Post Tagged with: "COVID Vaccine"

G20 urged to “face up” to global Covid-19 challenges, as rich countries still monopolise vaccine supply

G20 urged to “face up” to global Covid-19 challenges, as rich countries still monopolise vaccine supply

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia: Wednesday 16/11 : Rich countries have delivered seven times more doses of COVID-19 vaccine per head than low-income countries[1], civil society groups have warned, as the G20 summit continues its session in Bali. The groups have called on the G20 governments to address the intellectual property barriers that have frustrated the sharing of vaccine and treatment technology.[Read More…]

by 16/11/2022 Comments are Disabled World
Is Gandhi’s Talisman the guiding light to end vaccine inequity?

Is Gandhi’s Talisman the guiding light to end vaccine inequity?

by Shobha Shukla & Bobby Ramakant In a world with over 7 billion people, more than 10 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered by the end of January 2022. But more than 3 billion people globally have not received even their first vaccine dose yet. Despite having enough of vaccine doses to protect the most at risk from COVID-19,[Read More…]

by 29/01/2022 Comments are Disabled World
Save Lives, Socialize Big Pharma

Save Lives, Socialize Big Pharma

 In April 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an annual report, perhaps overlooked in the midst of the raging COVID pandemic, again warning that little recent progress has been made in developing new, desperately need antibiotics. In fact, the report analyzed 43 antibiotics currently in the development pipeline and found that exactly none of them addressed the 13 most[Read More…]

by 25/01/2022 Comments are Disabled World
Booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine: To give or not to give?

Booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine: To give or not to give?

by Shobha Shukla & Bobby Ramakant With almost 19 million new COVID-19 cases reported, the third week of January 2022 recorded the highest-ever weekly number of new infections so far in the pandemic’s history. This was an increase of 20% more cases than the earlier ‘highest-ever record’ which was set in the previous week. With over two years into the[Read More…]

by 24/01/2022 1 comment World
A Flawed Program – Millions Of Expiring Covid Vaccine Doses: Poorer Nations Reject

A Flawed Program – Millions Of Expiring Covid Vaccine Doses: Poorer Nations Reject

The short expiration dates of vaccines donated to the sharing program is a major problem, Etleva Kadilli, an official concerned with the issue told the European Parliament (EP) on Thursday. The official heads the Supply Division of UNICEF, the UN’s agency for the betterment of children’s lives worldwide. “Until we have a better shelf life, this is going to be[Read More…]

by 15/01/2022 Comments are Disabled World
The Mauling of Novak Djokovic

The Mauling of Novak Djokovic

Rarely can the treatment of a grand sporting figure by officialdom have caused such consternation.  Novak Djokovic, the tennis World Number One, has always had a tendency to get under skin and constitution, creating a large following of admirers and detractors.  But his current treatment by Australian authorities, and his subsequent detention as an unlawful arrival despite being granted a[Read More…]

by 10/01/2022 1 comment World
Punishing the Unvaccinated: Europe’s COVID-19 Health Experiment

Punishing the Unvaccinated: Europe’s COVID-19 Health Experiment

Forget any notions of juicy carrots; the stick approach of savage punishment is in vogue with the Greek government in pushing vaccination rates.  It is far from the only one.  Across a number of countries in Europe, governments wishing to drive up levels of COVID-19 vaccination have decided to abandon suasion and the generous supply of medical information in favour[Read More…]

by 07/12/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Germany Too Has the Plight of the Unvaccinated

Germany Too Has the Plight of the Unvaccinated

As Germany has just reached the 100,000 Corona death mark, the debate on mandatory vaccination is heating up in the country. As a matter of fact, Germany has had ample time to properly discuss or introduce such a Pflicht or duty. After all, it is home to philosopher Immanuel Kant. And even before Kant’s philosophical elaborations on a duty-based ethics[Read More…]

by 02/12/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Vaccine Hesitancy or Resistance?

Vaccine Hesitancy or Resistance?

Ever since COVID-19 pandemic appeared, the year 2020 saw advocates of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) vending it as a preventive and later curative medicine for Coronavirus infection. The Indian Government ‘gifted’ HCQ to sixty odd countries. Subsequent research found the drug to be useless. Till date no curative medicine has been discovered. Whatever treatment is given in clinics/hospitals/ICUs qualifies only to be[Read More…]

by 02/12/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Elitism is Not the Answer to Populism: On ‘Anti-Vaxxers’ and Mistrust in Government 

Elitism is Not the Answer to Populism: On ‘Anti-Vaxxers’ and Mistrust in Government 

While “anti-vaxxers” continue to clash with police in various European cities, a whole media discourse has been formulated around the political leanings of these angry crowds, describing them in matter-of-fact terms as conspiracy theorists, populists and right-wing fanatics. While it is true that populist, right-wing movements throughout Europe and elsewhere have actively exploited the anger, confusion and lack of trust[Read More…]

by 26/11/2021 1 comment World
Who Resists Corona Vaccination in Germany?

