Tag: COVID vaccine

US CDC urges Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children aged 5 to 11 years

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

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Kids aged 5 to 11 years should get a booster dose of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine, advisers to the US government said on Thursday.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) quickly adopted the panel’s recommendation, opening a third COVID-19 shot to healthy elementary-age kids just like what is already recommended for everybody 12 and older.

The hope is that an extra shot will shore up protection for kids ages 5 to 11 as infections once again are on the rise.

ALSO READ: Dr Reddy’s looks to sell Sputnik Light as ‘universal booster,’ to seek DGCI nod by July

“Vaccination with a primary series among this age group has lagged behind other age groups leaving them vulnerable to serious illness,” said CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky, in a statement.

“We know that these vaccines are safe, and we must continue to increase the number of children who are protected,” she said.

Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s kid-sized booster, to be offered at least five months after the youngsters’ last shot.

ALSO READ | North Korea COVID outbreak: Suspected caseload nears 2 million

The CDC takes the next step of recommending who actually needs vaccinations. Its advisers debated if all otherwise healthy 5- to 11-year-olds need an extra dose, especially since so many children were infected during the huge winter surge of the omicron variant.

But the US now is averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 cases a day for the first time since February. And ultimately, the CDC’s advisers pointed to growing evidence from older kids and adults that two primary vaccinations plus a booster are providing the best protection against the newest coronavirus variants.

This always perhaps should have been a three-dose vaccine, said Dr Grace Lee of Stanford University, who chairs the CDCs advisory panel.

The booster question isn’t the hottest vaccine topic: Parents still are anxiously awaiting a chance to vaccinate kids under 5 the only group not yet eligible in the US.

ALSO READ | WHO finds short-term benefit of additional booster dose of mRNA vaccine in health workers

Dr Doran Fink of the Food and Drug Administration said the agency is working as rapidly as we can to evaluate an application from vaccine maker Moderna, and is awaiting final data on the littlest kids from rival Pfizer. The FDA’s own advisers are expected to publicly debate data from one or both companies next month.

For the 5- to 11-year-olds, it’s not clear how much booster demand there will be. Only about 30 percent of that age group have had the initial two Pfizer doses since vaccinations opened to them in November.

CDC adviser Dr Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University said health authorities must put more effort into getting youngsters their initial shots.

That needs to be a priority, she said.

ALSO READ | Chinese economy takes a hit as Beijing, Shanghai reel under lockdown

Thursday’s decision also means that 5- to 11-year-olds with severely weakened immune systems, who are supposed to get three initial shots, would be eligible for a fourth dose.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech currently make the only COVID-19 vaccine available for children of any age in the US. Those ages 5 to 11 receive a dose that’s one-third the amount given to everyone 12 and older.

In a small study, Pfizer found a booster revved up those kids’ levels of virus-fighting antibodies including those able to fight the super-contagious omicron variant the same kind of jump adults get from an extra shot.

Vaccines may not always prevent milder infections, and the omicron variant proved especially able to slip past their defenses. But CDC cited data during the omicron surge that showed unvaccinated 5- to 11-year-olds had twice the rate of hospitalization as youngsters who got their first two doses.

Health authorities say for all ages, the vaccines are still offering strong protection against COVID-19’s worst outcomes, especially after a third dose.

Some especially high-risk people, including those 50 and older, have been offered the choice of a second booster, or fourth shot. And still to be decided is whether everyone will need additional shots in the fall, possibly reformulated to offer better protection against newer coronavirus variants.

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

Food grains shouldn’t go the way of COVID-19 vaccines, India tells West

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

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Calling out the West, India on Wednesday said that food grains should not go the way of the Covid-19 vaccines as it voiced concern over hoarding and discrimination amid the unjustified increase in food prices. It stressed that its decision to restrict wheat exports will ensure it can truly respond to those most in need.

“A number of low income societies are today confronted with the twin challenges of rising costs and difficulty in access to food grains. Even those like India, who have adequate stocks, have seen an unjustified increase in food prices. It is clear that hoarding and speculation is at work. We cannot allow this to pass unchallenged,” Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said Wednesday.

ALSO READ | 4000 trucks parked at Gujarat’s Kandla port after wheat export ban

Muraleedharan was speaking at the ministerial meeting on Global Food Security Call to Action’ chaired by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken under the US Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of May.

