

The articles I posted prior indicate it was an issue. We had a senior guy from SII making the case. IMO there have been efforts behind the scenes to secure the supplies likely with GOI assistance.

SII can't just switch suppliers easily. That comes with a regulatory and compliance burden which Adar will need Oxford/AZ's help for. BB can do this far more easily as it owns the IP, does R&D plus manufacturing and also, as it has ICMRs support, they are far more involved in the process enabling BB to cut the red tape. For instance, their choice of Adjuvant was because it too had secondary efforts in terms of immune response. When they changed it to a new one, they'd have to take that into consideration and also get the buy-in from regulatory authorities who cleared it based on the earlier supply chain.

Agree with you about wasting AZ doses. Stupid behavior.

Trust this settles the matter. Note, as a license manufacturer SII is particularly dependent on a standard BOM as he can't change it due to the fact he doesn't have the inhouse R&D plus there are regulatory issues involved.

We really need a massive Aatmanirbhar program for pharma raw materials for the vaccine sub-sector too. As the above issue still exists in some form or the other for all vaccines.

This is a very low hanging fruit. Operation Warp Speed for instance allocated around $300-400Mn for the more critical raw materials, out of an overall $10 Bn program. Even half of that, by Indian standards, would go a long way in terms of indigenization and localisation.

Studies that tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies — an indicator of past infection — in December and January estimated that more than 50% of the population in some areas of India’s large cities had already been exposed to the virus, which should have conferred some immunity, says Manoj Murhekar, an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Epidemiology in Chennai, who led the work. The studies also suggested that, nationally, some 271 million people had been infected1 — about one-fifth of India’s population of 1.4 billion.

These figures made some researchers optimistic that the next stage of the pandemic would be less severe, says Ramanan Laxminarayan, an epidemiologist in Princeton University, New Jersey, who is based in New Delhi. But the latest eruption of COVID-19 is forcing them to rethink.

One explanation might be that the first wave primarily hit the urban poor. Antibody studies might not have been representative of the entire population and potentially overestimated exposure in other groups, he says.

The antibody data did not reflect the uneven spread of the virus, agrees Gagandeep Kang, a virologist at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. “The virus may be getting into populations that were previously able to protect themselves,” she says. That could include wealthier urban communities, in which people isolated during the first wave but had started mingling by the second.

Udwadia has anecdotally observed that entire households are now getting infected — unlike in the first wave of COVID-19, when single individuals would test positive. He attributes this to the presence of more-infectious variants. “If one person in the family has it, I can guarantee that everyone in the family has it,” he says.

B.1.617 has drawn attention because it contains two mutations that have been linked to increased transmissibility and an ability to evade immune protection. It has now been detected in 20 other countries. Laboratories in India are trying to culture it to test how fast it replicates, and whether blood from vaccinated individuals can block infection, says Jameel.

With cases declining after last September’s peak, “there was a public narrative that India had conquered COVID-19”, says Laxminarayan. In recent months, large crowds have gathered indoors and outdoors for political rallies, religious celebrations and weddings.

The nationwide vaccination campaign, which kicked off in January, might even have contributed to an uptick in cases, if it caused people to ease public-health measures. “The arrival of the vaccine put everyone into a relaxed mood,” says Laxminarayan.

Cyrano wrote:My own anecdotal family experience posted above corroborates what Suraj posted right after.

My GP here says there is no mystery, dont go out into crowded places, wear a proper mask properly, wash hands, keep distance, sanitise often used surfaces. If some people dont follow some of these, virus spreads. Only full vaccination of 14+ population can being this under control

Tanaji wrote:...

Sraiji,

The 24 lakh thing , is that an O2 concentrator or a system that delivers proper 99.99% oxygen which is then down mixed to whatever level the patient required? I find it hard to believe that medical grade can be got in 24 lakhs using either cryogenic or pressure swing adsorption methods.

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162 PSA plants including 7 years worth of maintenance after 3 year warranty cost us Rs 201.54 Cr. So 1.24 Cr per plant.

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Karan M wrote:...

CV patients are put at 2/5/7/10 Ltrs/minute. ... Of course some may require far more but you get the idea.

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Approximately 50 to 55% of the forces have been vaccinated with the 2nd dose as well.

Tanaji wrote:I think India should put more effort in sequencing of the virus to identify the various mutants floating around. Time and again people are saying they have no clue where they got infected from. In wave 1 we did not see the ramp up so quickly and people were more relaxed then.

More efforts need to be put in ramping up the sequencing of positive samples...

Sraiji,

The 24 lakh thing , is that an O2 concentrator or a system that delivers proper 99.99% oxygen which is then down mixed to whatever level the patient required? I find it hard to believe that medical grade can be got in 24 lakhs using either cryogenic or pressure swing adsorption methods.

Raja wrote:That is a massive failure in understanding how society and humans work.

