16 totaL doses adMinisteRed $$DAY$$ vellore DD MM YYYY l l 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 china Number of Covid-19 vaccine shots given, in millions EU US UK india israel brazil turkey UaE germany russia france italy newindianexpress com Jabs & Jab-nots More than two months after vaccinations began, the inequality in access among poor and rich nations has never been more stark, prompting a UNAIDS official call it “vaccine apartheid”. With the United Nations unable to ensure fair distribution, poor nations have been left scrambling for doses. Here’s a global view of where countries stand on immunisation and vaccine access 10.6 6.3 2.3 Sweden 231% denmark 231% By continent Doses administered per 100 people 1.6 0.2 poland 231% Reading the Map norway 231% Vaccination Finland 231% lithUania 231% Countries are colour-coded to reflect their eStonia 231% present vaccination status, measured in latVia 231% BelarUS 0% number of doses given per 100 people czechia 231% aUStria 231% SloVenia 231% 2 4 6 8 No data SerBia 33.7% Greece 231% Vaccine contracts tUrkey 63% The numbers in red next to the names of cyprUS 231% countries shows the % of their population that GeorGia 5% will be vaccinated under the contracts they armenia 5% have inked with manufacturers. The lower the Jorden 35.8% azerBaiJan 5% number, fewer the doses a country has secured kUwait 5% Bahrain 35.8% qatar 5% Uae 31% rUSSia 55% oman 5% iran 5% aFGhaniStan 5% BhUtan 5% pakiStan 26% Germany 231% netherlandS 231% France 231% United kinGdom 340% ireland 231% Switzerland 132% italy 231% Spain 231% portUGal 231% North Europe South Asia Africa America America 9.5 bn total number of vaccine doses secured by countries around the world Ukraine 7% iSrael 138% 3.01 bn AfricA stAres At BleAk future Africa has surpassed 1,00,000 confirmed deaths from Covid-19 as the continent praised for its early response to the pandemic now struggles with a dangerous resurgence, with reports of many doctors and other health workers dying, sapping the region of the medical resources it desperately needs Which Vaccines aRe used the Most ElEvEn DiffErEnt vaccinEs arE bEing aDministErED globally. HErE’s a list of tHE top six Oxford/AstraZeneca 49 countries Moderna 27 countries We are more vulnerable than we thought... We are beginning to normalise deaths — John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The AP in a recent interview NIGHT CURFEW BACK IN PUNE AS SECOND WAVE BUILDS UP On a day Pune reported 998 cases and 9 deaths, Maharashtra CM Thackeray imposed curbs in an attempt to break the chain 40% by 2021 60% of population by 2022 40% population left unvaccinated Medicine SOCIAL, POLITICAL GATHERINGS BANNED untold toll BENGALURU  MONDAY  FEBRUARY 22, 2021  `7.00  PAGES 34  LATE CITY EDITION even if doses Are AvAilABle, AfricA cAn vAccinAte only Sinopharm (Beijing+Wuhan) 11 countries Since most countries in Africa lack the means to track mortality data, it is not clear how many excess deaths (fatalities due to the coronavirus but not recorded as such) have occurred across the continent since the pandemic began Pfizer/BioNTech 67 countries Sinovac 6 countries Sputnik V 9 countries doses secured by african union 270 million Astra, Pfizer and J&J 300 million Sputnik V doses secured and optioned under Covax, a programme for vaccinating low-income countries $2.2-$44 range of vaccine prices per dose globally US 197% SUriname 23% trinidad & toBaGo 23% mexico 119% el SalVador 38% hondUraS 23% nicaraGUa 23% coSta rica 62% panama 58% VenezUela 59% ecUador 49% colomBia 73% perU 38% BoliVia 45% paraGUay 30% Brazil 76% UrUGUay 23% chile 86% arGentina 70% moldoVa 5% eGypt 61% liBya 4% tUniSia 5% alGeria 5% morocco 5% maUritania 5% SeneGal 5% GUinea-BiSSaU 5% GUinea 5% Sierra leone 5% liBeria 5% nepal 93% canada 335% S. ar 5% aB ia niGer 5% GUatemala 23% Price gouging Most countries have barely begun vaccinations, partialy due to the cost. For example, the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago began vaccinations last week only because India could give the country 2,000 doses mali 5% iVory coaSt 5% BUrkina FaSo 5% Ghana 5% Benin 5% niGeria 5% cameroon 5% GaBon 0% conGo 0% anGola 5% dr conGo 10% namiBia 5% BotSwana 5% SoUth aFrica 39% monGolia 5% china 24% india 85% yemen 5% B’deSh SUdan 5% 5% chad 5% ethiopia 5% Sri Somalia 0% lanka 5% kenya 5% UGanda 0% myanmar rwanda 0% 5% Sri lanka 5% indoneSia 55% thailand 45% tanzania 5% camBodia 8% zamBia 5% SinGapore 5% malawi 4% zimBamBe 6% mozamBiqUe 5% madaGaScar 5% LaRge How much a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine VaRiations cost in some places, as per