#IndiaAtUN

📺Watch: Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. V. Muraleedharan @MOS_MEA delivers #India‘s national statement at the Ministerial Meeting on Global Food Security Call to Action ⤵️@MEAIndia @VMBJP pic.twitter.com/Wu23OR39UG

— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) May 18, 2022

The meeting came just days after India’s last Friday decision to ban wheat exports in a bid to check high prices amid shortage of wheat due to scorching heat wave. The decision is aimed at controlling the retail prices of wheat and wheat flour — which have risen by an average 14-20 percent in the last one year — and meet the foodgrain requirement of neighbouring and vulnerable countries.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) had in the last week notification said that wheat exports will be allowed on the basis of permission granted by the central government.

ALSO READ: India banned wheat exports to stop ‘manipulators from China’, say govt sources

At the high-level meeting, India spoke about the issue of the wheat export ban for the first time in the UN since its May 13 announcement. Muraleedharan said India has recognised the sudden spike in global prices of wheat which put our food security and those of our neighbours and other vulnerable countries at risk.

Delighted to participate in Ministerial Meeting at UN, chaired by H.E. @SecBlinken on “Global Food Security- Call to Action”.

India will play its due role in advancing global food security, in which it will uphold equity, display compassion & promote social justice. https://t.co/rmkTGq21FK pic.twitter.com/MkAS45i0B0

— V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) May 18, 2022

“We are committed to ensuring that such adverse impact on food security is effectively mitigated and the vulnerable cushioned against sudden changes in the global market,” Muraleedharan said.

“In order to manage our own overall food security and support the needs of neighbouring and other vulnerable developing countries, we have announced some measures regarding wheat exports on 13 May 2022,” Muraleedharan said.

ALSO READ | india’s export ban makes wheat more expensive than ever — these countries would be the worst hit

“Let me make it clear that these measures allow for export on the basis of approvals to those countries which are required to meet their food security demands. This will be done at the request of the concerned governments. Such a policy will ensure that we will truly respond to those who are most in need,” he said.

The minister emphasised that India will play its due role in advancing global food security and it will do so in a manner in which it upholds equity, display compassion, and promotes social justice.

ALSO READ | Wheat prices at 14-year high globally as India bans export

India called out the West and cautioned that the issue of food grains should not go the way of Covid-19 vaccines, which were purchased by the rich nations in quantities excess of what they needed, leaving the poor and less developed nations scrambling to administer even the initial doses to their people.

“It is necessary for all of us to adequately appreciate the importance of equity, affordability and accessibility when it comes to food grains. We have already seen to our great cost how these principles were disregarded in the case of Covid-19 vaccines. Open markets must not become an argument to perpetuate inequity and promote discrimination,” Muraleedharan said, making a strong statement.

Ahead of Washington’s signature events on food security, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “We have seen the report of India’s decision. We’re encouraging countries not to restrict exports because we think any restrictions on exports will exacerbate the food shortages. But you’ve again, India will be one of the countries participating in our meeting at the Security Council, and we hope that they can, as they hear the concerns being raised by other countries, they would reconsider that position.”

ALSO WATCH | Farmers and traders seek lifting of wheat export ban amid rural distress

Muraleedharan highlighted India’s track record of helping its partners in distress, saying that even in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts, India has never been found wanting.

“We have provided food aid in the form of thousands of metric tonnes of wheat, rice, pulses, and lentils to several countries, including our neighbourhood and Africa, to strengthen their food security,” he said, adding that in view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, India is donating 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to its people.

“India has continued its humanitarian support for Myanmar, including a grant of 10,000 tons of rice and wheat,” he said. “We are also assisting Sri Lanka including with food assistance, during these difficult times.”

“In keeping with our ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, [the world is one family] and our Neighbourhood First’ policy, we will continue to assist our neighbours, in their hour of need, and stand by them, always,” he said.

India underlined that the global impact of Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts, including in Ukraine, has impacted lives of ordinary people adversely, particularly in the developing countries, with spiralling energy and commodity prices and disruptions in global logistical supply chains.

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

From storage to transport, hurdles to getting COVID vaccine to North Koreans

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

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As North Korea battles its first known COVID outbreak, a lack of storage, chronic power shortages and inadequately trained medical staff pose acute challenges to inoculating its 25 million people even with outside help, analysts said.

North Korea has not responded to offers of aid from South Korea and international vaccine-sharing programmes, but prefers US made Moderna and Pfizer over China’s Sinovac or British-Swedish Astrazeneca shots, according to South Korean officials.

Both the US vaccines rely on technology known as mRNA, and require super-cold storage. Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccines can be transported and stored at normal refrigerator temperatures.

“Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require a low-temperature storage system, which North Korea does not have,” said Moon Jin-soo, director of the Institute for Health and Unification Studies at Seoul National University. “It would require a ton of additional materials to use them for inoculation.”

