New Delhi, January 17 (PTI): The health condition of a 35-year-old nurse, who fell ill in Kolkata following the administration of COVID-19 vaccine, is currently stable, and a medical board of experts has been formed to find out why she fainted after taking the shot, a senior official said on Sunday. The health department official, who is also a prominent doctor, said the experts are examining her condition as of now, and the analysis might take some time. "She is is stable.

Vishü Rita Krocha Kohima | January 16 Even as the first phase of COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out in Nagaland on Saturday, the government will have to address the daunting challenge of ‘vaccine hesitancy’ among the general population. “I would like to believe in the efficacy of the vaccine and the benefits of taking it but considering the process and stage of the vaccines, I am not too sure I would take it at the moment,” says Loreign Ovung, a lawyer by

New Delhi, Jauary 16 (PTI): Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday described the COVID-19 vaccines as 'Sanjivani' in the fight against the infectious disease as he urged people not to pay heed to hearsay and instead believe in experts and scientists. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the world's largest vaccination programme covering the entire length and breadth of the country and urged people to show patience during the COVID-19 immunisation drive as they

Morung Express News Kohima | January 14 With the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in Nagaland on January 14, the State is all set to begin its vaccination programme. However, with misconceptions and rumours surrounding the vaccines on social media, health officials from the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare assured that the vaccination is safe and effective. 26,500 doses of the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India reached Dimapur airport at around

Agartala/Imphal/Guwahati, January 14 (IANS): After Assam and Meghalaya, three more northeastern states - Tripura, Manipur and Sikkim - on Wednesday saw Covid-19 vaccines reach them for the first round of immunisation, officials said. While Assam received the second consignment of Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday after the first delivery on Tuesday, Tripura, Manipur and Sikkim received their first lot. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who received the 54,000 doses of Covishield

Geneva, January 9 (IANS): COVAX, an international initiative for Covid-19 vaccines led by the World Health Organization (WHO), has secured contracts of 2 billion doses, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "We are ready. COVAX is ready. Countries are ready," Tedros declared at a press briefing on Friday. COVAX aims to ensure equal access to Covid-19 vaccines for all participating countries, Xinhua news agency reported. Tedros said the the doses will

BRUSSELS, Novmber 26 (Reuters) - Europe's drugs watchdog said on Thursday it expects to receive the first application for conditional marketing approval for a COVID-19 vaccine "in the coming days", the latest step towards making a shot available outside the United States. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) did not name the company it expects to file the application, but Pfizer Inc and BioNTEch are the most advanced in the regulatory process among the three companies t

NEW YORK, November 25 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc have released trial data showing their COVID-19 vaccines to be about 95% effective at preventing the illness, while AstraZeneca Plc this week said its vaccine could be up to 90% effective. If regulators approve any of the vaccines in coming weeks, the companies have said distribution could begin almost immediately with governments around the world to decide who gets them and in what order. The foll

WASHINGTON, November 22 (Reuters): Leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies on Sunday will pledge to pay for a fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests around the world so that poorer countries are not left out, and to extend debt relief to them, a draft G20 communique showed. "We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people, consistent with members’ commitments to incentivize innovation," the leaders

MOSCOW, October 14 (Reuters) - Russia has granted regulatory approval to a second COVID-19 vaccine, according to its register of authorised medicines. A delighted President Vladimir Putin announced the news at a government meeting on Wednesday. The jab was developed by the Vector Institute in Siberia and completed early-stage human trials last month. However, results have not been published yet and a large-scale trial, known as Phase III, has not yet begun. "We need to in

Beijing, October 9 (IANS): China said on Friday that it has joined the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX international initiative which aims to ensure equitable global access to vaccines against the novel coronavirus. China said it joined the global initiative to make its vaccines a global good and make them available to developing countries on a priority. "Even when China is leading the world with several vaccines in advanced stages of R&D and with ample product

LONDON, October 2 (Reuters): A major non-profit health emergencies group has set up a global laboratory network to assess data from potential COVID-19 vaccines, allowing scientists and drugmakers to compare them and speed up selection of the most effective shots. Speaking to Reuters ahead of announcing the labs involved, Melanie Saville, director of vaccine R&D at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said the idea was to "compare apples with appl

BEIJING, September 25 (Reuters): The World Health Organization gave China its support and understanding to start administering experimental coronavirus vaccines to people while clinical trials were still underway, a Chinese health official said on Friday. China launched its emergency programme in July, having communicated with the WHO in late June, according to Zheng Zhongwei, a National Health Commission official. Hundreds of thousands essential workers and other limited gr

GENEVA/LONDON, September 21 (Reuters): A total of 156 countries have joined the global COVAX scheme intended to ensure fair distribution of supplies of future vaccines against COVID-19, an alliance led by the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. The list includes 64 wealthier, self-financing countries, and accounts for about two-thirds of the global population, a statement issued by the WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance said, after a deadline of last Friday to make bindi

New York, September 15 (IANS): Even as the world is rushing for solutions to fight Covid-19, developing and manufacturing vaccines will not end the pandemic quickly unless they are delivered equitably, warn Bill and Melinda Gates. According to a projection by Northeastern University, if rich countries buy up the first two billion doses of vaccine instead of making sure they are distributed equitably, then almost twice as many people could die from Covid-19. "Researchers are

HARARE, September 10 (Reuters): International donors have raised $700 million - less than half the target - to purchase future coronavirus vaccines for poor countries in a global initiative to ensure eventual vaccines do not go only to rich countries, a World Health Organization official said on Thursday. The COVAX Advanced Market Commitment has an initial target of $2 billion to buy the vaccines. "Up to today, what has been mobilised so far is $700 million ... So

WASHINGTON, September 8 (Reuters): Republican President Donald Trump, accused by Joe Biden of putting lives at risk in his handling of the coronavirus, on Monday called his Democratic rival "stupid" and demanded an apology for what Trump called anti-vaccine rhetoric. Trailing in national opinion polls as the U.S. death toll from the virus approaches 190,000, Trump unleashed a broad attack against both the former vice president, his opponent in the Nov. 3 election, and

TORONTO/CHICAGO, August 31 (Reuters): High-profile COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China share a potential shortcoming: They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say. CanSino Biologics' vaccine, approved for military use in China, is a modified form of adenovirus type 5, or Ad5. The company is in talks to get emergency approval in several countries before completing large-sca

GENEVA/MANILA, August 18 (Reuters): Nations that hoard possible COVID-19 vaccines while excluding others will deepen the pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday, issuing a last-ditch call for countries to join a global vaccine pact. The WHO has an Aug. 31 deadline for wealthier nations to join the "COVAX Global Vaccines Facility" for sharing vaccine hopefuls with developing countries. Tedros said he sent a letter to t

BRUSSELS, August 14 (Reuters): The European Union has agreed to buy at least 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine in its first such advance purchase deal, which could weaken plans led by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a global approach. The European Commission, which is negotiating on behalf of all 27 EU member states, said the deal included an option to purchase 100 million additional doses from the British drugmaker should its vaccine prove sa