India's role in production of vaccine critical in containing covid-19: Bill Gates

Agencies
September 15, 2020

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Washington, Sept 15: Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has said India's willingness to play a "big role" in manufacturing Covid-19 vaccine and allow it to supply to other developing countries will be a critical part in containing the coronavirus pandemic globally.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, Gates, whose foundation is focusing on fighting the pandemic, called it the "next biggest thing" the world has been confronted with after the World War.

The Microsoft co-founder said the world is looking to India for large scale production of Covid-19 vaccine once it is rolled out.

"Obviously, all of us want to get a vaccine out in India as fast as we can, once we know that it's very effective and very safe, and so the plans are coming into focus that sometime next year, it's very likely that roll-out will take place and take place in fairly big volume," he said.

"The world is also looking to India for some of that capacity to be available to other developing countries. Exactly what that allocation formula looks like will have to be figured out," Gates added.

Scientists and pharmaceutical companies globally are racing against time to find a vaccine for the coronavirus pandemic which has killed about 9,32,000 people and infected around 24 million. Some of the vaccine candidates have entered the third and final phase of testing.

"This is not like a world war, but it's the next biggest thing after that that we've ever had," he said.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's largest charities, has been involved in global efforts to contain the pandemic. In India, the foundation has entered into a partnership with the Serum Institute to accelerate the manufacturing and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines.

"India's willingness to play a big role in the manufacturing and to allow some of those vaccines to go to other developing countries will be an absolutely critical part of that," said Gates.

"India will be helping to make sure we have equity. We have a model that shows that getting the vaccine out to those who need it the most will save half the lives that you'd lose if you only send it out to the rich countries," he said.

In the telephonic interview, the Microsoft co-founder who has donated billions of dollars to fight poverty and diseases, talked extensively about India's strength in production of vaccines and referred to companies like Serum Institute, Bio E and Bharat Biotech.

"We've been brokering the idea of taking a vaccine and manufacturing it in India, even if it comes from AstraZeneca, Oxford or Novavax or Johnson & Johnson. We've publicly talked about the arrangement where a Serum will be able to make very high volume of the AstraZeneca and the Novavax vaccine," said Gates.

"There's discussions with Bio E, their connection with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and whether they'll be able to ramp that up," he said.

Gates also said that the foundation has been having "great discussions" with India's NITI-Aayog, adding the ICMR is looking at the regulatory aspects of the Covid-19 vaccines.

"I'm actually very impressed with how our discussions with the government on these issues and the companies, including the Western companies collaborating with these new companies, that's all gone very well," Gates said.

The American business magnate said he was optimistic that by the first quarter of next year, that several of these vaccines will reach the phase three emergency licence approval.

"We still could be disappointed in that. But we have a variety of constructs and the early data from the phase one and phase two, for example the antibody levels, looks pretty promising for quite a few of these vaccines," he said.

He said the focus should be to keep the cost of the vaccines low and it should be ensured that they can be made in very high volume.

"We have to remember that even once a vaccine is approved, the bar for that vaccine in terms of the effectiveness was set as 50 per cent, and so we still may want to continue with other vaccines to get higher effectiveness," he said.

Gates also complimented India's digital cash transfer scheme.

"Getting payments out through digital cash transfers, that has been a fantastic thing, and obviously, India has done that at a scale that no other country ever has," he said.

"The whole Aadhaar digital financial system in India has proven to be once again a huge asset," he said, adding it can be extended to all the countries of the world.

The philanthropist also referred to the foundation's annual Goalkeepers report saying it normally takes stock of the ongoing progress on things like economic growth, literacy, child survival and average lifespan.

"This year's report, unfortunately, we're unable to say that there's been progress. In fact, we talk about the setback, and one way we dimensionalise that for like vaccine coverage globally, which went from 84 per cent to 70 per cent, is we say that's a 25-year setback," he said.

Asked whether India's economic downturn will impact implementation of social welfare schemes, Gates said the foundation is a huge believer that investments in health pay off very strongly.

"It's tragic that all health activities have been so disrupted, and that will lead to increased deaths from other diseases, not just COVID," he said.

"In fact, in many places, and I'm not sure if India will be included in this, but there's a chance that there would be more deaths from other diseases because of the health disruption than from COVID itself," he said.

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News Network
October 27,2024

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The Israeli regime’s forces have carried out intense bombing raids against six buildings in the city of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza Strip, killing at least 45 people.

Dozens more were also wounded after the raids targeted the structures, including a house belonging to a Palestinian family named as Abu Shidiq, on Saturday.

