PM Modi to hold second meeting in a week with Chief Ministers as Covid 19 cases surge in India, Vaccines under scrutiny as EU raises questions

The Covid 19 cases increased by 1,26,789 in the last 24 hours as per the official reports, which is an alarming rate as the second wave of the pandemic hits India. The reasons for rise in cases can be attributed to non adherence of protocols, fatigue of living with the pandemic for long and a false sense of normalcy even as new strains of the virus are emerging around the world – some statements were even made suggesting that the disease has now become an endemic which is not the case. India’s second wave has progressed beyond the peak of first wave, which stood at 93,617 new cases for the week ending September 16, 2020.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting today with chief ministers of all the states and Union Territories to discuss the current status of the Covid-19 pandemic in the nation along with issues related to vaccination via video conferencing, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). In the past one week there has been a spate of emergency measures imposed by various state governments including imposition of night curfew, restriction of attendance in events and making covid test reports compulsory for entering the states. The state of Delhi has imposed a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew starting on April 6 and ending on April 30 in an attempt to contain the spread.

As the cases increase causing concern in some states, the clamour of vaccine shortage has suddenly picked up as also relaxing the age restrictions. While the Central Government has clarified that the vaccines cannot be opened up for all as of now and the prioritised programme will continue till the time vaccine production and supply reach the mark which will permit unrestricted usage, the number of Covid-19 vaccine doses given in India crossed 88.3 million on Wednesday, surpassing the US tally. Indian pharma companies also has to fulfil their commitments of COVAX program to export the doses to other nations, reports suggest that the Astra Zeneca of UK has sued Serum Institute, Pune for failing to deliver required quantity as per contract. Mr Adar Poonawalla has told that Serum Institute needs INR3000 Crore to improve vaccine infrastructure.

Adding to the uncertainty over vaccine efficacy, the European Medicines Agency outlined a “possible link” between the vaccine and rare clots, even as it said that COVID-19 remained the far greater threat, leaving decisions about how to use the vaccine in the hands of the 27 member states of the European Union. Britain has also said that usage of Astra Zeneca shots would be restricted for people under 30 years as possibility of rare blood clots have not been ruled out. Astra Zeneca being the most widely distributed vaccine around the world and India also being a production partner, the EU concerns are a setback for the overall roll out of vaccines and controlling the pandemic.