India at forefront in fight against Covid-19 pandemic: IMF's Gita Gopinath

Gopinath praised India for playing a very important role during the crisis by manufacturing and shipping the Covid vaccines to several nations

India has been at the forefront in fighting the pandemic and "really stands out” in terms of its vaccine policy, IMF's Gita Gopinath has said, as she praised the country for playing a very important role during the crisis by manufacturing and shipping the Covid vaccines to several nations.

 

“I also want to mention that India really stands out in terms of its vaccine policy. If you look at where exactly is one manufacturing hub for vaccines in the world - that will be India,” Gopinath said.

 

Pfizer jab nullifies Brazilian strain

 

The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech SE showed a high ability to neutralise coronavirus strains first detected in Brazil, the UK and South Africa, according to a new study.

 

While the research needs to be validated, it offers another reason for optimism that the vaccines are generally performing well against variants.

 

Russia to develop Sputnik V in Italy

 

Russia has signed a deal to produce its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Italy, the first contract in the European Union, the Italian Russian Chamber of Commerce announced.

 

The deal was signed with Adienne Srl, the Italian subsidiary of a Swiss-based pharmaceutical company, and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.