UNICEF figures $2.72 $3 $3 $3.5 $3.5 $4 India African Union Covax facility EU Bangladesh US Japan 129% S korea 135% laoS 5% Vietnam 21% pnG 5% malaySia 126% Data sources: Bloomberg, Our World in Data, UNICEF. The frequent 5% figure represents coverage under Covax. The 231% number reflects EU vaccine deals aUStralia 250% Check out our exhaustive coverage of the inequality in the global vaccine rollout, which has delayed immunisation in many poor nations PAGE 14 new zealand 247% $8.5 $5 $5 Brazil* Philippines Pfizer vaccine reduces coronavirus transmission: Israel data $5.25 $5.25 Saudi S Africa Uganda Arabia * (doses imported from India) 61 striking a data-sharing deal with the US company . NEW STRAIN FEAR IN NEIGHBOURING MP Thackeray prohibited political, religious and social gatherings from Monday after the state’s tally crossed 6,000 for the second day. Whether the spike indicates a fresh wave will be known in 8-15 days, he said. In Pune, schools and colleges will remain closed till February 28, and hotels shall cease business after 11 pm. Violators will be slapped a D1 lakh fine The Pfizer/BioNTech coroanvirus vaccine appears to be able to stop the majority of those vaccinated in Israel from becoming infected, in the first indication that immunisation will curb transmission of the particular pathogen. The vaccine, first to be approved in the world, was 89.4% effective in preventing lab-confirmed infections, Bloomberg reported, citing a copy of a ■ ■ draft publication as well as an unnamed person familiar with the matter. This could be the first real-world data that shows vaccination halting transmission of the virus At least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been given to 4.25 million people out of Israel’s nine million-strong population since December. Some 2.88 million people have received the recommended full course of two jabs. Separately, the country’s health ministry said late on Saturday that jab was 99.2 % effective against serious illness and 98.9 % effective in preventing death. It also said that the vaccine had proved 95.8 % effective in preventing coronavirus infection among those vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second shot compared to unvaccinated people,as per data compiled up to Feb 13. For those tested one week after receiving a second jab, the vaccine was 91.9% effective against infection, 96.4% effective in preventing serious illness and 94.5% in preventing death. “Our goal is to continue vaccinating all our population aged 16 and up, to reach a wide coverage of the population that will enable us to return to our much missed routines,” health ministry director general hezi Levi said Saturday . The jab developed by US firm Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech is based on novel mRNA technology . Israel, which has one of the world’s most sophisticated medical data systems, secured a substantial stock of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by paying above market price and by Green pass Israel also took a step towards normalcy on Sunday, re-opening a raft of businesses and services from pandemic lockdowns, but with some only available to fully vaccinated “green pass” holders. The green pass scheme is being closely watched as a possible model for how other economies may work in the Covid-19-era. Fears of the new strains rose in Madhya Pradesh after 257 cases emerged on Sunday, prompting officials to send samples to Delhi & Pune. Health officials said complacency was behind the spike Maharashtra Chief Minister Thackeray warned the people against laxity and urged them to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour OF SUNDAY’S 90 FATALITIES FROM MAHARASHTRA, KERALA & PUNJAB CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI FM defends PSU disinvestments, links it to revival of economy Says the Budget aims to help wealth creators; terms socialism as an ‘imported’ concept A N U S H A R A V I @ Bengaluru Members of the Panchamasali sect of the Lingayat community take out a rally demanding reservation, in Bengaluru on Sunday | ASHISHKRISHNA HP CM tasks 2 ministers with Panchamasali row firefight mass leader of the Lingayats, Yediyurappa is looking to entrust the task of tackling the precarious situation to Mines and Geology Minister Murugesh Nirani and Small Scale Industries and Information Minister C C Patil. After the two ministers’ failed attempt to woo thousands of Panchamasali Lingayats, who had gathered in Bengaluru on Sunday demanding reservation, the duo, flanked by BJP legislators from the community will have , a solidarity show with the CM through a press conference P4 on