16 TOTAL DOSES ADMINISTERED $$DAY$$ VELLORE DD MM YYYY   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 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% 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 Moderna 27 COUNTRIES 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 Sinovac 6 COUNTRIES Sinopharm (Beijing+Wuhan) 11 COUNTRIES UNTOLD TOLL bhubaneswar l monday l february 22, 2021 l `7.00 l PAGES 28 l late CITY EDITION Pfizer/BioNTech 67 COUNTRIES Oxford/AstraZeneca 49 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 EVEN IF DOSES ARE AVAILABLE, AFRICA CAN VACCINATE ONLY doses secured and optioned under Covax, a programme for vaccinating low-income 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 Sputnik V 9 COUNTRIES Doses secured by African Union 270 million Astra, Pfizer and J&J 300 million Sputnik V $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% 3.01 bn 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 Check out our exhaustive coverage of the inequality in the global vaccine rollout, which has delayed immunisation in many poor nations SWEDEN 231% DENMARK 231% BY CONTINENT Doses administered per 100 people 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 Page 12 AUSTRALIA 250% 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 `1 lakh fine | P7 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 Super Budget today; expectations Novak high, but low in resources 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 Novak Djokovic demolished Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in straight sets Djokovic 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 7,400 No. of fans at the Rod Laver Arena Twenty Medvedev’s winning streak of 20 finally broken This is Djokovic’s ninth Australian Open title. He is yet to lose a final in Melbourne Sonia raps fuel price hike in Raj Dharma pitch to PM Express News Service @ 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 gover nment 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 p r i c e s h av e been increased despite moderate prices of Inter national 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. Despite being in power for seven years, the government continues to blame the previous regimes for the economic management, Sonia wrote, adding the domestic crude oil production had fallen to an 18-year low in 2020. “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 unaccounted-for 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 hike. Djokovic is now two titles behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s record of 20 We’re talking about some cyborgs (the big three) of tennis, in a good way. They’re just unbelievable Medvedev Covid resurgence Maha-worried Odisha warns strict action against violations Express News Service @ Bhubaneswar Amid growing concern over resurgence of Covid-19 in several parts of the country, Odisha government on Sunday stepped up measures to prevent a flare up in the State again, issuing stern warning to the people to adopt Covid appropriate behaviour or face penal action. Releasing a fresh set of guidelines, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena directed districts and civic bodies to ensure that all safety protocol like mandatory mask wearing, hand sanitisation and physical distancing in public places including work places and educational institutions are strictly followed at all levels. Senior officers of the district administration will visit different places/institutions including schools and colleges to ascertain and ensure total compliance. Violators will be penalised under the relevant provisions of law. “Shops and other commercial establishments found violating the norms will be sealed and action tak- en against them,” Jena said and asked the districts to submit weekly action taken report every Monday . The government has asked Collectors and civic body chiefs to generate public awareness through loudspeaker announcements in markets, haat and other places frequently to follow the norms and avoid large congregations and crowding. After a year-long fight against the pandemic, the State government had relaxed most of the restrictions with the condition that the basic Covid safety protocols should be duly observed keeping in view the livelihood of people following substantial decline in the number of infections and improved situation. “But people at many places are showing complacency in adhering to the safety protocols. After detection of some cases with new variants of coronavirus, a spike in number of new cases has been reported in Maharashtra and some other states. At this juncture, we need to be very careful and ensure strict enforcement,” the SRC observed. New guidelines Mask wearing, physical distancing mandatory when outside home Strict compliance with safety norms and crowd size at all functions/gatherings marriage, religious, political, academic, entertainment, social Police and administration to monitor all shops, business establishments, hotels, restaurants, markets, haats, public places and impose penalty on violators Schools, colleges, educational institutions to strictly adhere to safety protocols Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari is likely to present the State budget of `1.7 lakh crore for 2021-22 against `1.5 lakh crore in 2020-21 B i j ay C h a k i @ B h u b a n e s w a r ALL eyes are on Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari