Tag: covid 19 vaccination drive

Mega COVID-19 vaccine scam in Mumbai: A timeline

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination drives were conducted at nine locations in Mumbai, including the Hiranandani Heritage Society in Kandivali (suburban Mumbai), whose residents were the first to question the authenticity and validity of the vaccines. Subsequently, complaints were filed by other individuals and organisations. More than 1,000 people were given vaccine shots at these locations.

So far, the Mumbai Police has arrested six persons accused in the scam and filed two FIRs.

After an initial probe, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said the doses given to these residents may have been procured from outside Mumbai as the vaccines were not allotted or delivered by the civic body.

Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray said housing societies must take no objection certificates (NOCs) from the BMC to ensure legitimate vaccination camps.

Here’s How the Scam Unfolded:

May 30: The vaccination drive was conducted for 390 residents of the Hiranandani Heritage Society (Kandivali West), which had 435 flats in three towers. The recipients included residents and their staff, including drivers, security guards and domestic helpers.

The residents said they paid around Rs 5 lakh (roughly Rs 1,260 for each dose) to two agents — Rajesh Pandey and Sanjay Gupta of SP Events. The duo claimed to represent leading private institutions such as the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) and the Nanavati Hospital.

The residents were promised vaccination certificates within three to four days, but they did not get any.

June 8: When the residents finally got their vaccination certificates, they realised those were generated from different hospitals in the city on different dates. The date mentioned was not May 30, when the vaccination drive was conducted.

When the residents checked the CoWin website, their status was shown as “yet to receive first dose.”

The residents recalled that the vials bore a red stamp saying ‘Not for Sale,’ and that the team conducting the vaccination drive did not bring laptops.

June 16: The residents of Hiranandani Heritage Society filed complaints with the BMC and the Mumbai Police, PTI had reported.

June 17: BMC directed a deputy municipal commissioner (DMC) to conduct an inquiry. The BMC report said the vaccination camp organised at Hiranandani Heritage Society, Kandivali, did not have its permission and no medical officer was present during the drive.

KDAH said in a statement that Rajesh Pandey was an employee of the hospital, who illegally and without authorisation was involved in the fraudulent activity. Even Nanavati Hospital denied any involvement.

June 18: Ramesh Taurani, founder of Tips Industries Limited, complained that 365 of his employees had got vaccines on May 30 and June 3, but not got certificates. Tips was told that their vaccination certificates will be issued by Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.

Matchbox Pictures also reported that SP Events had organised a vaccination drive for 150 employees on May 29. Kwan Talent reported a similar incident.

Aditya College complained that an event management company had organised a fake vaccination drive on its campus.

June 18: The Kandivali Police arrested Mahendra Pratap Singh (39), Sanjay Gupta (29), Nitin Mode (32) and Lalit alias Chandan Singh (32). The fifth accused, Qareem Akbar Ali (21), was detained from Madhya Pradesh and sent to Mumbai.

The Kandivali Police identified the involvement of a doctor, Manish Tripathi, who ran the KCEP School of Medical and Paramedical Sciences outside Shivam Hospital at Charkop in Kandivli West. Tripathi has been absconding.

June 19: The Versova Police filed a second FIR and arrested the organiser, Sanjay Gupta; but former KDAH employee Rajesh Pandey had filed for anticipatory bail.

BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner (Health) Suresh Kakani said the vaccines could have been brought from outside Mumbai or could be spurious.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

UP’s ‘Mission June’ to vaccinate a crore on track, Maha to lose top spot

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Uttar Pradesh’s ‘Mission June’ campaign launched on June 1 — aimed at vaccinating one crore people in 30 days — seems achievable now. According to government data, India’s most populous state had administered 53.28 lakh doses in the June 1-15 period with no scheduled vaccination drives on Sundays. Maharashtra administered 37.68 lakh jabs in the same time span.

With 30 lakh doses on hand and more to come, Uttar Pradesh will comfortably achieve the target, The Times of India reported.

Currently at second position after Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh has given 2.42 crore doses since January 16 and the state’s Mission June will take it to number one by the month end. Maharashtra has recorded 2.67 crore vaccinations between January 16 and June 15.

In percentage terms, UP’s vaccination numbers are 29.2 percent higher than Maharashtra.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had directed officials to ensure targets are met in time. Accordingly, the number of vaccination centres was increased from 6,000 to 7,500.

The CM has also asked officials to rope in industry players to help boost the drive by vaccinating their employees and family members. The idea is to be prepared and vaccinate as many as possible before the possible third wave hits the country.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Cannabis, gold nose pins, even a Tesla car on offer to boost vaccination drive

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Amid increasing vaccine hesitancy, several countries are offering all sorts of incentives in order to ramp up their vaccination drives. Without large-scale vaccination of the entire population, the threat of the pandemic will stay looming on the horizon for a long time.