Who Resists Corona Vaccination in Germany?

by Thomas Klikauer and Norman Simms In 2021, Germany’s population is about 84 million. A total of 73.9 million people in Germany could be vaccinated and a Covid-19 vaccine is available to them. Yet by the middle of September 2021, only 55.3 million Germans have been vaccinated at least once (66%). This means that there are over 18 million Germans[Read More…]

by 21/11/2021 1 comment World
German Vaccination Hesitancy: a Union View

German Vaccination Hesitancy: a Union View

by Thomas Klikauer & Meg Young By early November 2021, Germany’s Corona infection numbers reached new highs. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) registered 40,000 new infections within 24 hours, the 7-day average climbed to 30,000, the 7-day “incidence” (infection rate) to 232.1 – that measures infections per 100,000 people. German officials use simple numbers – they are not percentages. This infection rate[Read More…]

by 20/11/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Breakthrough Infections, Hospitalisations and Death during the Covid Vaccination Drive in Kerala

Breakthrough Infections, Hospitalisations and Death during the Covid Vaccination Drive in Kerala

Abstract Kerala, the South-Western State in India with a population of 35 million was in the global limelight for successfully flattening the covid curve and for the lower case-fatality ratio (CFR) during the first year of the pandemic. Ten months down the line, the State is again in the media glare for successfully implementing the covid vaccination drive. Kerala’s vaccination[Read More…]

by 15/11/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Who are Germany’s Anti-Vaxxers?

Who are Germany’s Anti-Vaxxers?

 by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young Germany’s anti-vaxxers are people who refuse to be vaccinated against, for example, the Corona virus. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and others, there are six common delusions about vaccines. Anti-vaxxers believe that Covid-19 is in a decline and not dangerous. Therefore, they do not need to be vaccinated. They also think –[Read More…]

by 02/11/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Covid-19 vaccine distribution is a global disaster

Covid-19 vaccine distribution is a global disaster

“It’s like putting a Band-Aid over a gaping hole,” said Andrea Taylor of Duke University, discussing the rich countries of North America and Europe giving their own citizens Covid-19 vaccine boosters before the rest of the world gets their first shot. Covid-19 is a global pandemic. It respects no national boundaries and will continue to spread and mutate if it[Read More…]

by 24/10/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Will India’s One billion vaccination-dose-milestone be catalytic for vaccinating all?

Will India’s One billion vaccination-dose-milestone be catalytic for vaccinating all?

On 21 October 2021, India crossed its milestone of administering over 1 billion (100 crores) doses within 278 days since it began the vaccination rollout (on 16th January 2021). The World Health Organization (WHO) calls upon all countries to ensure that at least 70% of their population must be fully vaccinated by June 2022. India aims to cross 70% goalpost[Read More…]

by 21/10/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Pope Francis Urges Pharma Giants to Release Covid-19 Vaccine Patents

Pope Francis Urges Pharma Giants to Release Covid-19 Vaccine Patents

Amid ongoing outrage over global vaccine inequity, Pope Francis on Saturday urged pharmaceutical companies to “make a gesture of humanity” by lifting intellectual property protections and sharing Covid-19 vaccine technology with the world. The pope’s remarks came during a video address to the World Meeting of Popular Movements, a collection of grassroots groups, in which he expressed his belief “that we are not condemned[Read More…]

by 17/10/2021 2 comments World
Covid-19 vaccine distribution is a global disaster

Covid-19 vaccine distribution is a global disaster

“It’s like putting a Band-Aid over a gaping hole,” said Andrea Taylor of Duke University, discussing the rich countries of North America and Europe giving their own citizens Covid-19 vaccine boosters before the rest of the world gets their first shot. Covid-19 is a global pandemic. It respects no national boundaries and will continue to spread and mutate if it[Read More…]

by 08/10/2021 Comments are Disabled World
UK’s decision to consider vaccinated Indians as ‘unvaccinated’ stinks of apartheid, lacks scientific merit

UK’s decision to consider vaccinated Indians as ‘unvaccinated’ stinks of apartheid, lacks scientific merit