who will present the budget for 2021-22 in the Assembly on Monday when the State economy is staring at a contraction of 4.92 per cent (pc) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Finance Minister will not only have to present a budget of bigger size than the previous year but also manage the increased allocations to key sectors by resorting to more borrowing. Sectors like health, employment generation, tourism, agriculture and infrastructure development will get extra attention to put the economy back on the rails. Sources said that the Minister will present a budget of `1.7 lakh crore for 2021-22 against `1.5 lakh crore in 2020-21 with more emphasis on capital investment. Health, agriculture, water resources, creation of rural infrastructure and employment generation will take away a large chunk of the budget resources as a result of which the debt stock of the State is likely Tenth round of talks over Joint statement said Pangong disengagement was significant forward movement | P7 express read Abhishek’s wife gets CBI notice Kolkata: A CBI team on Sunday served notices on the wife and sister-in-law of WB CM Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, asking them to join its probe into the coal pilferage scam. The notices came two days after a Salt Lake court issued summons to Union Home Minister Amit Shah asking him to appear in person on Monday in connection with a defamation case filed by Abhishek | P5 BJP to woo farmers, tribals, women M ANISH ANAN 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 S u n d ay ke p t H i m a c h a l Pradesh and Karnataka, too, on the radar, where elections are still a long distance away . To neutralise the impact of the ongoing farmers’ agitation, the BJP tasked the party leaders to work with the FPOs (farmers’ producers organisations) on mission mode, tribals for Van Dhan (forest produce) and Poshan Abhiyan (nutrition) with women led Self-Help Groups. While the BJP wants to consolidate its support base among women, it is on an overdrive to strengthen its appeal among tribals, as they are increasingly being drawn by the Opposition in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Jharkhand. BJP head JP Nadda spelt out the campaign agenda for an Atmanirbhar Bharat, Start Up India, FPOs, Va n D h a n , a n d Poshan, said party national general secretary Bhupender Yadav. Nadda also set out programmes for expansion in Himachal and organisational growth at the mandal P7 level in Karnataka.  ‘Sabka sath, sabka vikas’ “Prime Minister Modi reiterated the constructive outlook of the BJP and the mantra of sabka sath, sabka vikas, listing out the GST, farm laws, labour codes, freight corridors, etc., as steps in line with the philosophy of nation first,” said BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav Sectors like health, employment generation, tourism, agriculture and infrastructure development will get extra attention to put the economy back on the rails Sources to go up considerably Besides, . the beautification and heritage conservation work started in Puri Jagannath temple, Ekamra Kshetra in Bhubaneswar and temples across the State will also eat up a substantial chunk. As such, the debt burden on Odisha is likely to touch `1.06 lakh crore by the end of the 2020-21 financial year. It is likely to climb up to over `1.35 lakh crore in the next fiscal because of several commitments of the government. The precarious economic situation has been admitted by the State government in its Economic Survey for 202122 in which it has maintained that only 49.06 pc of the estimated revenue receipts could be achieved indicating a shortfall of 50.94 pc. The State government has also fallen 42.91 pc short in GST collection by the end of December, 2020. A similar situation also exists at the Centre. Lower tax receipts at the Central level because of the Covid-19 pandemic also affected the State’s share of union taxes and grants-inaid. The shortfall will be very difficult to recoup within such a short period of time. The economic survey has put the problem very candidly “The short. fall in GST revenue could have been neutralised by the GST compensation by the Central government. But here again, the requirement is a 14 pc growth in state GST revenue which is next to impossible this fiscal and the Centre may not have enough funds to award compensation,” it said. Besides, the decline in vertical share and horizontal share for Odisha in 15th Finance Commission recommendations will also affect the economy there by impacting the budget making. Odisha is likely to lose around `10,000 crore because of the 15th Finance Commission recommendations. Continued on: P5 Pondy govt shaky as 2 more MLAs resign D e b j a n i D u t ta @ Puducherry A day ahead of the trust vote in Puducherry, the fall of V Narayanasamy’s Congress-led government appeared imminent as two MLAs — one from the 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. The Congress MLA from the Raj Bhavan constituency, K Lakshminarayanan, who is also parliamentary secretary to the Chief Minister, said he quit as the party didn’t 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 resigna, tion to Speaker VP Sivakozhunth, saying he couldn’t serve his constituency as his hands were tied. He is likely to join Continued on: P5 the BJP . WITH THIS ISSUE THE ESSENTIAL CAMPUS DIGEST YOUR LIFE COACH 28 PAGES, INCLUDING 16 OF edex (TABLOID)