While incentives can’t convince everyone, they can do a good job of convincing those who are sitting on the fence about COVID-19 vaccines.

Business houses have also begun to offer incentives and rewards for vaccination. Businesses have suffered hugely in the past year and a half due to widespread global lockdowns. Vaccinations remain the only way for countries to avoid such disruptions to their economies.

In the state of Washington, individuals can get free cannabis joints for getting vaccinated. The state of Arizona also has a similar incentive programme, doling out pre-rolled joints and edible cannabis gummy. The Biden administration announced offers like free beer, free sports tickets, and free childcare as well. A few states are offering the chance to win the lottery.

Budweiser is offering free beer, while Krispy Kreme is offering doughnuts, and dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble are offering free premium features and discounts.

In Hong Kong, residents have a chance to win shopping coupons worth HK$20 million, a HK$5 million cash grant, free insurance policies, new flats, private flights, gold bars and also a Tesla car.

In Serbia, citizens get paid in cash to get vaccinated, while in Israel citizens could enjoy certain activities before the lockdown was completely lifted.

Closer home, bank account beneficiaries can gain higher interest on their fixed deposits after getting vaccinated.

Restaurants in Delhi and Gurgaon are offering free beer and discounts. Residents of Rajkot are being wooed with gold nose pins and hand blenders.

The New England Journal of Medicine had noted in an article that “there is a certain logic to providing financial incentives, which may be used to offset the indirect costs of vaccination — including time spent planning appointments, travelling, or waiting; lost income for workers paid hourly; or expenses such as childcare. These costs disproportionately deter low-income people from getting vaccinated, and payments could ensure that vaccination is indeed ‘free’  to all.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Take COVID-19 vaccine, get higher interest on your FDs

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

It is now the turn of Indian banks to entice people to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus by announcing higher interest rates on fixed deposits for those who have got the jabs. This offer valid for a limited period has been announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced free vaccinations for every adult starting June 21 pan India.

The Kolkata-headquartered UCO Bank has announced a new offer named UCOVAXI-999, under which the vaccinated depositors will get a higher interest rate of 30 basis points (bps) for FDs of 999 days. The bank requires a vaccination certificate with at least one dose to be shown as proof.

Another nationalised bank, The Central Bank of India has announced an additional interest rate of 25 basis points (bps) for those who have got the jabs under the ‘Immune India Deposit Scheme’ for fixed deposits. An additional 0.50 percent extra interest rate for senior citizens will also be provided on the fixed deposits. The scheme has a maturity period of 1,111 days.

The public sector banks announced the new offers on fixed deposits a day after PM Modi announced that the central government will provide free COVID-19 vaccines to all adults above 18 across all states from June 21.

According to central government data, a total of  23,61,98,726 vaccine doses have been administered in the country till date.

It must be recalled that the vaccination drive had commenced on January 16 starting with the health care workers followed by the frontline workers and then adults above the age of 60 and 45 were included.  Now, the vaccination drive encompasses the 18-44 age group.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

How to find vaccination centres: Whatsapp, Google Maps may come in handy

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The Phase 3 vaccination drive for people in the age group of 18-44 was launched from May 1 amid an outcry over the shortage of jabs in several states. While some states have started the vaccination drive, the beneficiaries are having a tough time locating centres that cater to everyone above the age of 18.

Here are a few apps and websites that may come in handy to locate the nearest vaccination centres. Some also help find essential medical items.

CoWIN/Aarogya Setu

The CoWIN website is the only government-approved platform for online registration for vaccination. It can also be accessed through the Aarogya Setu app. After online registration for vaccination, anyone can choose a schedule at the local vaccination centre in the area. The app gives a list of vaccination centres with addresses.

Google Maps

Google’s navigation application show you the nearest vaccination centres. Google has rolled out the new feature in Google Search and Google Maps. A search for COVID-19 vaccine location on Google Maps will show all the vaccination centres nearby.

WhatsApp

The popular instant messaging app can also be used to locate the nearest COVID-19 vaccination centre by using a chatbot. Simply save the official Government of India’s Corona helpdesk number (+91 9013151515) to your phone and start a chat. The chatbot will soon respond, giving you relevant information based on your choices.

WhatsApp chatbots can also be used to find other essential medical items like oxygen, drugs, and even hospital beds.

FindSlot.in

This website uses the open CoWIN API to help you find the nearest vaccination centre by looking through districts or pin codes.