Recent decision of the United Kingdom (UK) to consider fully vaccinated Indians along with some other nationalities as ‘unvaccinated’ lacks scientific merit and instead stinks of white supremacy and apartheid era. It is important to mention that 90% of the vaccines rolled out in India are Covishield. Covishield vaccine, is Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, whose research was done by UK based[Read More…]

by 21/09/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Step up the pace globally if universal vaccination could lead us out of the pandemic

Step up the pace globally if universal vaccination could lead us out of the pandemic

The Covid pandemic has hard drilled the lesson why health and social security of each one of us is inter-dependent on health and social security of one another. But do we see more equity (or inequity) in the Covid response, such as the rollout of the vaccination worldwide? Inequitable distribution of vaccine, diagnostics, oxygen, personnel protective equipment, and other necessary[Read More…]

by 19/09/2021 Comments are Disabled Life/Philosophy
Between Vaccine and the Ventilator

Between Vaccine and the Ventilator

“I am planning to get my Covid vaccine shot this week” I told a very dear German friend of mine the other day over the phone. “No! Don’t do that!” came the immediate response. “Why?” I asked. “They will inject nanobots into your bloodstream!” he said, with all sincerity and genuine concern for my well-being. I immediately realized I was[Read More…]

by 28/08/2021 Comments are Disabled COVID Response Watch
Vaccine Blues

Vaccine Blues

There are several reports in the press here in Assam that in several rural regions people queuing up from daybreak for the jab were told that the vaccine stock was exhausted after three or four hours.Incensed they created a huge ruckus,and at times vandalised the vaccine centre and attacked the staff.A friend from the countryside told me on phone that[Read More…]

by 07/08/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Reflections from the ground: Digital divide and Covid-19 in Uttarakhand

Reflections from the ground: Digital divide and Covid-19 in Uttarakhand

As the country recuperates from the devastating second wave of Covid-19, vaccination has become the only and the most effective possibility to beat the virus. But getting vaccinated isn’t as simple as it sounds. Saraswati Devi*, age 46, who lives in the outskirts of Almora town (Uttarakhand), is very anxious these days because she is finding it difficult to get[Read More…]

by 04/07/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Making Vaccines Mandatory – An Ethical Perspective

Making Vaccines Mandatory – An Ethical Perspective

On June 28, the Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said that only those who have received two doses of vaccines will be permitted entry into theatres, multiplexes, coaching centres, and colleges. A few days before, on June 24, the Gujarat High Court granted temporary relief to an IAF officer who received a show-cause notice from Indian Air Force over[Read More…]

by 01/07/2021 Comments are Disabled Life/Philosophy
Abdala, with three doses, has 92.28% efficacy in fighting COVID-19

Abdala, with three doses, has 92.28% efficacy in fighting COVID-19

Written by Leticia Martínez and René Tamayo León A three-dose regimen of Cuba’s Abdala candidate vaccine has demonstrated an efficacy of 92.28 percent, placing it well above the World Health Organization (WHO) requirement of at least 50 percent, to be recognized as an anti-COVID-19 vaccine. Over the course of 48 hours, from Saturday to Monday, Cuba, a small, poor country,[Read More…]

by 23/06/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Vaccine Equity and G7 Summit: Solidarity Not Charity, Justice Not Denial of Human Rights

Vaccine Equity and G7 Summit: Solidarity Not Charity, Justice Not Denial of Human Rights

Vaccine equity is not working because besides the role played by the fascists and the authoritarian regimes in denying vaccine access to their population, also, it is behind the cloak of human rights that the western countries are not sharing the knowledge of production and manufacturing of the basic life-saving technologies in the times of pandemic. The G7 Summit pledged[Read More…]

by 21/06/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Vaccine Failings: The European Commission and AstraZeneca

Vaccine Failings: The European Commission and AstraZeneca

In the messy, underhanded world of global health responses to COVID-19 it was only appropriate that lawyers should find themselves enriched on respective sides of a dispute about vaccine supply.  The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has been getting a good deal of bad press, with its COVID vaccines seen to be a riskier proposition, notably to younger adults, than those of[Read More…]

by 21/06/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Vaccine Nationalism

Vaccine Nationalism

Fifteen months ago, the SARS-CoV-2 virus unleashed Covid-19. Since then, it’s killed more than 3.8 million people worldwide (and possibly many more). Finally, a return to normalcy seems likely for a distinct minority of the world’s people, those living mainly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and China. That’s not surprising.  The concentration of wealth and power[Read More…]

by 21/06/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Vaccine Woes Worry India

Vaccine Woes Worry India

Written by Ashish Kumar Singh & Wakar Amin India consists of a population with different sets of profiles of socio-culturally diverse identities scattered within it. Any vaccination program which is aimed at covering the whole population has to use a diverse and heterogeneous strategy like the population of the country. Not to mention the fact that the enormous size of[Read More…]

by 19/06/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Less Freedom, More Money: Tony Blair’s Vaccine Passport

