WHO Backs India's Proposal for Universal Access to Covid Vaccine
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NEW DELHI MONDAY 09 OCTOBER 19, 2020 My India WHO backs India’s proposal for universal access to Covid vaccine WHO. WHO chief welcomes “In fact, the representative India, South Africa’s from WHO in this Council yes- terday (October 15) admitted in proposal to WTO to response to a question that no ease international pharmaceutical company has committed to sharing its IP and intellectual (intellectual property) and property agreements technologies in the C-TAP pool since its launch more than five on Covid-19 vaccines, months ago. Given the refusal by pharmaceutical industry to treatments and tests routinely offer non-exclusive licenses with worldwide cover- age to facilitate global access, Officials carry out a rescue operation in Hyderabad on Sunday. PTI Asit Ranjan Mishra clearly the solution to ending the pandemic does not lie in [email protected] voluntary licenses,” he said. NEW DELHI: Amid resistance As many as 379 civil society 3 dead after fresh rain batters from developed countries to organisations including Oxfam, India and South Africa’s joint Médecins Sans Frontières proposal at the World Trade (MSF) Access Campaign MSF, Hyd; K’taka braces for floods Organization (WTO) to ensure People’s Vaccine Alliance have universal access to coronavirus written a letter to WTO mem- Press Trust of India since Saturday night itself, evacu- floods caused by heavy rains last vaccines, World Health Organi- bers welcoming India and ating the marooned. week and he would undertake an zation (WHO) has voiced its South Africa’s proposal citing [email protected] Basements of several residen- aerial survey of the affected areas support for the proposal. existing supply-demand gaps in HYDERABAD: A fresh spell of tial apartment complexes were on October 21. “WHO welcomes South accessing medical products for overnight heavy rains caused flooded by the rain waters and According to the Karnataka Africa’s and India’s recent pro- A health care worker collects samples for Covid-19 testing in Mumbai on Sunday. India has urged Covid-19, including access to flooding on Sunday in parts of the people were seen walking in knee- Disaster Management Authority posal to WTO to ease interna- WTO to ensure that there are no barriers in access to affordable medical products. SATYABRATA TRIPATHY/HT diagnostic testing. city and left three people dead in deep water in some areas. (KDMA), a total of 20,269 people, tional and intellectual property “With entire health systems separate rain-related incidents just A video showed auto-rickshaws including 15,078 in badly-hit Kala- agreements on Covid-19 vacci- certain rules of TRIPS agree- developed countries, Bangla- remind the members that in a already overwhelmed by Cov- days after it witnessed one of the getting washed away in a flooded buragi, have been evacuated so far nes, treatments and tests in ment to ensure that intellectual desh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, global pandemic where every id-19 and with governments worst deluges in recent times fol- street. by the personnel of the Army, the order to make the tools availa- property rights such as patents, Nepal among other countries country is affected, we need a facing a looming economic cri- lowing unprecedented downpour At least three people including National Disaster Response Force ble to all who need them at an industrial designs, copyright supported the proposal. Coun- global solution. And our waiver sis, the health budgets of many in over a century, police and civic two children died in rain-related (NDRF) and the State Disaster affordable cost,” WHO director and protection of undisclosed tries like China, Turkey, Philip- proposal represents an open countries simply cannot sus- officials said. incidents reported from different Response Force (SDRF), besides general Tedros Adhanom Ghe- information do not create bar- pines, Colombia sought more and expedited global solution tain highly priced Covid-19 The latest rains since Saturday parts of the city over the past 24 the local police and district author- breyesus tweeted. riers to the timely access to information on it. The proposal to allow uninterrupted collabo- medical products. These reali- evening led to lakes and other hours here, police and civic offi- ities. “Ending the pandemic starts affordable medical products will now be discussed inform- ration in development, produc- ties will also hinder production water bodies overflowing with the cials said. There was no loss of human with collaboration. WHO including vaccines and medici- ally among member countries tion and supply of health prod- by any competent manufac- water inundating several low-ly- lives anywhere in the flood-af- launched the covid-19 Technol- nes or to scaling-up of and may be taken up again ucts and technologies required turer and impede the full free- ing areas, including