Getjab.in

Unlike the CoWIN and Findslot websites, the Getjab online platform notifies users by email when there’s an empty vaccination slot available. Users need to register in order to receive the alerts through the website, which claims that user data will not be shared or sold.

Under45.in

Under45 provides alerts on available slots for vaccination at a nearest centre, but it doesn’t need personal information such as name or phone number to send out the alerts.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

‘States can take a call on vaccinating those above 18 years in districts where COVID cases are high’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

As India starts to witness a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, the government is re-strategising its vaccination drive to cover a wider population, including those between 18 and 45 years of age. The government has expanded the vaccination drive to all above 45 years, which will commence from April 1 and is open to allow states and UTs to vaccinate younger populations (above 18 years) if need be.

Dr Samiran Panda, Head of Epidemiology at Indian Council of Medical Research told CNBC-TV18, “States can take a call, based on local epidemiology of SARS-CoV2 and can expand vaccination to younger population (under 45 years) in certain pockets. But they must not lose sight of the priority groups.”

However, a written directive to this effect has not yet been released and it is unclear how people would be able to register on the CoWin app.

Health is a state subject and the local administration can and must study the spread of the disease carefully to take a decision on expanding the vaccination drive, Dr Panda said.

Districts where there is a surge in COVID-19 cases should be prioritised, he said and added, “70 percent of recent COVID surge is happening in about 60-70 districts. These districts are reporting higher infections and deaths and hence targeted vaccinations in districts, even if it means for younger population, is a good move from public health perspective.”

Currently, five states — Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat — account for 83 percent of new cases reported in the last few days. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have also seen a sharp rise in test positivity rate, leading to a rise in cases.

Maharashtra accounts for the largest (single day) contribution to the tally with around 25,000 cases. The doubling rate of cases in India has decreased from 504 days as on March 1 to 202 of March 23.

Reports suggest that in Chennai, people above 18 years of age are being vaccinated as not many members of the priority group are heading for vaccination. This is reportedly done to reduce vaccine wastage after a vial is opened.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office has also written to the Central Health Ministry to extend the vaccinations drive to include a wider age group.

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has urged PM Narendra Modi to widen the vaccination ambit to cover those younger than 60 years of age as nearly 81 percent of 401 samples sent by the government for genome sequencing have tested positive for the UK variant of COVID-19. The Punjab CM said that data shows the virus is affecting younger people.

Experts have pointed out that expanding the vaccination drive is the way ahead to contain the pandemic.

At present the central government’s guidelines is to prioritise vaccination for healthcare and frontline workers, and those above 60 years of age. From April 1, vaccination will be open for those above 45 years.

India has so far administered COVID vaccine to over 5 crore citizens, of which over 3.5 lakh people have received their second dose as well. Single-day vaccinations hit a record high with over 32 lakh people being administered the vaccine on March 22.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

COVID vaccination drive: Technical glitches mar Day 1 of Phase 2

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

As India began its second phase of vaccination with senior citizens, aged above 60, and those with co-morbidities in the age group of 45 to 59 on Monday (March 1), the Co-WIN app and portal meant for registration for the COVID-19 vaccine encountered several glitches.

Several users reported unavailability of slots, while many encountered a glitch regarding one-time password (OTP) verification.

After people took to social media to register their complaints about the app, the Health Ministry clarified that the Co-WIN app was not for end-users, but only for administrators.

The beneficiaries need to register themselves for the vaccine via its web portal — www.cowin.gov.in — or through other applications such as Arogya Setu.

The Centre tweeted from its citizen engagement platform – MyGovIndia: “If you are eligible for the vaccination, register yourself at cowin.gov.in.”

Way to go, India! More than 1 Million Registrations on Co-WIN Till 1 PM!

If you are eligible for #COVID19 vaccine, then register yourself at https://t.co/G4e2WXWB9X

Remember, there is NO #CoWIN App for beneficiary registration. The App on Play Store is for administrators only.

— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) March 1, 2021

Around 27 crore people, including around 10 crore above 60, are expected to be covered in this phase of inoculation, which was flagged off with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself getting a jab at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

However, people complained about the unavailability of the slots and the glitches they experienced while registration.

According to many users, the Co-WIN app, which has only been launched for Android now, is not sending the OTP during the first step of verification. Even if the government reasons that the app is not meant for regular citizens, the verification step only requires a phone number, which anyone can have.

As the Co-WIN app stopped working, even the administrators — hospitals — resorted to unprecedented measures.

In Mumbai, Dr R N Cooper Municipal General Hospital has stopped vaccination for the day.