Monday . A N U S H A R A V I @ Bengaluru UNDER attack from his own community’s sect, even as his political rivals make hay, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is all set to deploy his ministers and MLAs from the Panchamasali Lingayat grouping to firefight his latest conundrum. The Panchamasali Lingayats, who are demanding reservation under 2A category held a massive rally in Ben, galuru on Sunday . Unable to respond directly, lest it fans the embers, leading to a full revolt and damaging his image as the undisputed I think emotionally it was one of the hardest tournaments that I’ve ever had. If there was a tournament where I want to risk any more damage, and try my hardest to battle, it’s here, it’s a Grand Slam Djokovic Super Novak Novak Djokovic demolished Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in straight sets 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 7,400 No. of fans at the Rod Laver Arena TWENTY This is Djokovic’s ninth Australian Open title. He is yet to lose a final in Melbourne Djokovic is now two titles behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s record of 20 Medvedev’s winning streak of 20 finally broken We’re talking about some cyborgs (the big three) of tennis, in a good way. They’re just unbelievable Medvedev BJP TO WOO FARMERS, TRIBALS AND WOMEN M A N I S H A N A N D @ New Delhi WITH the Opposition breathing fire, the BJP on Sunday sought to present an effective counter ahead of a string of Assembly elections over the next three years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the party to work for organisational expansion, while the BJP leadership prioritised its focus on farmers, tribals and women as catchment areas. Exuding confidence of winning polls in West Bengal, Assam, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu in alliance with the NDA constituents, the BJP on Sunday kept Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, too, on the radar, where elections are still a long distance away . CONTINUED ON: P10 AMID criticism over the Centre’s move to disinvest in nationalised banks and several Public Sector Undertakings in the non-strategic sector, Union Finance Minister Nir mala Sitharaman on Sunday defended the decision, insisting that it was necessary for a robust economy . At an event organised by the economic cell of the BJP in Bengaluru, Nirmala, who was here on a twoday visit, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to several economists, business leaders and experts before taking the decision. She refuted criticisms that the government’s move was akin to “selling off the family silver.” Nirmala also stressed that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government did not believe in a socialist model, but was committed to Antyodaya. “Even from the times of Jan Sangh, we have never liked the ideology of socialism. It is an import from the USSR,” she said, adding that the BJP was more focused on ‘Anyodaya’ and schemes like Ujjwala, Ujala, Jan Dhan, Krishi Samman we re t h e re s u l t o f t h i s commitment. “The PM repeats that wealth creation is not wrong. In fact, we need to honour wealth creators, otherwise where are you going to generate money for your Antyodaya? And without that stream of people honourably producing, selling, trading, exporting and paying due taxes, the money that is required for Ujjwala, for farmers, is not going to come. So, why pretend that the welfare state will be from money which will come from God knows where,” she remarked. “If the economy has to be robust, many of the PSUs will have to keep running and can’t stagnate, nor can they be closed. If the government is not able to run them, and they are stagnating in the process, wouldn’t it be better that they are given off to somebody who can justifiably run them?” she P3,5 asked the gathering. Sonia raps govt over spiralling fuel prices, writes to PM E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi THE Congress on Sunday intensified its attack on the Centre over the spiralling fuel prices with interim party president Sonia Gandhi writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing his government of choosing to ‘profiteer’ off people’s misery and urging him to follow his Raj Dharma by partially rolling back excise duty on fuel. The government’s act of raising prices continuously for 12 days was ‘little less than a brazen act of profiteering’ with fuel prices at a ‘historic and unsustainable high’, she said. “What baffles most citizens is that these prices have been increased despite moderate prices of international crude oil. To put it in context, the crude oil price is nearly half of what it was during the UPA government’s tenure,” she said. “I fail to understand how any government can justify such thoughtless and insensitive measures directly at the cost of our people. Your government has increased excise duty on diesel by 820% and on petrol by 258% over and collected upwards of `21 lakh crore in the last six-and-a-half years. This unaccountedfor windfall is yet to be passed to the people for whose benefit it was ostensibly collected,” she wrote. Urging the Centre to roll back the fuel price hike, Sonia said governments are elected to ease the burden of people. WITH THIS ISSUE THE ESSENTIAL CAMPUS DIGEST YOUR LIFE COACH 34 PAGES, INCLUDING 16 OF edex (TABLOID) AND 4 OF CITY EXPRESS SC ORDER IGNORED 6 years on, Ballari’s mined areas still degraded B O S K Y K H A N N A @ Bengaluru IT has been six years since Category A and B mines in Ballari district were closed and now lie defunct, but the areas covered by the mines have not yet been rejuvenated and rehabilitated despite Supreme Court orders and contract agreement. The Indian Forest Act stipulates that once mines are closed, the mining company and other stakeholders must undertake rejuvenation of the area de- nuded by mining activity How. ever, the firms involved in mining in Ballari district have merely abandoned the mines, leaving the resultant problems unresolved. A monitoring committee, comprising of retired Indian Forest Service officers, had made recommendations on the work to be undertaken after mining operations were closed. However, the committee too was unable to visit the areas to ascertain the present status. This has been revealed by a recent report prepared by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun. To remedy the situation, the Kar nataka Forest Department has decided to take up the task itself, as the area to be revived is forest land where wildlife needs to be improved. CONTINUED ON: P5 We do not want to have quickgrowing species (of trees) which will disturb the forest species. Thus, the meeting will decide the trees to be planted Sanjai Mohan, PCCF We don’t want to be a digital colony: Pai E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bengaluru If the economy has to be robust, many of these units (PSUs) will have to keep running and can’t stagnate, nor can they be closed. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister POINTING out to the small share of Indian investments in start-ups in the country T V Mohan, das Pai, chairman of the Manipal Global Education, said only 10 per cent of the capital in start-ups now is Indian. “We do not want to be a digital colony,” he said, addressing Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a post-budget interaction organised by the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Bengaluru on Sunday . “Of the 43 unicorns, 21 are outside India and have an Indian subsidiary We do not want to be a . subsidiary for an MNC outside India. Indian start-ups suffer from lack of capital and tough regulations. Capital is the biggest handicap for Indian start-ups in India,” Pai stressed. He pointed at other challenges such as overseas companies not investing in India due to regulations and seeking ease of doing business. “There are 1,200 agri-tech startups of which 300 are funded. They all ensure that farmers earn 15-20 per cent more by connecting them to the market. We want NABARD to create a fund to invest in startups so that business can go up from `5,000 crore to `40,000 crore a month in the next three years. Farmers will P5 thus get more income,” he suggested. Pondy govt set to fall as 2 more MLAs resign EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Puducherry A day ahead of the trust vote in Puducherry the fall of the , V Narayanasamy’s Congressled government appeared imminent as two MLAs — one from Congress and another from its ally the DMK — , resigned on Sunday . With this, the strength of the ruling front has fallen to 12, compared to the Opposition’s 14. Congress MLA from the Raj Bhavan constituency, K Lakshminarayanan, who is also parliamentary secretary to the Chief Minister, said he quit as the party did not give him due recognition, causing him to feel “cheated”. He is likely to join the NR Congress, which has tied up with the BJP. DMK MLA D Venkatesan, from Thattanchavady constituency, also tendered his resignation to Speaker VP Sivakozhunth, saying he couldn’t serve his constituency as his hands were tied. He is likely to join the BJP. The Narayanasamy government now has the support of 12 MLAs, including the Speaker, while the Opposition’s 14 include three nomiP5 nated MLAs.