Vaccine War: India Vs West| World's first Nasal Vaccine for Covid-19 iNCOVACC

Summary

The video script reflects on India's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing its self-reliance in producing vaccines like Covishield and Covaxin. Despite skepticism from the Western media, India emerged as a leader in global vaccine diplomacy, providing vaccines to other nations through its Vaccine Maitri initiative. The video contrasts India’s affordable vaccine distribution with the profit-driven practices of Western pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer. It highlights India’s historic vaccine achievements, including the launch of the world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, showcasing India’s capability as a global healthcare leader.

Takeaways

• 💉 India's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic was highlighted by its ability to produce vaccines just in time, saving its people without waiting for foreign help.
• 🌍 By 2023, India became a global leader in vaccine diplomacy, having administered over 220 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
• 🇮🇳 India's main vaccines during the pandemic were Covishield (AstraZeneca) and Covaxin (Bharat Biotech), with these vaccines helping to prevent a resurgence of the virus despite new variants like BF.0.7.
• 📦 India overcame logistical challenges to deliver vaccines to even remote areas, showcasing a well-coordinated effort across its vast population and terrain.
• 🌐 Through the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India supplied vaccines to developing nations, positioning itself as a world leader in humanitarian aid and vaccine manufacturing.
• 🏭 Indian pharmaceutical companies produce more than 50% of the global demand for vaccines, with a manufacturing capacity of 8.2 billion doses annually.
• 💵 Unlike the US, where drug prices are high due to limited government regulation, India has price controls on essential drugs, making them more affordable and accessible.
• ⚠️ Pfizer faced criticism for imposing indemnity clauses on smaller nations during the pandemic, while India's vaccines were more accessible and didn't come with such conditions.
• 🔬 India relied on traditional vaccine methods using inactivated viruses, unlike mRNA vaccines, which have raised concerns about long-term effects.
• 👃 India is set to launch the world's first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, which promises to be cost-effective, scalable, and suitable for mass immunization in low- and middle-income countries.

Q & A

How did India's response to the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate its resilience?

India demonstrated its resilience by effectively managing the crisis through a timely vaccination drive, overcoming logistical challenges, and public hesitancy, without waiting for external aid to save its population.

What are the two main COVID-19 vaccines used in India?

The two main COVID-19 vaccines used in India are Covishield, which is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in India, and Covaxin, developed by the Indian firm Bharat Biotech.

How has India's vaccination drive impacted public health?

The vaccination drive in India has significantly reduced the number of severe COVID-19 cases, helping the country manage the pandemic more effectively.

Outlines

00:00

🦠 India's Triumph Over COVID-19

This paragraph reflects on India's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly its success in producing and distributing vaccines, saving lives, and defying expectations from the Western press. By 2023, India emerged as a global leader in vaccine diplomacy, contrasting sharply with the COVID-19 situation in China. The paragraph highlights the 220 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in India, the use of homegrown vaccines like Covishield and Covaxin, and India's capacity to deliver vaccines even to remote areas. International recognition from figures like Bill Gates further underscored India's achievement in global vaccination efforts.

05:00

💉 Vaccine Sovereignty and the Pfizer Debate

This paragraph discusses the challenges India faced with pressure to include foreign vaccines like Pfizer during the pandemic. It argues that relying on foreign vaccines would have complicated India's vaccination drive due to storage and logistics issues, and would have exposed the country to indemnity clauses that smaller nations struggled with. The paragraph also touches on the controversy surrounding Pfizer and the side effects of its vaccine, especially myocarditis and potential links to brain strokes, for which research is ongoing. India’s decision to use locally produced vaccines is portrayed as a more practical and beneficial choice.

Keywords

💡COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic refers to the global outbreak of the coronavirus that began in late 2019, causing widespread illness, deaths, and economic disruption. The video reflects on the chaos caused by the pandemic, such as lockdowns, oxygen shortages, and death, and highlights India's resilience during this time, particularly through its vaccination efforts.

💡Vaccine Diplomacy

Vaccine diplomacy refers to the use of vaccines as a tool for international relations, where a country provides vaccines to others, often to build goodwill or gain influence. In the video, India's leadership in vaccine production and distribution is highlighted, showing how the country not only vaccinated its own population but also supplied vaccines to other nations, positioning itself as a global leader.

💡Covishield

Covishield is one of the primary COVID-19 vaccines used in India, developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca and manufactured locally by the Serum Institute of India. The video mentions Covishield as a key player in India’s vaccination campaign, underscoring the country’s ability to produce vaccines on a massive scale.

💡COVAXIN

COVAXIN is a homegrown Indian COVID-19 vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech. The video emphasizes the importance of this indigenous vaccine in India’s fight against COVID-19, showcasing the nation's capability to develop its own medical solutions rather than relying on foreign aid.