Multiple other vaccination centres, too, faced issues with the app. In Chennai, authorities at Apollo Hospitals stated that they were working things out manually and coordinating with the government. In Bengaluru, at some places, vaccine recipients had to wait for over an hour due to the technical glitch.

The first phase of the vaccination drive began on January 16, with the Centre targeting inoculation of around three crore healthcare and frontline workers.
India has so far approved two vaccines for emergency use — AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

A subject expert committee is set to consider Russia’s Sputnik V, which has also applied for emergency use, on Monday. Sputnik V has an efficacy rate of 91.6 per cent, higher than Covishield’s 70 per cent.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Australia begins mass COVID-19 vaccination programme

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Australia on Monday began its mass COVID-19 vaccine programme with frontline healthcare staff and senior citizens getting the first doses as the country looked set to report no local cases for the third straight day.

A group of 20 that included Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday received the first shots of the vaccine while the broader rollout started Monday morning with authorities expected to administer more than 60,000 doses by the end of the week.

”Today is a real milestone in our collective response to tackle COVID-19 and bring things as rapidly under control as we can,” Acting Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd told the Australian Broadcasting Corp television.

The vaccine, jointly developed by Pfizer Inc and Germany’s BioNTech, will be rolled out in the initial weeks while AstraZeneca’s first batch is expected to reach the country in the next two weeks.

The exercise, called a ”game-changer” by Morrison, is being billed as one of the most complex logistical operations in the country’s history as the Pfizer vaccines need to be stored below minus-70 Celsius (158 Fahrenheit).

The vast majority of Australia’s 25 million population will be injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which will be produced locally by CSL Ltd by the middle of March. Authorities plan to inoculate four million by March and expect to finish vaccinations by the end of October.

Victoria, the country’s second-most populous state, on Monday reported no new cases for the third day in a row, suggesting a fresh outbreak in state capital Melbourne has been contained. Other states and territories have effectively eliminated the virus.

Also Read: ‘Maharashtra facing second wave’: CM warns of strict lockdown if COVID discipline not observed

With just under 29,000 cases and 909 deaths from the virus, Australia largely escaped the high number of infections and deaths compared with other developed countries, helped by border closures and speedy tracking systems.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Coronavirus Feb 8 Highlights: Daily COVID-19 deaths below 150 for last 10 days, no fatality in 17 states

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Coronavirus News Feb 8 Highlights: India has become the third topmost country in the world in terms of the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, the Union Health Ministry said. Only the United States and the United Kingdom remain ahead of India. The ministry said 12 states in India have vaccinated more than 2 lakh beneficiaries each. Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for 6,73,542 of all vaccinated beneficiaries. As of today, a total of 58.12 lakh beneficiaries have received the vaccine under the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination exercise.

Meanwhile, continuing its streak of low numbers of single-day coronavirus cases, India reported 11,831 new infections in the last 24 hours even as its overall tally mounted to 1,08,38,194, health officials said on Monday.

For over a week, the daily new infections have been below 15,000 while the deaths have been below 200-mark for more than a month now.

On January 19, India had reported 10,064 new cases, the lowest this year. Last year, the lowest 9,633 cases were recorded on June 3.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that there were 84 more Covid-19 fatalities, taking the overall death toll to 1,55,080

As per the ministry’s data, there are 1,48,609 active cases as of now after 11,904 patients were discharged in a day. Till now, 1,05,34,505 persons have been discharged.

The recovery rate has increased to 97.2 per cent, while the fatality rate is down to 1.43 per cent.

A total of 20,19,00,614 samples have been tested for Covid-19 up to February 7. Of these, 5,32,236 samples were tested on Sunday, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Nearly six million (58,12,362) doses of corona vaccine doses have been administered in India since the drive began on January 16 after approval for ‘Covishield’ and ‘Covaxin’.

As per the Health Ministry, India ranks 3rd globally in terms of the vaccine doses administered in the country, even though many countries had launched their vaccination campaigns before India.

Stay tuned with all the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing inoculation drive:

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

PM Modi interacts with Covid vacine beneficiaries

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted with those involved in the Covid vaccination drive in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. Talking through video conference with beneficiaries and those administrating the shots, the prime minister expressed pride over the development of two vaccines in the country to tackle coronavirus.

”The world’s largest vaccination drive is underway in India. Our frontline warriors are getting vaccinated across the nation,” Modi had tweeted on Thursday. ”This interaction would give first-hand opportunity to hear their experiences as well as feedback,” he had said.

The prime minister had launched the nationwide inoculation drive on January 16 with over three crore healthcare and frontline workers prioritised to get the jabs initially. The numbers actually reporting so far for getting vaccinated have so far been less than expected.

Click here: For the latest news and updates on COVID-19

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow