Republic Top 10 Headlines: Sputnik Light in India; Jharkhand lockdown; COVID update & more

Sputnik Light's Speedy Launch Likely In India; Application For Regulatory Approval Soon

In a potential boost to the vaccination drive, there is a big possibility of a speedy launch of Russia's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik Light in India. As per ANI sources, Dr Reddy's is in talks with the Centre to bring this vaccine to the country and an application seeking regulatory approval is likely to be filed soon. 

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Adar Poonawalla's Safety On His Return Must Be Ensured: Bombay HC Tells Maharashtra Govt

After Adar Poonawalla received alleged threats over the supply of the COVISHIELD vaccine manufactured by his company, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday said the Maharashtra government must assure the Serum Institute of India's (SII) CEO of the requisite security

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Congress Five-member Committee Submits Initial Report On Election Drubbing To Sonia Gandhi

The Congress party's five-member committee formed to assess its performance in the recently-concluded assembly elections in 5 States and UTs submitted its first report to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday. Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan who heads the committee shared that the initial report for Congress' performance in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry had been submitted while the report for West Bengal was still under construction.

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Mumbai: 9 Bidders In Contention For COVID-19 Vaccine Supply; BMC Closes Global Tender

In a big development on Tuesday, BMC announced that it had received 10 bids for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines including Sputnik V to Mumbai. The civic body also decided to close the application window for the Global Expression of Interest it had floated on May 12 for procurement of 1 crore vaccines.

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Canada Recommends Mixing, Matching Of COVID-19 Vaccines- AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna

Based on the study from UK and Spain, Canada, on Tuesday recommended mixing and matching second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The country is using AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna and has suggested citizens to combine jabs interchangeably in certain situations. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has extended its support to the decision and updated its guidance to provinces and territories on mixing and matching. 

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6-year-old Kashmiri Girl Who Complained To PM Thanks LG Sinha After He Caps Online Classes

Just days ago, 6-year-old Kashmiri girl Moira Irfan had won hearts after she complained to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the long duration of her online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The viral video of the 6-year-old's innocent complaint to PM Modi about 'too much work' being given to small children brought a change in Jammu and Kashmir's education policy.

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Mumbai: BMC Inoculates 169 Inmates At COVID-19 Vaccine Centre In Arthur Road Jail

169 prisoners received the COVID-19 vaccine jab at Mumbai's Arthur Road jail, on the first day of the inoculation drive to be conducted at the vaccination center set up at the Central jail of the city on Tuesday. The COVID inoculation center has been set up as per the Central Government guidelines of inoculating those who do not have valid ID cards including prisoners, homeless people, patients from rehabilitation centers, senior citizens living in old age homes, and beggars.

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Jharkhand Extends COVID Lockdown With New Guidelines, Here's What's Allowed, What's Not

Marking this as the state's fourth extension of COVID-19 lockdown, the Jharkhand government announced updated guidelines for citizens to follow. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, on Tuesday, conducted a meeting with Disaster Management Authority where the decision to extend the restrictions was taken.  The lockdown has been extended for one more week till June 10.

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When Can District-wise COVID-19 Lockdowns Be Lifted? Health Ministry Shares Details

With India witnessing a constant declining trend in daily COVID-19 cases, the Union Health Ministry addressed easing of restrictions and lockdowns across various districts in the state. In a press conference on Tuesday, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary of Health Ministry stated that for opening up a district under lockdown, its COVID-positivity rate needed to be below 5% for at least a week.

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WHO Says COVID-19 Pandemic Will Be Behind Us, But 'psychological Scars' Will Remain

While addressing the 74th World Health Assembly, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on May 31 said that “one day” the COVID-19 pandemic will be behind us, but the “psychological scars” will remain. Tedros made closing comments to the WHO’s week-long high-level assembly and said that even though the cases and deaths are declining globally, the “way out” was through “tailored and consistent” public health measures in combination with equitable vaccination. 

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