South Korean officials have said it is not clear whether the North has access to such storage systems. In March, the UN Security Council gave a sanctions exemption to the UNICEF to ship such “cold-chain” equipment to North Korea to assist with vaccinations.

The items included three walk-in cold rooms for “storage of routine immunization vaccines,” though it was not immediately confirmed whether they had been shipped amid strict border restrictions. According to the North’s latest Voluntary National Review report presented to the UN last year, only 34.6 percent of its population had access to electricity, and the country’s roads and railways were, “in general, not in standard condition.”

Given those conditions, only few cities could accommodate the cold storage units, experts said. Whether North Korea can mobilise trained medical personnel on a large scale for a nationwide inoculation campaign also remains an open question.

“You need a system and trained medical experts to distribute the doses and inject the shots. I doubt the North has that,” said Jacob Lee, a professor of infectious diseases at South Korea’s Hallym University School of Medicine. North Korea has inoculated children for diseases such as tuberculosis with the help of international organizations. But UN aid agencies and most other relief groups have pulled out of the country amid extended border shutdowns.

South Korea’s foreign minister, Park Jin, said on Tuesday he would ask Washington for sanctions exemptions to send needed equipment to the North if it asks.

“The most important thing is speed,” said Shin Young-jeon, a professor at Hanyang University’s College of Medicine in Seoul. “The virus is already spreading fast, and without swift vaccination and immunity building, the death toll could soar to an uncontrollable level.”

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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

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Govt set to allow precaution dose before 9-month waiting period for those travelling abroad, say sources

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

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The Union government is set to relax the norms for Covid vaccine precaution dose, allowing those going overseas to get the jab before the stipulated nine-month waiting period as required by the destination country, sources said on Wednesday. An official announcement, however, is yet to be made by the Union Health Ministry.

Sources said the decision to relax the norms about the precaution dose for overseas travellers was based on recommendations by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI).

The advisory panel had recommended that those who need to travel overseas can take the precaution dose of Covid vaccine as required by the country they are travelling to before the mandatory nine-month gap.

Also read: Biological E seeks emergency use authorisation for Corbevax as booster COVID-19 dose for adults

As of now, all those above 18 years who have completed nine months after the second dose are eligible for the precaution jab.

The Union Health Ministry has received several representations seeking the precaution dose of Covid vaccine for those who have to travel abroad for employment, business commitments, admission to foreign educational institutes, participating in sports events, and bilateral and multilateral covidmeetings as part of India’s official delegation.

”The issue was discussed last week and the NTAGI had recommended that those who need to travel overseas can take the booster shot, before the stipulated nine-month waiting period, as required by the country they are travelling to,” a source said.

India began administering precaution doses of Covid vaccines to healthcare and frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities from January 10 this year.

The comorbidity clause was removed in March making all people aged above 60 eligible for the precaution dose of Covid vaccine. On April 10, India began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all aged above 18 years at private vaccination centres.

Also read: Uttarakhand govt puts daily limit on pilgrim numbers visiting Char Dham shrines

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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

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Biological E seeks emergency use authorisation for Corbevax as booster COVID-19 dose for adults

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

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Biological E has submitted an application to India’s drug regulator seeking emergency use authorisation (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax as a booster dose in adults fully vaccinated with Covishield or Covaxin, sources said on Wednesday.

The Drugs Controller General Of India (DCGI) had already approved Corbevax, India’s first indigenously developed RBD protein subunit vaccine, for restricted use in emergency situations for those aged 5 and above.

Currently, it is being used to inoculate children in the 12 to 14 age group. According to the EUA application submitted to DCGI, Biological E in a phase-3 placebo-controlled clinical study, based on the drug regulator’s nod, has evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of Corbevax as a single-dose booster in COVID-negative adults fully vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin.

Also Read: Facemasks can reduce COVID-19 severity, pressure on health systems, study confirms

The study was conducted on 416 subjects aged 18 to 80 who were vaccinated with two doses of either Covaxin or Covishield with the last jab administered at least six months prior to giving the booster dose of Corbevax. “The results showed a significant boost in immunogenicity in terms of neutralizing antibodies after 28 days when compared with placebo cohort in both Covishield and Covaxin arms.

“The safety profile of Corbevax was found similar to that of the earlier clinical trials,” an official source told an official source told PTI,  quoting the Hyderabad-based firm as having mentioned in the EUA application.

The firm said, “We are now submitting the marketing authorization application for grant of permission Corbevax for restricted use in an emergency situation as a booster dose at six months after completion of primary immunization with two doses of Covishield or Covaxin in individuals aged 18 years and above.”

As of now, the precaution dose is of the same COVID-19 vaccine used for administering the first and second doses.