Less Freedom, More Money: Tony Blair’s Vaccine Passport

Sincere Tony is again on the stump, promoting his vision of how best to return to a lovely, unruffled world of capitalist endeavour, circuit lecturing and summit meetings that no longer need to be held online.  And when Blair has visions, they are bound to be highly selective and keen in terms of his own bank account, not to mention[Read More…]

by 11/06/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Photo credit: UNICEF Teachers and students were able to return to school in Lao Cai, Viet Nam, in May 2020

A People’s Vaccine Against a Mutating Virus and Neoliberal Rule

A recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll found that worries about the COVID pandemic in the United States are at their lowest level since it began. Only half of Americans are either “very worried” (15%) or “somewhat worried” (35%) about the virus, while the other half are “not very worried” (30%) or “not worried at all” (20%). But the news from around[Read More…]

by 07/06/2021 1 comment World
Millions of Asians urgently need developed countries to stop blocking their access to vaccines

Millions of Asians urgently need developed countries to stop blocking their access to vaccines

Across Asia, a surge in coronavirus cases is prompting fresh restrictions and pushing people further into poverty. While fast-moving vaccination drives are allowing developed economies to bounce back, most Asian countries have managed to vaccinate less than 10 percent of their populations. As the WTO TRIPS Council meets for talks today, the Peoples Vaccine Alliance-Asia has called upon leaders of[Read More…]

by 07/06/2021 Comments are Disabled World
India’s ‘Westernism’ is its Undoing in Vaccine Strategy

India’s ‘Westernism’ is its Undoing in Vaccine Strategy

Sputnik V has already been soft launched in India on May 14 as part of a pilot study with a top official of Dr Reddy’s Laboratories receiving the first jab in India. ..Single-dose Sputnik Light could be first single-dose vaccine launched in India. The biggest commercial consignment of Sputnik-V vaccines arrived in Hyderabad on june 1, at 3:40 am with[Read More…]

by 04/06/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Private hospitals fleecing the people by overcharging for vaccines

Private hospitals fleecing the people by overcharging for vaccines

  To Shri Rajiv Gauba Cabinet Secretary Govt of India Dear Shri Gauba, The  Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy 21-4-2021 (PANCVS) notified by the Union Health Ministry has given a free license to the vaccine manufacturers to set prices arbitrarily, ostensibly in a transparent manner, as indicated in Para 8(ii) below. “Manufacturers would in a transparent manner make[Read More…]

by 04/06/2021 Comments are Disabled India
They fear vaccines more than Covid

They fear vaccines more than Covid

Pune, Maharashtra:“People are not ready to go to the local government hospital to get treated for Corona. They think that from there the doctor will send them to the district hospital in Amravati, where there will be no treatment. They will only get sick and die. Even their dead body will be secretively disposed by the officers and family members[Read More…]

by 03/06/2021 Comments are Disabled COVID Response Watch
COVID19: Dwindling Supply of Vaccines and Rising Cost

COVID19: Dwindling Supply of Vaccines and Rising Cost

Click on the image for a larger version Graphic artist: Madhushree Data: B.Sivaraman GET COUNTERCURRENTS DAILY NEWSLETTER STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX  

by 29/05/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Puzzling costs of COVID-19 vaccines in India

Puzzling costs of COVID-19 vaccines in India

Written by Dr Saru Gupta and Dr Leenus Tafline A ferocious second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on cities and towns of India, bringing the country’s crippled healthcare system to its knees. The unexpected surge in cases has underscored the importance of vaccinations, but amidst vaccine skepticism and inadequacy, people are perplexed about the costs.  Moreover, the[Read More…]

by 28/05/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Andhra CM asks PM Modi to halt Covid-19 vaccine supply to pvt hospitals; it is “socially unacceptable”

Andhra CM asks PM Modi to halt Covid-19 vaccine supply to pvt hospitals; it is “socially unacceptable”

Taking a critical view of the Centre’s present Covid-19 vaccination policy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on May 22 Saturday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to halt supply of vaccines to private hospitals. In a two-page letter to Modi,  Reddy requested that the entire available stock of Covid-19 vaccine to be made available only to the[Read More…]

by 27/05/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Swedish doctors recommend against vaccination of young, healthy

Swedish doctors recommend against vaccination of young, healthy

Over 85 per cent of those who died of Covid-19 had some other underlying health condition and were very old. The risk from the virus to the young and healthy is not great, and vaccination of the whole population could set off other health crises, over 25 Swedish doctors have warned in a joint, open letter. In the age group[Read More…]

by 24/05/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Cooperative Federalism to “Competitive” Cooperative Federalism, The case of Covid vaccination – Who gains? Who loses?