Why do we need any fines or rules? If everyone just did what they were supposed to do, we would be a superpower in 10 years. So simple.

DrRatnadip wrote: Sraiji,

Plant I quoted delivers medical grade oxygen through central oxygen system.. It cant refill cylinders to destribute or store.. Plant becomes more economical as capacity increases..

arshyam wrote:Not Suraj, but here's one answer:

90-95% of Indian Army vaccinated with first COVID dose, say officials

Approximately 50 to 55% of the forces have been vaccinated with the 2nd dose as well.

Not sure if the above includes IAF and IN - the latter might be the last to complete, given their current deployments at sea, and they wouldn't risk vaccinating all sailors on active deployment.

srai wrote:..

The modified Tejas OBOGS on offer from DRDO can output 1000 liters per minute according to that Ajay Shukla’s article. Sounds like it may be a scaled up version.

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Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma Limited on Monday said it has applied to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for approval of Phase-III clinical trial of Molnupiravir Capsules, to be used for the treatment of Covid-19 positive patients.

The capsule has been developed by American pharma major Merck along with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

According to a press release from Natco, pre-clinical data have shown that Molnupiravir has broad anti-influenza activity, including highly potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication.

"Patients treated with Molnupiravir achieved response within 5 days of therapy indicating that the duration of treatment with Molnupiravir is short, with the additional advantage of being an oral therapy," it said.

Natco is hoping that CDSCO would give emergency approval of this drug based on "compassionate use" for patients.

"Compassionate use" approval is given for investigational drugs so that a patient with an immediately life-threatening condition can gain access to the drug.

LUCKNOW: At at time when the gap between the demand and supply of oxgen is continuously widening, the makeshift hospitals to be set up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Lucknow are likely to have their own oxygen supply with the help of a technology used in light combat aircraft Tejas fighter jets.
This is the first time that the self-sustainable oxygen generation technology for fighter pilots will be used in makeshift hospitals in Uttar Pradesh.

Defence minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh sent a team of DRDO officials to the state capital on Friday to start the process for setting up of hospitals at Haj House and Golden Blossoms resort. The hospitals, likely to get ready by next week, will have around 250-300 beds each and will be run by the doctors, nurses and support staff of Armed Forces Medical Services.

According to defence ministry sources, DRDO has developed a medical oxygen plant as a spin off technology of the ‘On board oxygen generation system’ (OBOGS) of LCA Tejas.

On condition of anonymity, an official told TOI: “This plant can provide medical grade oxygen round-the-clock at a high-flow rate catering to at least 50 ventilator ICU beds. This technology will be used to activate oxygen plants at Covid hospitals.”

The technology, which has been developed by DRDO’s Defence Electromedical & Bio-Engineering Laboratory (DEBEL), breaks down molecular components of the atmospheric air to provide continuous oxygen to pilot within the aircraft for long duration and high altitude flights.

Once set up, the technology will help in continuous supply of oxygen to critical beds for Covid patients, refilling of oxygen cylinders and eradicating logistical problems related to cylinder transportation from one point to another, apart from sharing the burden of oxygen demand and supply.

Anantha Krishnan M
Published: April 24, 2020 04:08 PM IST

Bengaluru: A spin-off from a critical technology that would aid future pilots of Indian Air Force (IAF) flying the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas with non-stop supply of oxygen while undertaking long-endurance missions is now being offered to hospitals combating coronavirus.

This product to fly out from the hangars of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is in the form of a Medical Oxygen Plant (MOP), is an offshoot technology from the onboard oxygen generation system (OBOGS) being developed for Tejas.

The MOP technology is developed by Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL), a life sciences wing of DRDO situated in Bengaluru’s C V Raman Nagar.

MOP utilizes pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technique and molecular sieve technology to generate oxygen directly from atmospheric air.

The OBOX technology for Tejas being developed by DEBEL has been approved by the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), an agency mandated to certify the products.

Sources in DRDO confirm to Onmanorama that the oxygen generator components have been developed by DEBEL and the technology has been transferred to a Coimbatore-based firm.

“This plant will be useful to provide oxygen supply during corona pandemic in hospitals in urban and rural areas. The installation of MOP helps in avoiding hospital’s dependency of scarce oxygen cylinders,” says a DRDO official monitoring the work.

Ever since the coronavirus outbreak, the scientists at DEBEL have been working developing various products for the healthcare sector.

Masks and sanitizers developed by the lab have already been distributed in bulk, while work on affordable ventilators has reached advanced stages of completion.

Several Benefits

Scientists say that the MOP can be used extensively at hospitals situated at high altitude and inaccessible remote areas.

“There are several benefits including reduced logistics of transporting cylinders to these areas, low cost, continuous and reliable oxygen supply available round the clock. The facility can also be used for filling the cylinders in addition to direct installations at the hospitals,” says a scientist.

