By Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that science can rescue humanity. And for science to prosper you need to have dedicated national agencies that are relentlessly driving the agenda of science. Since its inception in 1982, The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has made tremendous efforts in promoting bioscience research, translational education and entrepreneurship. … Continue reading Science, Technology and Innovation: How DBT coordinated India’s COVID-19 fight
A Combination of Lockdowns and Vaccination Will Save Us
By Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw The second wave of Covid-19 descended on India like a tsunami. We were caught unawares and our response was one of panic and chaos. There was sub-optimal preparedness and rapid response planning. Hospitals were overwhelmed, medicines were in short supply and medical supplies of life-saving oxygen and ventilators were woefully low. From hubris and … Continue reading A Combination of Lockdowns and Vaccination Will Save Us
Lessons from the second wave of coronavirus pandemic
By Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw The second Covid-19 wave has hit India, and hit it hard. Record jumps in coronavirus infections on a daily basis have pushed health infrastructure to the brink in several states. While patients are scrambling to secure hospital beds, hospitals are running out of oxygen supplies and critical anti-Covid-19 drugs along with medical … Continue reading Lessons from the second wave of coronavirus pandemic
India Racing Against Time, Needs to Open Up Vaccines for Young, Mobile Workforce
By Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw India is witnessing a second wave of novel coronavirus infections with the country now adding over 100,000 cases per day. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Punjab have emerged as COVID-19 hotspots. To stem the next wave, India needs to act with urgency and ramp up the pace of … Continue reading India Racing Against Time, Needs to Open Up Vaccines for Young, Mobile Workforce
How India Should Be Rebranded for Post-Covid Global Leadership
By Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw The Covid-19 pandemic is an inflection point for India to introspect on its global leadership potential. Despite the economic devastation caused by the virus, India’s agility in pivoting its resources to respond to the crisis has made the country a global outlier. With 1.3 billion people, we have seen about 12 million … Continue reading How India Should Be Rebranded for Post-Covid Global Leadership
Science Not Logic Must Drive Vaccination Deployment To Stem The Next Wave
By Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw India’s vaccination drive started on 16th January, 2021 in line with WHO prescribed guidelines of sequentially vaccinating its stratified population in three phases. Phase 1 aimed to cover 10 million healthcare workers and 20 million essential frontline workers (police, armed forces, municipal workers) within the government system. Two months later, India has … Continue reading Science Not Logic Must Drive Vaccination Deployment To Stem The Next Wave
Budget Push can Transform ASHA Workers from Health Activists to Digital Health Agents to deliver on NDHM
By Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Chairperson, Biocon Group and member of The Lancet Citizen’s Commission on Re-imagining India’s Health System Technology can enable India to leapfrog into an advanced healthcare system that fulfils the vision of the national health policy of promoting wellness, universal access and affordable care for all Indians. The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) … Continue reading Budget Push can Transform ASHA Workers from Health Activists to Digital Health Agents to deliver on NDHM
Decoding India’s Covid Vaccine Approvals with Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Part II
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Shaw spoke to Barkha Dutt, editor of Mojo, addressing doubts around India's COVID-19 vaccines rollout, on whether India's two approved vaccines are safe, what the difference is in the approval to the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech vaccines and who should get the vaccines first. Here's Part 2 of the interview. Barkha: Are … Continue reading Decoding India’s Covid Vaccine Approvals with Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Part II
Decoding India’s two approved vaccines and looking at the rollout with Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Shaw spoke to Barkha Dutt, editor of Mojo, addressing doubts around India's COVID-19 vaccines rollout, on whether India's two approved vaccines are safe, what the difference is in the approval to the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech vaccines and who should get the vaccines first. Here's Part 1 of the interview. Barkha Dutt: … Continue reading Decoding India’s two approved vaccines and looking at the rollout with Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Indian regulator has granted Emergency Approval to Covaxin, Covishield based on strong scientific judgment.
India’s health regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to two vaccines, Covaxin andCovishield , to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV). Covishield has been developed by Oxford … Continue reading Indian regulator has granted Emergency Approval to Covaxin, Covishield based on strong scientific judgment.