Re: [IAC#RG] Some good news on vaccine front

Dear Friend

There is nothing wrong with these COVISHIELD vaccines which would otherwise go stale in the USA in 2 or 3 months.

FYI, These COVISHIELD vaccines were rejected in USA because they don't work too well on the new more aggressive variants and also their efficiency is around 50% per dose as compared to 90% plus of USA mRNA vaccines like Pfizers and Moderna. So whereas in a 2 dose combination the COVISHILED can theoretically achieve 75% safety the USA vaccines will achieve 99.3% safety. However the USA vaccines are 5 times the cost of COVISHIELD so it is a simple management decision for poor country like India to go for COVISHIELD option considering the precarious economy (we are about to be declared as JUNK bond) by rating agencies) and the vast population to be innoculated so they can eke out their living  in absence of state support and social security.

In simple language, "Beggars cannot be choosers".

Bikash Bhattacharya

Member Covid Task Force

Laghu Udyog Bharti (WB)

On Mon, May 17, 2021 at 5:55 PM ヴィカス　ヤダヴァ (vikas yadav) <indiaresists@lists.riseup.net> wrote:

Anyone knows why "rejected for use in the USA"?

On Mon, 17 May 2021, 15:47 Sandeep Nagpal, <indiaresists@lists.riseup.net> wrote:

A very good strategy to make (secret) profits... export price of USD 3.75 and reimport price of USD 11.83...

On Mon, May 17, 2021 at 4:51 AM Bikash Bhattacharya <indiaresists@lists.riseup.net> wrote:

Friends

Finally, a good news on the vaccine front.

The USA has agreed to sell 38 million vials out of the 62 million vials unused AstraZeneca (ie. COVISHIELD equivalent) vaccines to India which were rejected for use in the USA and are lying there since past 2 months. All these 38 million vials were manufactured in India and contain enough vaccine for 10 doses per vial so about 170 million persons can be vaccinated in the next 2 weeks after the vials begin arriving. It will be especially useful for vaccination by corporations and industries as the nation needs to keep the economy going at all costs.

The prices for each COVISHIELD dose will be US$ 11.83 (i.e. estimated approx Rs. 800 per shot in a State govt hospital and Rs.1,800 in a private hospital for 1 dose). These vials were exported at equivalent US$ 3.75 for each 0.5 ml dose from India by Serum India, Pune.

This is a wonderful achievement brought about by Hon'ble Prime Minister's direct talks with USA President Joseph Biden, as otherwise all the State govt global tenders under revised vaccine policy were being L1'd by Chinese vaccine manufacturers like Sinopharm which are the low efficiency vaccines.

Bikash Bhattacharya

Member Covid Task Force

Laghu Udyog Bharti (WB)