India began administering precaution doses of COVID vaccines to healthcare and frontline workers and those aged 60 years and above with comorbidities from January 10.

Also Read: WHO wants China to restrategise as zero COVID policy ‘not sustainable’; China dismisses criticism

The comorbidity clause was removed in March, making all people aged above 60 years eligible for the precaution dose of COVID vaccine.

India on April 10 began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all aged above 18 years at private vaccination centres.

All those above the age of 18 who have completed nine months after the administration of the second dose are eligible for the precaution dose.

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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

Serum COVID vaccine Covovax now available for 12-17 age group at private centres

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

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Children aged 12 to 17 years can now get the Serum Institute’s coronavirus vaccine Covovax at private centres with a provision for it being made on the CoWIN portal, official sources said on Monday. A dose of Covovax will cost Rs 900 plus GST, in addition to hospital service charge of Rs 150, they told PTI.

The move followed the recommendation of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) that the COVID-19 jab can be administered in the age group of 12-17 years. Serum Institute of India (SII) Director for Government and Regulatory Affairs Prakash Kumar Singh had written to the Union Health Ministry recently, requesting for Covovax’s inclusion in the immunisation drive for children aged 12 to 17 years.

Also read: Gap between 2nd dose of COVID vaccine, precaution dose to be reduced to 6 months soon, says report

In his letter, Singh had stated that the Pune-based firm wanted to provide Covovax to private hospitals at a per-dose rate of Rs 900 plus Goods and Services Tax (GST). “Those aged 12-17 age group can now opt for Covovax shot at private hospitals. The provision for the same has been made at the CoWIN portal on Monday evening,” an official source told PTI.

India’s drug regulator had approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults on December 28 last year and in the 12-17 age group, subject to certain conditions, on March 9. Currently, children aged 12 to 14 years are vaccinated with Biological E’s intramuscular vaccine Corbevax, while those in the 15-18 age group are being administered Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin at government vaccination centres.

Also read: SII to give free Covishield vials to pvt vaccination centres to compensate for price difference

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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

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Decision on COVID-19 shots for 5-12 age group likely by tomorrow

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

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A decision on vaccinating children aged 5-12 years will be taken on the basis of the recommendation by an expert committee, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday. According to sources, the issue may be discussed in a meeting of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) scheduled on Friday.

“The decision (on vaccination for 5-12 age group) will be taken on the basis of the recommendation of an expert committee,” Mandaviya told reporters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interaction with chief ministers, o Wednesday had said the government’s priority is to vaccinate all eligible children at the earliest with special campaigns in schools.

Also read: Gap between 2nd dose of COVID vaccine, precaution dose to be reduced to 6 months soon, says report

India’s drug regulator, DCGI, had on Tuesday granted emergency use authorisation (EUA) for Biological E’s COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax for those aged 5-12 years and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children in the age group of 6-12 years. Corbevax is currently being used to inoculate children against COVID-19 in the age group of 12-14 years. Covaxin had been granted emergency use listing (EUL) by the DCGI for the 12-18 age group on December 24, 2021.

India began inoculating children aged 12-14 on March 16.

Also read: Haryana CM announces free Covid booster shots for 18-59 age group

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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

Vaccine fatigue? Complacency, confusion, fear behind reluctance to take Covid booster, says experts

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

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With only 4.64 lakh people taking their third Covid jab since April 10, Indians could be grappling with vaccine fatigue, a reluctance to take a booster shot that experts attribute to a combination of fear, confusion and misinformation.

As India’s Covid graph inches upwards, not enough people are getting their booster shots. Among the reasons for the apparent lethargy are the fear of adverse effects, the view that Covid is now a mild infection and doubts over whether a precaution dose is indeed useful, said scientists, public health experts and industry insiders.

According to virologist Dr T Jacob John, vaccine fatigue has set in, also because the “cacophony of new experts” has been confusing. “I get a number of questions for clarification on booster doses, hence I know that the educational activity’ of the government that wants to prevent COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations and severe symptoms by completing the vaccination schedule in highly vulnerable people was more confusing than clarifying,” John told PTI.

For a long time, people were told that full vaccination meant two doses so the term precaution dose added to the confusion, added the former director of the Indian Council for Medical Research’s Centre of Advanced Research in Virology. Vaccine fatigue, experts explained, is when people do not take proactive action to get vaccinated.

Last week, Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawallah, whose company manufactures the Covishield vaccine, said they have a lot of unsold inventory. “We stopped production on December 31, 2021. Currently, we are sitting on over 200 million doses. I have offered this to anyone willing to pick them up for free. But there hasn’t been a good response to that also.”