💡Western Press Criticism

The Western press refers to media outlets from Western countries, which the video accuses of unfairly criticizing India's handling of the pandemic. According to the script, there were expectations from these outlets that India would fail, but the video argues that India proved them wrong through its successful vaccination efforts and global aid.

💡Pfizer and Moderna

Pfizer and Moderna are two major U.S. pharmaceutical companies known for developing mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. The video contrasts India's approach to vaccines with that of the U.S., criticizing Pfizer for pressuring smaller nations to accept expensive vaccines with indemnity clauses, while highlighting India's more affordable, accessible approach.

💡Vaccine Maitri

Vaccine Maitri is India’s initiative to supply COVID-19 vaccines to various countries in need, particularly in the developing world. The video positions this program as a key element of India’s humanitarian outreach, reflecting its commitment to global health and solidarity during the pandemic.

💡Nasal Vaccine

A nasal vaccine is a type of vaccine administered through the nose, which can be more convenient and scalable for mass immunization. The video highlights the development of the world’s first nasal COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech, emphasizing India's innovation and leadership in the pharmaceutical field.

💡Indemnity Clause

An indemnity clause in the context of vaccines refers to a legal provision that protects a company from being sued for potential side effects of its product. The video mentions that Pfizer required such a clause from smaller nations, a move seen as exploitative during a humanitarian crisis, in contrast to India’s more accessible and less expensive vaccine distribution.

💡Serum Institute of India

The Serum Institute of India is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, playing a crucial role in India's COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The video highlights the institute’s ability to produce and distribute vaccines globally, contributing to India’s reputation as a global vaccine hub.

Highlights

India's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic enabled it to produce vaccines in time, saving millions of lives.

India ignored the skepticism of the Western press and emerged as a global leader in vaccine diplomacy by 2023.

India administered over 220 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the second anniversary of its vaccination drive.

The Serum Institute of India became the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, supplying 50% of global vaccine demand.

Bharat Biotech’s homegrown Covaxin played a crucial role in India’s vaccine success alongside the Oxford AstraZeneca-manufactured Covishield.

India's Vaccine Maitri program not only helped India but also assisted developing nations with humanitarian aid and vaccine exports.

India's effective vaccine distribution reached far-flung areas, including mountainous regions and remote islands like the Andaman and Nicobar.

International leaders, including Bill Gates and Australia's ambassador to India, recognized India’s achievements in global vaccine leadership.

India’s Drug Price Control Orders (DPCO) ensure affordable access to essential vaccines and life-saving drugs for all citizens.

Pfizer faced criticism for imposing stringent indemnity clauses on smaller nations, while India avoided this by relying on homegrown vaccines.

India avoided importing expensive foreign vaccines that required impractical storage, ensuring a more feasible domestic vaccine rollout.

India is set to launch the world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech, offering cost-effective mass immunization.

The intranasal vaccine, affordable and non-invasive, aims to increase compliance and enable scalable production for low- and middle-income countries.

India has a long-standing history of vaccine success, including achieving smallpox-free status in 1977 and polio-free certification in 2015.

India’s confidence in its own capabilities has paved the way for becoming a major player in global vaccine production and innovation.