Cooperative Federalism to “Competitive” Cooperative Federalism, The case of Covid vaccination – Who gains? Who loses?

“However good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot “ “A serious complaint is made[Read More…]

by 23/05/2021 Comments are Disabled India
A Brief History of India’s Vaccination Drive, rather the Lack of it!

A Brief History of India’s Vaccination Drive, rather the Lack of it!

From the beginning of the COVID time it was apparent, that the only sustainable check would be vaccine induced protection. Unfortunately the GOI bungled big time, as demonstrated in the following timeline of events. No orders were placed with any of the companies who had demonstrable results in Phase 1 & 2 trials by August ’20. Instead the ICMR partnered[Read More…]

by 23/05/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Whether all Indians will get vaccinated? When?

Whether all Indians will get vaccinated? When?

There is a very wide supply-demand gap, from a market perspective… Even if we secure necessary stocks of vaccine in near future, its cost and affordability will be real challenges.      We have a wonderful government which strangely thinks only SII and BB would produce and ignore several PSU and private vaccine makers in India.  ‘Vasudhaivaka Kutumbakam’ is yet another Sanskrit[Read More…]

by 23/05/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Covid Today, Vaccines Tomorrow

Covid Today, Vaccines Tomorrow

Written by Harshavardhan Purandare and Sandeep Pandey India has been advertised as ‘the country with a great future’ ever since we globalised in the ‘90s, but now this narrative of the future has become empty rhetoric to hide our weaknesses. At present, we paint a pathetic picture of ourselves. As Covid 19 second wave reaches the marginalised sections of our[Read More…]

by 22/05/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Activists rally outside Pfizer headquarters in New York City on March 11, 2021. (Photo: Steve Frances Kong)

Profit First: COVID vaccines create 9 billionaires with combined wealth greater than cost of vaccinating poorest countries

At least nine persons have become new billionaires since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, thanks to the excessive profits pharmaceutical corporations with monopolies on COVID vaccines are making, said the People’s Vaccine Alliance (PVA), a group advocating turning vaccine receipts into a global public good. Between them, the nine new billionaires, have a combined net wealth of $19.3 billion,[Read More…]

by 21/05/2021 Comments are Disabled World
China on the horizon as ‘world’s pharmacy’

China on the horizon as ‘world’s pharmacy’

Jospeh Stiglitz,  the Nobel laureate,  in an essay last week , with a startling title Will Corporate Greed Prolong the Pandemic? , wrote: “…Their goal is simple: to maintain as much market power as they can for as long as possible in order to maximise profits..” Now China has gatecrashed the aggressively-guarded orchard of powerful western pharmaceutical companies… The WHO approved[Read More…]

by 16/05/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Crowded Vaccination Centers And Overcrowding At Curfew Relaxation Hours

Crowded Vaccination Centers And Overcrowding At Curfew Relaxation Hours

Turbulent times- that’s where we are living in! It almost feels like a flight leading to neverland that has been in turbulence since December 2019 and all of us are confused passengers in it. While 2021 has ‘brought in a fresh ray of hope’ as the government of India announcement that has been automatically set as everyone’s caller-tune by default[Read More…]

by 16/05/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Courtesy: Dominic Xavier of Rediff.com.

Political Economy Of Modi Government’s Vaccination Policy

Modi on April 19 announced “liberalised vaccine pricing” policy. “Private vaccination providers shall transparently declare their self-set vaccination price.” This is part-2 of a two-part article, dealing with Politics And Economics of the Vaccine policy. Covid-19 Vaccines: Politics And Economics Of The IPR Waiver Ploy –Part 1 was published on May 11: https://countercurrents.org/2021/05/covid-19-vaccines-politics-and-economics-of-the-ipr-waiver-ploy/ ***                            *** The Essence of Vaccine Policy[Read More…]

by 13/05/2021 2 comments India
Need For Invocation Of Emergency Powers Under The Patents Act

Need For Invocation Of Emergency Powers Under The Patents Act

   Vaccination is the only solution to mitigate the ferocity of Covid-19. If we continue the present pace of vaccination, experts say that it would take many years to administer vaccine to all. The statistics released by the government disclose that we are unable to proceed with the vaccination due to the shortage of production of vaccine. Two vaccines Covishield[Read More…]

by 13/05/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Covid-19 Vaccines: Politics And Economics Of The IPR Waiver Ploy

