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Covid-19 vaccine: After Pfizer, Serum Institute seeks indemnity, say sources
Earlier last year, SII CEO Adar Poonawala had advocated for indemnity for all vaccine manufacturers.
“We need to have the government indemnify manufacturers, especially vaccine manufacturers, against all lawsuits… Frivolous claims come up and you see in the media something being blown out of proportion. The government needs to step in with the right messaging,” he had said.
Amid the nationwide COVID-19 vaccine crunch, US pharma giant Pfizer is seeking an indemnity bond that will exempt it from legal claims in case there are any adverse effects from the vaccine.
Covid-19 claims cost life reinsurers billions
The biggest costs for life reinsurers came from the US and to a lesser extent the UK and Canada but claims from other countries including South Africa and in Latin America added to the costs. Life reinsurers only have limited exposure to India.
BI estimates Swiss Re accounted for around 35% of claims followed by Reinsurance Group of America on 27% but the decline in deaths should mean much lower claims for the second half of the year.
7 EU nations start issuing Covid certs
Travellers can move freely if at least one of these three criteria is met. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland made the certificates available. The system would be used in all 27 EU countries as of July 1. NYT
India may grant indemnity to Pfizer and Moderna for launching their Covid-19 vaccines
In another key waiver, the drug regulator has done away with the requirement of India-specific trials for foreign vaccines approved by specific countries and WHO for emergency use.
No recovery in global jobs market from pandemic until at least 2023: ILO
Women, young people and the 2 billion people working in informal sectors have been hardest hit, with 108 million more workers worldwide now categorized as poor or extremely poor compared to 2019, it said.
Israel finds probable link between Pfizer Covid shot and heart inflammation
Most of the cases occurred in young men, especially those between 16 and 19 years old. In most cases, patients were hospitalized for four days or less, and in 95% of the cases were classified as mild, the ministry said.
Virus disaster leaves deep scars on India’s economy
Surging unemployment, coupled with state lockdowns, a large increase in hospitalizations and fatalities amid the second wave and fears of a third wave, are prompting many people to cut spending.
Meanwhile, sales of cars and motorcycles fell 30% in April over March and are expected to slump by over 60% in May as automakers including Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp halted production for several days amid rising infections. Dealerships remain closed.
Air quality improved during lockdown in India, study shows
There was a 40 per cent reduction over the national capital, New Delhi. In India alone, about 16,000 premature deaths occur annually due to exposure to poor air quality. The study also found Land Surface Temperature (LST) over major cities in India substantially declined in contrast with the previous five-year average (2015-2019) with day temperatures being up to 1°C cooler and those at night up to 2°C cooler.
Covid-19 variant 1st reported in India threatens to rapidly spread in sub-region: UNHCR
“. ,“We are particularly worried about the situation in the Asia and Pacific region, which in the past two months has experienced the largest increase in the number of cases globally.The highly infectious variant of the virus which first emerged in India threatens to rapidly spread in the sub-region, including among refugee populations.Over this period, there have been some 38 million recorded Covid-19 cases and more than half a million deaths, the UNHCR spokesperson said.” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Andrej Mahecic said
ICMR invites researchers to contribute to scientific knowledge related to Covid-19
Despite intense efforts of the global scientific community, there is scanty knowledge related to the functional aspects of the virus, its transmission dynamics, immunological response to natural infection and vaccines, it said.
” In addition, it is important to understand the drivers of vaccine hesitancy and reduced uptake, clinical spectrum of the disease and its progression. Also there is a need to formulate the clinical management protocols in line with the emerging global evidence,” the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.