DRDO has already used this technology to install oxygen plants at some of the military hospitals and establishments in North-East and Leh-Ladakh regions.

The first such plant set up in Tawang is operational since 2017 and it complies with international standards like ISO 1008, European, US and Indian pharmacopoeia.

Unique Features

The MOP has high reliability, full independency with automation and reduces logistics. This safe technology needs only minimum maintenance and can be operated at low cost. It is free of oil and produces oxygen instantaneously from ambient air and works round-the-clock.

The electric oxygen compressor can charge the cylinders up to 200 bar. It has stored oxygen supply for transient power failures and boasts of low energy consumption. It can also be operated via remote control.

The MOP contains an air compressor, air dryer, oxygen generator and a compressor. Each plant can fill up to 47 Litres (water capacity) cylinders at a rate of 60 per day and operate round-the-clock.

“The oxygen capacity depends on the pressure of filling, which is about 150-200 bar. The industry holding the transfer of technology can ramp up its production and can install up to 20 plants in five weeks,” says a scientist.

The system can cater to 60 patients at a flow rate of 5 LPM (litres per minute) and can charge up to 60 cylinders per day. The capacity can be varied as per the hospital requirement. The plant is designed for a capacity of 18 NM3 per hour. (NM3 or normal meter cubed per hour is the unit to measure the gas flow rate.)

The oxygen capacity depends on the pressure of filling, which is about 150-200 bar.

The scientists at DEBEL also designed three types of aluminium cylinders which can be used for oxygen filling. The oxygen-carrying capacity of these cylinders varies and is designed to operate under different pressure parameters.

For the Tejas OBOGS, the scientists have used a zeolite-based technology and the system will undergo trials soon.

“We have completed all ground-based trials of OBOGS on the test rigs and the pilots are satisfied with the results. It will now be integrated on one of the test variants of Tejas for flight trials. It has been already cleared by the Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness,” says an official.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Indian Railways are among the several prospective users who have shown interest in DEBEL’s MOP.

Raja wrote:Anecdotally, I don't believe the official numbers that have been reported from Ahmedabad. I am not sure how true this article is, but crappy data will only hurt us in the long run.

SMC Appeals Youth to Donate Blood before Getting Vaccinated
https://www.deshgujarat.com/2021/04/26/ ... accinated/
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Considering the shortage of blood in the current pandemic situation, SMC has appealed to the public that those above 18 years of age should donate blood before getting vaccinated from 1st May 2021 onwards. Patients undergoing the treatment of Covid-19 and other diseases in the city; and especially pregnant women often require blood. SMC has appealed to youth to donate blood before taking the vaccine as it can be a life-saver for other people.

Centre guides States with a new Phase-3 vaccination strategy
https://www.deshgujarat.com/2021/04/24/ ... -strategy/
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Dr R S Sharma noted that the CoWIN platform has now stabilized and is working at scale flawlessly. It is equipped to handle the complexities of the new phase of vaccination starting from 1st May. He highlighted the importance of uploading correct and timely data by States/UTs as any incorrect data would compromise the integrity of the entire system.
With regards to the Phase III Vaccination strategy from 1st May 2021, the States were specifically advised to:

Register additional private COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) in mission mode by engaging with private hospitals, hospitals of industrial establishments, Industry Associations, etc., coordinating with designated appropriate authority, mechanism for applications/requests and their processing and monitoring of pendency of registration.
Monitor number of hospitals that have procured vaccines and have declared stocks and prices on COWIN.
Schedule Vaccination for eligible population for providing adequate visibility of vaccination slots on COWIN.
Prioritize Decision regarding direct procurement of vaccines by State/UT Government.
Publicize about facility of ‘only online registration’ for age groups 18-45 year.
Train CVC staff about Vaccination, AEFI reporting and management, Use of COWIN – Training schedule and Reconciliation of vaccine stocks have been already provided to private CVCs.
Coordinate with law-and-order authorities for effective crowd management at CVCs.
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Raja wrote:Anecdotally, I don't believe the official numbers that have been reported from Ahmedabad. I am not sure how true this article is, but crappy data will only hurt us in the long run.

nam wrote:Mumbai seems to have controlled it's oxygen and hospital requirements.

Delhi, as usual continues to the shining becon of disaster. It might be couple of weeks, before things become stable.

Time to focus on other parts of the country. KR goes for 2 week lockdown, other than for people working in industries.

The only saving grace is that the death rate is under 1%, despite the large infection rate. The infection numbers don't matter. The increase seen could be given the large testing numbers.

What matters is positivity and death rates.

jamwal wrote:How are healthy young people (less than 40 years) who had no known direct exposure to anyone infected, wearing masks, using sanitizer very liberally and staying home catching corona? Surprisingly large number of such cases in my Delhi circles.
BTW, any source for securing oxygen in New Delhi?