Covid-19 Vaccines: Politics And Economics Of The IPR Waiver Ploy

US announcement to discuss IPR relaxation came as Modi regime, a QUAD ally, was gasping for political breath after election setbacks, and an oxygen crisis in India. In a sudden change of heart, US announced, towards the end of  April 2021, that it may relent on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) restrictions and may lift the ban on export of raw materials[Read More…]

by 11/05/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Activists rally outside Pfizer headquarters in New York City on March 11, 2021. (Photo: Steve Frances Kong)

Big Pharma Greed Will Prolong Pandemic—If We Don’t Fight Back

Written by Joseph Stiglitz and Lori Wallach The Covid-19 vaccines have been developed by scientists from all over the world, thanks to basic science supported by numerous governments. We must not let drug companies put profits ahead of lives. The only way to end the Covid-19 pandemic is to immunize enough people worldwide. The slogan “no one is safe until[Read More…]

by 08/05/2021 1 comment World
People’s Vaccine Alliance lauds US decision to break open Covid-19 monopolies and urges others to follow

People’s Vaccine Alliance lauds US decision to break open Covid-19 monopolies and urges others to follow

The United States government last night moved to support a waiver of intellectual property protections of the Covid-19 vaccine. The People’s Vaccine Alliance has been campaigning to suspend Covid-19 intellectual property protections. This is the decision the world needed: by backing a waiver of intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines the Biden Administration can increase the global supply of vaccines[Read More…]

by 06/05/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Going to Court: The EU Sues AstraZeneca

Going to Court: The EU Sues AstraZeneca

It has been a relationship of characterised by bitterness and misunderstanding.  It began with a poorly negotiated agreement – poor, that is, from the European Union perspective – between Brussels and AstraZeneca for the supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses.  Less rigorous in terms of penalties and consequences than the UK-AstraZeneca deal, the EU version was very much the poor cousin,[Read More…]

by 05/05/2021 Comments are Disabled World
‘Art for Awareness’: Media Students’ Campaign’ to support the #VaccineChallenge

‘Art for Awareness’: Media Students’ Campaign’ to support the #VaccineChallenge

The students and staff of Chetana College of Media and Performing Arts, Thrissur, have come up with an innovative way to extend their support to the # VaccineChallenge campaign, part of the CMDRF, Kerala Government.  The campaign has two-fold focus: first of all, to create awareness among the public about the importance of getting vaccinated, all age groups, especially youngsters[Read More…]

by 30/04/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Quid Pro Quo System

Quid Pro Quo System

Written by Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant, Sandeep Pandey Narendra Modi once said he is a Gujarati and understands business. As time passes his business model is getting exposed and he is becoming more shameless like any ordinary businessman. It is quite clear to the people that he is not withdrawing the three controversial farm laws because all the three laws[Read More…]

by 30/04/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Peoples’ Vaccine, Not For-Profit Vaccine!

Peoples’ Vaccine, Not For-Profit Vaccine!

Urgent call to three rich Asian country governments – Japan, South Korea and Singapore to stop opposing TRIPS waiver at WTO Press Release by people’s Vaccine Alliance, Asia Chapter   The Peoples Vaccine Alliance (PVA) in Asia is calling on Japan, Singapore and South Korea to take action on the voices of citizens across Asia and the global South by[Read More…]

by 29/04/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Lift USA embargo  on the export of Vaccine raw materials

Lift USA embargo  on the export of Vaccine raw materials

Nation is currently reeling through a serious COVID pandemic.  Daily reported cases are touching  nearly 3.0 lakhs  with mounting deaths in many states.  Unless 30 crore population is vaccinated by beginning of August, it may not be possible to  stock pile antibodies, break the disease chain and attain herd immunity. Till the  third week of April  despite the vaccine shortages[Read More…]

by 20/04/2021 3 comments World
Nimble Failure: The Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Program

Nimble Failure: The Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Program

“I am not going to be talking about numbers today,” Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told Australia’s Radio National on April 12.  This echoed suggestions from the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, who had adopted the position that Australia best forget meeting any clear vaccination targets.  Having left battling the pandemic to State governments, the Federal government has found[Read More…]

by 12/04/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Amidst shortages in India unplanned Vaccine Plan stumbles

Amidst shortages in India unplanned Vaccine Plan stumbles

The  second wave of COVID-19 pandemic  situation across the country is becoming alarming. With  nearly 1.52 lakh new cases  being reported daily (as on 10th April)  and  the  mounting death toll a calamitous health situation is emerging. Amidst this, various states reported vaccine shortages and   people are being sent home at the vacination centers. With  spike in  infections people started[Read More…]

by 11/04/2021 Comments are Disabled India
COVID-19 Vaccines, Access and the Intellectual Property Wars

