Coronavirus News Highlights: WHO director-general laments lack of vaccines donated by rich countries

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The head of the World Health Organization lamented the lack of coronavirus vaccines being immediately donated by rich countries to the developing world. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that there was nothing to discuss during a recent meeting of an advisory group established to allocate vaccines.

In his words: There are no vaccines to allocate. Tedros says concerns being raised by some donors that African countries don't have the infrastructure to deliver vaccines or that there are vaccine hesitancy problems are inconsequential. Tedros says concerns being raised by some donors that African countries don't have the infrastructure to deliver vaccines or that there are vaccine hesitancy problems are inconsequential.

He criticised rich countries that may be using that as a pretext not to donate vaccines. (AP)

"Government of Indiahas told Supreme Courtthat by Augustit willarrange 135 crore vaccine doses. But on May 28, Union MinisterPrakashJavadekarsaidGoIwill provide 213 crore vaccine doses by December. They have come down from 213 crore doses to 135 crore doses. Their (GoI) lies are exposed," news agencyANIquotedAsaduddinOwaisias saying.

"Modigovernment's another lie is that from August to December Bharat Biotech will provide 7.60 crore vaccine doses. Is it possible that in June it's (Bharat Biotech) providing 50 lakh doses andthen this number? Such exaggerated numbers look good in comic books," he added.

Punjab has reported298 new positive cases, 641 recoveries, and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours. The state's active caseload dropped to 4,020, whereas, the overall tally reached 5,94,883.

Maharashtra on Sunday reported 9,974 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 143 fatalities, taking the tally of infections to 60,36,821 and the toll to 1,21,286, the state Health department said. A total of 8,562 patients were discharged during the day, taking the count of recoveries in Maharashtra to 57,90,113 so far, leaving the state with 1,22,252 active cases, it said. (PTI)

Mumbai has reported746 newCOVID-19 cases, 1,295 recoveries and 13 deaths today.

Active cases: 8,582
Total recoveries: 6,94,082
Death toll: 15,396

Kerala has reported10,905 new COVID19 cases, 12,351 recoveries and 62 deaths today.

Active cases: 99,591
Death toll: 12,879

Fulfilling its commitment, Serum Institute of India has produced over 10 crore doses of its COVID-19 vaccine Covishield in June so far as India ramps up the pace of its vaccination drive in the face of a possible third wave of the viral infection.

India's COVID-19 inoculation drive has picked up pace under the new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination that commenced on June 21 with around 69 lakh vaccine doses being administered on an average daily in the last six days. (PTI)

Delhi hasreported 89 newCOVID-19 cases, 285 recoveries and 4 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Active cases: 1,568
Total recoveries: 14,07,401
Death toll: 24,965
​Positivity rate: 0.12%

"ICMR has come up with a study which says 3rd wave is likely to come late. We've window period of 6-8 months to immunise everybody in country. In coming days, our target is to administer 1 crore doses every day,"said Dr NK Arora, Chairman, COVID working group.

"Trial for Zydus Cadila vaccine is almost complete. By July end or in August, we might be able to start administering this vaccine to children of 12-18 age group," he added.

Criticising the handling of the COVID-19 crisis in Uttar Pradesh, a ruling party leader has claimed that at least 10 people died in every village during the second wave as no lessons were learnt from the first one. State BJP working committee member Ram Iqbal Singh, who made the remarks on Saturday, is the latest among the party’s own leaders who have questioned the management of the novel coronavirus infection in the state.

Speaking to reporters here, Singh rued that the health department did not learn any lessons from the first wave of COVID-19 which led to a large number of deaths due to the disease in the second wave. “At least 10 people from every village in the state died in the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic,” he alleged. The BJP leader also demanded that Rs 10 lakh be given to the kin of those who have succumbed to the infection.

He lamented that after 75 years of freedom, this district with a population of 34 lakh, has no doctors or medicines. Asked that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during his visit to Ballia had expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made by the health department, Singh said the officials had misled the CM, and the truth was not shown. He also urged the BJP government to give diesel subsidy to farmers.

Meanwhile, Ballia BJP MP Virendra Singh Mast claimed that BKU leader Rakesh Tikait was derailing the farmers protest against the Centre’s three new agri-marketing laws. "Tikait should not have linked the farmers movement with anti-BJP opposition, West Bengal elections, upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and Article 370,” he told reporters.

BJP president J P Nadda on Sunday took a veiled dig at opposition leaders such as RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, saying that "our workers" were out on the streets helping people distressed by the recent COVID-19 surge, unlike "many others who remained active only on Twitter". Nadda, who attended the BJP's state executive meeting in Bihar over a video conference, also said that the saffron party members live by the motto "seva hi sangathan hai" (service being equivalent to organisation)

Yadav often takes to Twitter to criticise the Nitish Kumar government. The 31-year-old opposition leader, who keeps facing accusations of absenteeism, returned to the state last week after spending close to a month in the national capital, where, he claimed, he was looking after his ailing father Lalu Prasad, the RJD national president. "We live by the motto of service being equivalent to organization. Our workers helped the needy during the second wave without any trepidation. Many others chose to remain active only on Twitter, quarantining themselves at safe places," said Nadda.

The BJP leader who relishes his connections with the Bihar capital, where he was born and spent his early years, also reiterated the need for reminding the younger generation of excesses committed during the Emergency imposed by the Congress government and the lawlessness that kept Bihar in news when Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi ruled the state for 15 years together.

"During Emergency, a mere visit to Jayaprakash Narayan's house in Kadam Kuan could invite arrest. Our comrades like Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Union minister) faced untold brutalities while in jail. Youngsters of today do not know all this. They should be told about these things, about the sacrifices our generation made for preserving democracy," said Nadda, who was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in the 1970s.

"They must also be reminded of the days under Lalu, when people feared to venture out after sunset and medical practitioners and professionals had begun to migrate out of Bihar fearing the rampant extortion rackets and kidnappings for ransom," he said. Notably, the RJD and the Congress are old allies and have shared power in the state as well as at the Centre.

Mocking the agitations against the new farm laws, the BJP president said, "Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar had shared an anecdote that when asked to point out which provisions they find objectionable, the protesters could lay their fingers on none. But they have launched a movement." He also urged party leaders to apprise the common public of the work done by the Narendra Modi government for the betterment of farmers, small- and medium-scale industries and every section of the society. He exhorted party workers to put in efforts to ensure the success of the universal vaccination programme against COVID-19 and work with the motto "mera booth- corona mukt, vaccination yukt" (my booth free from corona, fully vaccinated).