IT'S DIFFICULT to fathom how in this protracted war against the pandemic, the virus, sars-cov-2, has managed every time to gain the upper hand over humanity, its ingenuity and its scientific breakthroughs. In the beginning, the world scrambled to decode the novel virus and its infection strategies and to churn out enough personal protection equipment, hand sanitisers, ventilators and other medical supplies. Then it was the race to develop worthy vaccines in record time. Despite humanity successfully crossing these hurdles, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to rage and the world now stares at yet another challenge of vaccinating everyone well in time.
Consider these numbers. Till April 8, only 711 million jabs had been administered across the world, as per the Johns Hopkins University, US. This has ensured complete inoculation of a little more than 2 per cent of the world’s adult population. According to data analytics company Airfinity, the world will manufacture 9.5 billion doses by the end of 2021. It, however, needs over 14 billion doses as soon as possible to vaccinate its entire adult population. This is almost three times the number of vaccines the world was producing in the pre-pandemic period for other diseases, as per vaccine alliance GAVI.
A worried pharmaceutical industry met on March 8 and 9 at the Global COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain and Manufacturing Summit in London, UK, to iron out production glitches and distribution snags in the vaccination drive. “We must urgently work together to prevent shortages from slowing the delivery of the vaccines we need in order to end the pandemic,” said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a non-governmental organisation based in Oslo, Norway, at the summit.
Denne historien er fra April 16, 2021-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra April 16, 2021-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