COVID-19 Vaccines, Access and the Intellectual Property Wars

By now, anybody speaking about vaccine equality and equity of access must surely be coming across as slightly deranged.  In the field of COVID-19, traditional proprietorial instincts remain.  Add to this the disparity in terms of manufacture, bureaucracy and the nasty flavour of politics, and we would all be entitled to long draughts of cynicism. The COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global[Read More…]

by 08/03/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Brawling over Vaccines: Export Bans and the EU’s Bungled Rollout

Brawling over Vaccines: Export Bans and the EU’s Bungled Rollout

The European Union has been keeping up appearances in encouraging the equitable distribution of vaccines to combat SARS-CoV-2 and its disease, COVID-19.  Numerous statements speak to the need to back the COVAX scheme, to ensure equity and that no one state misses out.  And EU member states could be assured of a smooth vaccine rollout, led by the EU apparatus,[Read More…]

by 07/03/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Get the vaccine shot but do not throw away the mask to fight COVID-19

Get the vaccine shot but do not throw away the mask to fight COVID-19

The message from all scientists is very loud and clear that vaccines alone will not be able to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even after getting vaccinated, we will have to continue to wear masks, maintain physical distancing, wash hands frequently and avoid congregated settings, to break the chain of transmission of the virus. Some leading scientists such[Read More…]

by 25/01/2021 Comments are Disabled World
COVID-19 Vaccine hesitancy: Understanding the challenges

COVID-19 Vaccine hesitancy: Understanding the challenges

Written by Dr. Sudhamshi Beeram, Dr. Arathi P Rao and Prof. K Rajasekharan Nayar   While the Government rolled out the much-awaited vaccination drive against the pandemic, the beneficiaries are hesitating to avail the vaccine due to mis-information and fear. The number of healthcare workers turning up for the vaccination have remained low in many states of India. The reasons[Read More…]

by 22/01/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Vaccine can’t be made a propaganda war to whip up narrow nationalist sentiments

Vaccine can’t be made a propaganda war to whip up narrow nationalist sentiments

After the Indian government approved two vaccines : Astra Zeneca launched by Seram Institute, Pune and Bharat Biotech which developed it with the help of ICMR and has the government of India backing it up fully, the dalal media has gone overboard to launch the maximum propaganda work for the government after it was found that Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has[Read More…]

by 06/01/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Why should not government and people hold corporate abuses to account?

Why should not government and people hold corporate abuses to account?

Written by  Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant and Sandeep Pandey  Think about this: Should a government come up with laws to protect a corporation against liability lawsuits, or should it come up with laws to regulate corporations and empower citizens so that corporations can be held to account for any kind of abuses or exploitation? A statement made by one of[Read More…]

by 27/12/2020 1 comment India
Health experts warn PM Modi against rushing COVID-19 vaccine

Health experts warn PM Modi against rushing COVID-19 vaccine

A group of public health experts in India including Dr Narendra Gupta, based in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan and Dr Gopal Dabade in Karnataka have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider fully the as-yet-unknown consequences of large scale vaccination of the whole population against the SARS-COV-2 disease. This is not a “sound, rational, scientific or intelligent” approach for India, the experts[Read More…]

by 24/11/2020 1 comment India
 An effective COVID-19 vaccine: Will you take it or will you not?

 An effective COVID-19 vaccine: Will you take it or will you not?

A new study reveals that a large percentage of people globally are hesitant to take a COVID 19 vaccine if and when it is made available. Researchers from The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) conducted a survey in 19 countries that have been hard-hit by the virus, in June 2020 to determine potential acceptance rates and factors influencing acceptance[Read More…]

by 20/10/2020 Comments are Disabled World
Politics with the pandemic and a vaccine

Politics with the pandemic and a vaccine

Toll the current coronavirus pandemic has already claimed hasn’t desisted imperialism and its media to indulge with politics of pandemic and a vaccine – the Sputnik V. The vaccine is “criminal” as it’s Moscow-made. The global toll, according to the Johns Hopkins University, has crossed a grim line a few days ago: More than a million – a 10-months toll[Read More…]

by 02/10/2020 Comments are Disabled World
How Long Will Be The Wait For A Safe COVID-19 Vaccine?

How Long Will Be The Wait For A Safe COVID-19 Vaccine?

