Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 14: As the country counted 3.43 lakh new Corona cases on Friday, marginally down from the previous day’s 3.62 lakhs cases, the prime minister Narendra Modi said India was not a nation that loses hope in tough times and expressed the confidence that the challenge would be overcome with strength and dedication of all.
He, however, warned about the spread of COVID-19 in rural areas as well and urged the village panchayats to ensure proper awareness and sanitation in their respective areas. “You have never disappointed the nation. We hope this time too, to protect yourself and family from Covid, all necessary precautions are taken. Wearing mask properly and regularly is important,” Modi told the farming community in the country.
Delivering an online address at a farmers’ event, Modi said he empathised with people’s pain and suffering because of Covid and described the virus as an invisible and quick-changing enemy that was challenging the whole world.
“Because of this coronavirus, we have lost people close to us. The pain that citizens have suffered, that many experienced, I am feeling it equally,” he said.
The country is dealing with an invisible and shapeshifting enemy, he said of the virus that has spawned multiple mutant strains including one that is said to have pushed India’s deadly second surge.
“The pandemic, the worst in 100 years, is testing the world at every step. There is an invisible enemy before us. The blocks in our resources are being removed on a war-footing,” PM Modi said. He said the Government was fighting COVID-19 with all its might and ensuring that every government department is working day & night to ease the pain of the nation.
Prime Minister remarked that Central Government and all the State Governments together, were making continuous efforts to enable more and more countrymen to get vaccinated at a rapid pace. He assured that his government’s effort was to make sure that maximum people were vaccinated. “So far, around 18 crore vaccine doses have been given. Government hospitals are giving free shots across the country. So please do get the vaccine when it is your turn,” he urged.
“This vaccine will be our shield against the coronavirus and will protect us from serious infection. And even after vaccination, we cannot abandon precautions like masks and social distancing… We will fight and win this battle against Corona.”
Prime Minister said Armed forces are working with full strength to ensure oxygen supply in these tough times. Railways are also running oxygen express trains. The pharma sector of the country is manufacturing and delivering medicines at a large scale. He requested the State Governments to ensure strict laws to counter black marketing of medicines and medical supplies.
The Centre has faced fierce criticism in India and abroad over the recent Covid spiral that took the country by surprise, overwhelming its health resources and infrastructure. Amid almost daily reports of crises in the supply of oxygen, beds, vaccines and medicine, the Modi government was faulted for declaring victory over Covid too soon and failing to anticipate or prepare for the second wave.
The government has been fighting that perception and PM Modi has held a series of meetings over the past few weeks, with Chief Ministers, policy-makers, officials and other stake-holders over the Covid crisis.
The situation has improved in bigger cities like Mumbai and Delhi, but rural areas and parts of south India remain a cause for concern.
PM Modi said: “I want to alert our people living in villages against the growing threat posed by Corona. Corona is spreading fast in our villages too. Gram Panchayats have an important role to play in sensitizing people in villages.”
Though there had been marginal decline in caseload, the fatalities still remained on the high side with more than 4,000 deaths reported for the last four days. The country’s caseload of 2,40,46,809 now includes 37,04,893 active cases, 2,00,79,599 recoveries and 2,62,317 deaths. Maharashtra contributed 42,582 new cases, while Kerala reported 39,955. Uttar Pradesh is no longer in the top five contributors. Andhra Pradesh has stepped in with more than 22,000 cases. Of the toll reported on Thursday, Maharashtra contributed 882 deaths, while 344 came from Karnataka.
While union minister Prakash Javadekar said the centre would supply 1 crore 92 lakh Covid-19 vaccines to states and Union Territories free of cost by May 31, the first imported vaccine Sputnik V joined India’s immunisation programme against COVID-19 when the first dose of the Russian vaccine was administered in Hyderabad on Friday.
“As part of a limited pilot, the soft launch of the vaccine has commenced and the first dose was administered in Hyderabad on May 14,” said Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, the marketing partner in India for the vaccine of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
Sputnik is the third vaccine to get emergency use approval in India after Covishield (Serum Institute of India) and Covaxin (Bharat Biotech).
The imported vaccine has been priced at Rs 948 per dose. However, including 5 per cent Goods and Services Tax, the price of this vaccine goes up to Rs 995.40 per dose.
DRL says the price might go down once local supplies begin. It is unclear when this is expected to happen.
Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India, is cheaper than Sputnik V at the moment. It is provided to States at Rs 300 per dose, while it is priced at Rs 600 per dose to private hospitals.
Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin — the other Covid vaccine supplied in India — is the most expensive Covid-19 vaccine in India’s portfolio of vaccines so far. It is priced at Rs 400 per dose for States and sold at Rs 1,200 per dose to private hospitals.
Meanwhile, the official sources said a national tracking platform will be established soon to determine the impact of the jabs against Covid-19 and the breakthrough infections that are likely to occur among those with complete and partial immunization. The recommendation of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) to establish such a platform has been accepted by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 and the Union Health Ministry, they said.