parts of the Situation bad in Karnataka fected areas, whereas two cattle ogy Access Pool (CTAP) in May, research, development, manu- later before the year end. for an effective Covid-19 dom to collaborate, in develop- city affected last week, here and The flood situation remained grim died in Vijayapura, KDMA Com- inviting countries to share facturing and supply of medical During the discussion at the response,” he added. ing, producing, importing and the outskirts, they said. in four districts of Karnataka with missioner Manoj Rajan said. data, knowledge and intellec- products essential to combat TRIPS Council, India’s ambas- Countering arguments by exporting the needed medical A total of 37,409 families were the Krishna and Bhima rivers in A total of 111 villages in the four tual property on vital, life-sav- Covid-19. sador to the WTO Brajendra some members that voluntary products,” the letter said. affected in various localities that spate as the Army, the national districts have been affected by the ing health products in the fight The proposal was taken up Navnit argued that the often-re- licenses are the most appropri- were inundated in the city due to and state disaster response forces floods, caused by heavy rains and against the coronavirus,” Ghe- for discussion at the TRIPS peated argument that monop- ate solution to scale up manu- the recent floods and ration kits undertook rescue work, evacuat- water released by dams in neigh- breyesus added. Council meeting on October oly rights are needed to allow facturing in response to Cov- and blankets were being distrib- ing hundreds of marooned people, bouring Maharashtra. In a submission before the 15-16 where developed coun- inventors to recoup their id-19, India said that not a sin- w uted among them, a release from officials said. Officials said the Bhima river TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects tries including the US, Euro- investment do not apply in case gle patent holder has shown GHMC said. Chief minister BS Yediyurappa continued to remain in spate in of Intellectual Property Rights) pean Union, Canada, Japan, of development of health prod- willingness to commit to the READ: Vaccine The Disaster Response Force said many villages in Kalaburagi, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and Yadgir Council of WTO on October 2, UK, Australia and Switzerland ucts and technologies required Covid-19 Technology Access may be ready by personnel, staff of the Greater Vijayapura, Yadgir and Raichur districts, while the surging India and South Africa urged rejected the proposal while for handling the ongoing Cov- Pool (C-TAP) initiative Dec, in market by March: SII Hyderabad Municipal Corpora- districts were either completely or Krishna river has affected villages WTO members for waiver of African group countries, least id-19 crisis. “We would like to launched under the aegis of tion and police swung into action partially submerged due to the in Raichur. BrahMos naval version Sonia hits out at Centre successfully test-fired India, China prepare for on farm laws, economy HT Correspondent India has test-fired a string of HT Correspondent mocracy, autocratic designs and weapons during the last two the sinister conspiracy” of the [email protected] months in the midst of the ongo- next round of LAC talks [email protected] BJP and its state governments. NEW DELHI: India on Sunday ing tensions with China in the NEW DELHI: Congress president The meeting set the tone for successfully test fired the Brah- sensitive Ladakh sector. Sonia Gandhi on Sunday hit out the upcoming assembly elec- Mos supersonic cruise missile Sunday’s test came days after Shishir Gupta and artillery units as part of back to the contested points in a deployed in full in occupied at the Bharatiya Janata Party tions in Bihar and bypolls in from the indigenously built India test-fired an extended- de-escalation first and then go worst-case scenario as both the Aksai Chin as well as in the (BJP) over the alleged increase in other states. stealth destroyer INS Chennai, range BrahMos supersonic [email protected] for disengagement of the infan- passes are blocked by heavy depth areas up to Chengdu and atrocities against women and A comprehensive nationwide with the weapon hitting a pre- cruise missile that can hit targets NEW DELHI: India and China are try, the Indian side is very clear snow till April every year. The Kashgar. The PLA air force is Dalits, the three “anti-farmer agitation programme to raise the designated target in the Arabian 400 km away. The range has expected to hold the eighth that armoured units cannot be PLA on the other hand has an continuing its combat patrols in black laws”, and “demolishing” issue of atrocities on women, Sea, the defence ministry said in been increased from the existing round of military-diplomatic withdrawn because it will give advantage as they have a six- the area with nearby air being the country’s economy.