Adverse Effects among participants of Oxford-Zeneca Vaccin Trials in the UK In 1922-23, about two years after the end of Spanish Flu which infected over 500 million people, the United Kingdom experienced a very small epidemic of a very rare disorder called transverse myelitis (TM).  No virus or any micro-organism behind this.  These were adverse effects from vaccinations against small[Read More…]

by 10/09/2020 1 comment World
Vaccine Nationalism, Big Promises and Warped Speed

Vaccine Nationalism, Big Promises and Warped Speed

From sneering dismissiveness of the coronavirus as nothing more than a common cold to a grand promise to find a vaccine, President Donald Trump is all promises. “We remain on track to deliver a vaccine before the end of the year and maybe even before November 1st,” he told a White House news conference on September 4.  “We think we[Read More…]

by 07/09/2020 Comments are Disabled World
Globally Governments Gang-up with AstraZeneca; Indemnifying It Against COVID-19 Vaccine Dangers!

Globally Governments Gang-up with AstraZeneca; Indemnifying It Against COVID-19 Vaccine Dangers!

“Cancel all … agreements that compromise the fundamental interests of the Indian people, particularly those imposed on behalf of global corporations …” A People’s Manifesto for Ecological Democracy by Countercurrents Collective Oxford University, England backed by the British Government in collaboration with multinational drug corporation AstraZeneca (British, Swedish origin) is reported to have completed Phase-1, II trials of its newly-discovered[Read More…]

by 17/08/2020 Comments are Disabled World
 Vaccinate This….But!!

 Vaccinate This….But!!

Anyone who was raised in Brooklyn, NYC, like this writer, knows how humongous and diverse this ‘ The Garden Spot of the World ‘  has always been. Each section of our over 3 million populated borough  ( a joke in itself to not have Brooklyn as its own city)  was filled with a unique myriad of ethnicities . Many times,[Read More…]

by 08/08/2020 1 comment World
A vaccine for COVID-19: So near and yet so far

A vaccine for COVID-19: So near and yet so far

With the numbers of those infected with COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) escalating everyday globally we are indeed wading through turbulent waters with no end at sight. Scientists around the world are literally burning the midnight oil, searching frantically for a treatment to rid the world of this pandemic. It is a race between humans and the virus. And although it is too[Read More…]

by 23/07/2020 Comments are Disabled World
Is bad politics overshadowing science of COVID-19 vaccine research?

Is bad politics overshadowing science of COVID-19 vaccine research?

Co-Written by Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant and Sandeep Pandey The letter dated 2 July 2020 by Indian government’s apex medical research body ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) with a directive to begin and finish all human clinical trials of COVAXIN- an indigenously developed vaccine for COVID-19- by 15 August 2020 (India’s Independence Day) so that the vaccine can be[Read More…]

by 15/07/2020 Comments are Disabled India
ICMR Exhumes, Revives Nazi Era Template For Vaccine Trials

ICMR Exhumes, Revives Nazi Era Template For Vaccine Trials

  “No experiment should be conducted where there is an a priori reason to believe that death or disabling injury will occur; except, perhaps, in those experiments where the experimental physicians also serve as subjects.” – Nuremberg Code The ABVA (AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan) views with serious concern the manner in which the alleged n-coronavirus vaccine in India is being[Read More…]

by 09/07/2020 Comments are Disabled India
Corrupt Propositions: AstraZeneca, Public Institutions and the Coronavirus Vaccine Drive

Corrupt Propositions: AstraZeneca, Public Institutions and the Coronavirus Vaccine Drive

Putting your destiny into the hands of a drug company is much like seeking reassurances from an opportunistic pimp.  The returns are bound to mixed, dressed up in deceptive language.  The promises, however, are always remarkable.  The back-breaking pace in finding a vaccine for COVID-19 is something that is bringing out the pimps of industry, notably those in Big Pharma.[Read More…]

by 14/06/2020 Comments are Disabled World
The Vaccine Conundrum

The Vaccine Conundrum

“We hope to have a vaccine ready for testing in about two years” was a bold, hopeful and overoptimistic statement made in April 1984 by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret Heckler about an HIV vaccine, based on a conversation she had with the virus’s co-discoverer, Robert Gallo. After three and a half decades of incessant struggle by scientific[Read More…]

by 08/06/2020 Comments are Disabled World
Inglorious Bastardry: Hacking for Vaccines

Inglorious Bastardry: Hacking for Vaccines

If you cannot discover or create something, best steal it.  It has been the operating principle for everything from wealth to technology.  With the efforts to discover a vaccine to the novel coronavirus being all but bound by solidarity, the race on plundering secrets has already begun in earnest.  No one party can claim particular innocence in this endeavour.  All[Read More…]

by 19/05/2020 Comments are Disabled World