DH Evening Brief: May 13, 2021

Here are the top headlines this evening.

Centre mulling waiver of Covaxin patent rights: Sadananda Gowda

A proposal to suspend intellectual property (IP) protection under the Patents Act for Covaxin, the home-made Covid-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech, is under "serious consideration", Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said Thursday. Read more

Covid-19 vaccine: Sputnik V to be available in India from next week

Russia's Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V will be available in the market from next week, according to the Centre."Sputnik vaccine has arrived in India. I'm happy to say that we're hopeful that it'll be available in the market next week. We're hopeful that the sale of the limited supply that has come from there (Russia), will begin next week,"Dr VK Paul, a member (Health), NITI Aayog said. Read more

Centre to allow import of any Covid-19 vaccine approved by FDA, WHO

The Centre has decided to allow import of any Covid-19 vaccine that is approved by FDA and WHO. NITI Aayog health expert also said that import license will be given within one to two days. Read more

Celebrated sculptor and Rajyotsava awardee Kanaka Murthy succumbs to Covid-19

Renowned sculptor Kanaka Murthy died of Covid-19 at a private hospital in Bengaluru, her family sources said on Thursday. Kanaka Murthy, 79, had developed Covid-19symptoms a few days ago and was under home quarantine. However, her condition worsened and she was rushed to the hospital where she breathed her last. Read more

UPSC defers Preliminary Civil Services Exam: Check new date here

The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2021, scheduled on June 27, has been deferred and it will now be conducted on October 10 owing to the second wave of Covid-19. This was announced by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Thursday. Read more

Delhi High Court criticises 'irritating' dialer tune asking people to get vaccinated when there is no Covid-19 vaccine

The dialer tune messageof the Centre asking people to get vaccinatedwas criticised by the Delhi High Court which on Thursday said the "irritating" message was being played for "we don't know how long" askingpeople to get the jab when there was not enough vaccine. Read more

Gap between Covishield vaccine doses extended to 12-16 weeks

The Health Ministry on Thursday announced that the gap between the first and second doses of Covidshield vaccine can be increased to 12-16 weeks from the existing six-eight weeks. The recommendation to increase the interval between the two doses of Covishield was made by the Covid Working Group chaired by Dr N K Arora based on the new studies that were now available and the “real life experience” from Britain. Read more

Lockdown in Karnataka has failed to curb Covid-19 case growth so far: Analysis

The statewide restrictions imposed by the government since April 28 have failed to curb the spread of Covid-19 infection in Karnataka, according to an expert analysis. Read more