Transcripts

do you remember the last three years of

the covid-19 pandemic

locked down oxygen cylinders death it

was complete Mayhem remember and from

this the horrific and the historic covet

pandemic we came out alive because of

India's resilience to one make vaccines

just in time and save her people not

waiting for the white man duty to save

us rightfully also ignoring the Western

press That's so desperately was waiting

to see India fail but by 2023 India is a

clear winner in vaccine diplomacy and

how

this is January 2023 barely a week ago

China reported nearly 13 000 coveted

related deaths China set nearly 60 000

people died with covet in hospitals in

just over a month so even as cases are

rising in China again with BF 0.7

sub-variant experts say India is

unlikely to face another wave well we

hope that too one of the reasons for

that is vaccines India has completed two

years of vaccination drive by now under

which about 220 crore doses of the

covid-19 vaccine has been administered

India uses two vaccines mainly the Kobe

Shield which is Oxford AstraZeneca job

manufactured in India and then there is

co-vac sale by the Indian firm Bharat

biotech and it is homegrown India

countered logistical and Supply

bottleneck hesitancy among the public

and a wide section of the western press

itching to say of how after the

mayhemian in China India will also be

next we have proven them to be be wrong

Made in India and made for the world

under vaccine maitri India has now

become a world leader in vaccine

manufacturing Indian pharmaceutical

companies Supply more than 50 percent of

global demand for different vaccines

needed for Global immunization well we

may not be in the elite category of

so-called developed Nations yet we have

assisted developing nations with Aid not

as arrogance but as basic humanitarian

inexpensive gesture of Aid and Export

within the country now vaccines have

been delivered even to far-flung

villages in mountain regions or even

doses have been ferried to the Andaman

and nicobar Islands because eventually

it is about vaccinating the masses now

remember the expanse the terrain and

sheer High population of our nation this

coordination has now caught the

attention of the world leaders Bill

Gates acknowledged the Milestone when we

completed 200 crore vaccinations Anthony

Farrell who's the Australian ambassador

to India had this to see what we've seen

today is reassuring it demonstrates

again the strength of India's Innovation

and pharmaceutical sectors it

demonstrates again India's leadership of

the world while we were battling our own

apprehensions and understandably so

there were these desperate attempts by

the Western press that said this

just to devalue a developing nation's

audacity to think of becoming a vaccine

leader

[Music]

Institute of India is the world's

largest vaccine manufacturer by the

volume of doses it has produced and sold

globally there are Bharat biotech

Panacea biotech sanofi Shanta

biotechnics biological e Hester

biosciences and zydus cadilla installing

a capacity to manufacture 8.2 billion

doses of different vaccines every year

now let's talk big bucks because that's

what the West is worried about United

States has about six of the 10 largest

pharmaceutical companies globally and

almost half of the global 1.6 trillion

dollars Pharma Revenue covid-19 drugs

and vaccines therefore what a boost to

Pfizer and moderna profits but how the

U.S Medicare prescription drug

Improvement and modernization act of

2003 prevents their government from

controlling the high price of the U.S

prescription drug the Branded drugs are

one of the largest exports for the

United States of America in sharp

contrast here the drug price control

orders the dpco under the essential

Commodities act 1955 enables Indian

government to declare a sealing price

for essential and life-saving drugs and

vaccines so that it's accessible for one

and all but with the American control

Pfizer was accused of arm twisting many

governments of comparatively smaller

Nations during the humanitarian crisis

accept the indemnity clause cannot

challenge in case of a side effect and a

heavy cost what will a poor Nation do

when people are dying they will of

course go and accept the Clause now fisa

is struggling to reply to some of the

reported cases of myocarditis and if

there is a link to any brain stroke

studies are still ongoing there is no

confirmation yet on that but the worst

part is while many within our scientific

community and the political leadership

were showing a will to form an imprint

of India many within our country even

some of the natas so caught up with a

western alleged greatness or escalating

domestic pressure to include foreign

vaccines like the Pfizer Johnson and

Johnson Vector vaccine if India had

approved fisa or any other foreign

vaccines apart from the sovereign

immunity they would have to give a

guarantee for a very expensive vaccine

that needs impractical storage and

Logistics we could have been a worse

stage at the time recently this video

went viral two reporters throwing a

barrage of questions on the Pfizer CEO

Albert borla in Davos that facing

allegations against fisa and its side

effects

now a little more detailed for you with

regard to science the MRNA and the DNA

vaccines introduce copies of viral

genetic material to get ourselves to

produce viral antigens which then

stimulate our immune system against

these virus it's not a commonly used

practice for human vaccine production it

was rushed through emergency approvals

so we are unsure still of the long-term

effect the vaccine used in India

meanwhile are based on study technique

using an inactivated virus or a modified

adenoviruses Deputy chairperson of rajya

Sabah harivansha said at the conference

of speakers and presiding officers of

the Commonwealth in Australia that India

offered support to more than 150

affected countries in the form of covet

vaccines medical equipment and medicines

and now India is set for its another big

achievement world's first nasal vaccine

in Kovac world's first covid-19

intranasal vaccine will be launched on

January 26th developed by India's Bharat

biotech this will be rolled out as a

booster dose for those above 18 years of

age it will be available for just 800

rupees per dose in private markets and

at about 325 per dose for procurement by

the Central and state government

using a cold virus from a chimpanzee to

deliver a harmless copy of the

coronavirus Spike protein to the lining

of the nose this can prove cost

effective in the low and middle income

countries and enable mass immunization

to protect from emerging variants the

best part that it's non-invasive it has

a higher compliance and a scalable as

far as manufacturing is concerned as I

conclude this episode of Homeland here

is the big question

why was there a campaign literally

against India's effort in vaccine

despite its honorable history India has

been a torch Bearer when it comes to the

efficacy of vaccines India declared

itself smallpox free in 1977. India

received polio free certification from

the World Health Organization in 2015.

all of this was made possible because of

Made in India vaccines and a mass

vaccinization of every child

knowing our capabilities we need to

better trust our own sometimes not just

our talent or human resources but the

fact that we can make it to the top and

that India can be the next big leader

thank you for watching

[Music]