“It seems there is vaccine fatigue among the people now as even after the price was slashed to Rs 225, there has been no major uptake,” Poonawalla said at the Times Network India Economic Conclave. The firm has slashed the price from Rs 600 to Rs 225 a dose.

In the view of Praveen Sikri, Ikris Pharma Network CEO, people are questioning the need for a precaution dose, thinking the last wave was mild. “The large number of misinformation campaigns launched by anti-vaxxers such as campaigns about children developing liver failure and developing clots and people dying of vaccines had played a role in the reluctance. Also, because the Omicron wave has been not a very dangerous one, so it is adding to the vaccine fatigue,” said the pharma industry insider who has closely been following India’s Covid trajectory.

He added there is need to counter this by developing more conversations around vaccines, letting people becoming involved in decision making. It is important to let people know that countries that have not had adequate vaccination programmes or have had vaccines which are not effective are suffering very severely now due to Covid, Sikri said. Factual information with believable evidence will allay the anxieties of people, John added.

“When the risk from disease has markedly reduced as the epidemic is over, people worry about the risk of serious AEFI (adverse event from immunisation). Once vaccine hesitancy has been created, it is going to be tough to overcome it Prevention is always better than cure,” he said.

Dr Ankita Baidya, consultant, infectious disease, at the Manipal Hospital in Delhi, said “people are coming forward with complaints following vaccination, particularly the booster dose recommended recently. As an infectious disease physician, I would like to stress that malaise is a common side effect of vaccination. But I have also seen that summers are ongoing and there are some components of psychological factors that after booster doors people are experiencing such kind of fatigue.”

“Even if it is there, it should not be long-lasting. If someone feels fatigued or malaise and has body ache in the initial days after vaccination, this could be just a post-vaccination mild side-effect of the vaccine and it will go away,” she said. Counselling over the usefulness of a booster dose is important, Baidya stressed.

Dr Vikas Deswal, senior consultant, internal medicine, at Gurgaon’s Medanta Hospital concurred, saying there is lack of understanding of the benefits of the booster doses.

“Many believe that double vaccination is enough. A sense of complacency has settled in. But booster doses are very important because they keep us immunised. This ensures that even if the virus attacks us, there are enough antibodies to ensure that the infection is mild. The only way to counter vaccine fatigue is to constantly explain the benefits of the booster dose, make it more easily accessible and available,” he said.

While experts debate the reasons for vaccine fatigue, Neha Sharma, a Noida-based IT professional, said her menstrual cramps had worsened after she took her first and second jabs. “Though the doctor told me that it is unrelated to the vaccine, I am still scared to take the third dose.”

“Also I feel that now the Omicron driven infection is getting milder, so Covid is akin to seasonal flu. Why complicate things by taking a third dose,” she said. Amna Hasan, a resident of Lucknow based homemaker, added that she has just started feeling better after contracting Covid twice.

“Why take a chance by inducing the same dead virus in my body again,” Hasan, who was infected in both the second and third wave of COVID-19, said. Shaunak Sharma, a Noida based engineer, has no plans to take the precaution dose either.

“We have developed immunity from COVID-19 in the past two years, I recently got my antibodies tested and had enough so though my precaution dose is not due for the next few months. I don’t plan to take precaution dose.” he said. On April 10, India began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all aged above 18 years at private vaccination centres.

An estimated 4,64,910 precaution doses have been administered till Tuesday morning, according to Union Health ministry data . Of these, about half, 2,46,962 were administered in the 18-59 age group between April 20-26. On Tuesday, India recorded 2,483 new coronavirus infections.

The daily positivity rate was recorded as 0.55 percent and the weekly positivity rate as 0.58 percent, according to the ministry. Certain areas are reporting a higher positivity rate. Delhi, for instance, reported 1,011 fresh cases on Monday and a positivity rate of 6.42 percent.

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

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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

Haryana CM announces free Covid booster shots for 18-59 age group

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

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Monday announced free Covid vaccine booster shots for beneficiaries in the age group of 18 to 59 years, according to an official statement. The eligible people can get the booster shot, which currently costs Rs 250 plus service charges, free of cost at any government hospital or dispensary.

It said there are about 1.2 crore such beneficiaries in Haryana and the total cost of about Rs 300 crore on their booster doses will be borne by the state from the COVID Relief Fund. The CM further said that in addition to Covid vaccination, adhering to COVID-19 guidelines is the biggest tool in the fight against the pandemic.

In view of the recent surge in cases in a few districts, particularly in Gurugram and Faridabad, Chief Minister Khattar appealed to people to wear masks and ensure strict adherence of Covid-appropriate behaviour like washing hands frequently, according to the statement.

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

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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