The attacks came as the severity of the regime’s aggression has forced the Palestinian Civil Defense to cease its activities in the northern side of the coastal sliver, leaving civilians there to their own devices.

Commenting on the situation, Director-General of the Gaza Health Ministry, Medhat Abbas said more than 900 Palestinians had been killed over the past weeks during the Israeli campaign that has targeted the northern areas.

Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last functioning hospital in the north, has been a special focus of the campaign that has either killed all of the facility’s doctors or forced them to flee, with the exception of three physicians, who remain there, he added.

“The occupation is committing genocide by destroying the health system in Gaza,” Abbas noted.

The regime embarked on implementing a so-called “Generals’ Plan” in northern Gaza earlier in the month, deploying hundreds of military vehicles and thousands of forces with immense firepower towards its realization.

The plan seeks to tighten the regime’s siege against the areas, cut off humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians inside, and label those who remain there as combatants so it could target and kill them after declaring the areas "closed military zones.”

The plan is part of a genocidal war that the regime launched against the Gaza Strip last October, during which it has killed more than 42,924 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded another 100,833.

Also on Saturday, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil rights group, called on the United States, the regime’s biggest supporter, to stop the “systematic extermination of an entire population” in Gaza.

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News Network
October 26,2024

Mangaluru, Oct 26: In a distressing case of online harassment, Surathkal police in Mangaluru have apprehended a man, identified as Shariq, on charges of cyber harassment that allegedly led a woman to attempt suicide. 

The case took a dark turn when the woman reported that her Facebook account was hacked, leading to an influx of explicit, threatening messages directed at her brother, Kishan, and friend, Harshith.

According to Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal, the complaint, registered on October 22, specifically accused Shariq of orchestrating the harassment. Summoned for questioning, Shariq’s mobile phones and social media accounts were initially reviewed, but no conclusive evidence surfaced.

The case escalated when the woman reportedly received more abusive messages on October 24, pushing her to a point of desperation. Following her suicide attempt, police intensified the probe, reaching out to social media platforms for further verification. 

The Surathkal police have filed charges under sections 78(1)(i), 351(1 & 2), and 3(5) of the BNS, with the investigation ongoing to uncover the full extent of the cyber harassment network.

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News Network
October 22,2024

Mangaluru, Oct 22: A Mangaluru resident has fallen victim to a ₹20 lakh scam after being lured into a fraudulent investment scheme by individuals posing as representatives of J.P. Morgan India. The case, filed at Kadri police station, highlights the growing threat of investment fraud in the region.

The victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, was contacted on September 24 by a man named Vishwanathan, who falsely introduced himself as the Chief Investment Strategist for J.P. Morgan India. Shortly after, a woman named Neeta Sharma reached out, using multiple phone numbers to convince the victim of her association with the prestigious financial firm. She shared a company link and urged the victim to invest ₹20 lakh, promising high returns.

On October 14, after being convinced by Neeta's claims, the victim transferred ₹20 lakh to the fraudulent account. Following this, Neeta instructed the victim to purchase 1,000 shares at ₹240 per share, which he did. The next day, she advised buying 7,900 more shares at ₹250.95 each, further strengthening her false credibility.

However, trouble arose when Neeta told the victim to withdraw the invested amount. Instead of receiving the full sum, the victim was sent only ₹1,500, transferred from an unknown account. When questioned, Neeta could not provide a clear explanation for the discrepancies.

Sensing the deceit, the victim demanded a full refund of his investment. Neeta, however, brazenly asked for an additional ₹4 lakh, prompting the victim to realize the extent of the fraud. He then filed a formal complaint with the Kadri police.

This incident serves as a critical reminder for the public to remain vigilant against fraudulent schemes, particularly those involving investment promises from unverified sources. Always ensure that you verify the legitimacy of financial institutions and representatives before transferring funds. 

The Kadri police are investigating the case and have urged the public to stay alert and report any suspicious investment schemes.

Tips to Protect Yourself from Investment Scams:

1.    Verify Credentials: Always cross-check the credentials of anyone claiming to represent a reputable financial institution. Use official contact information from the company's website to verify.

2.    Be Skeptical of Unsolicited Offers: Be cautious of unexpected investment offers, especially those that promise unusually high returns.

3.    Conduct Thorough Research: Before investing, investigate the company and the proposed investment thoroughly. Look for reviews, ratings, and any red flags.

4.    Report Suspicious Activity: If you suspect a scam, report it immediately to local authorities or financial regulatory bodies to prevent further fraud.

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