Amid rising coronavirus COVID-19 cases in India and growing demand for vaccines, Serum Institute of India (SII) chief executive Adar Poonawalla has said the shortage of COVID-19 vaccine would remain till July.

According to a Financial Times report, the SII CEO said that production of vaccines would increase in July from about 60-70 million doses a month to about 100 million.

Global pharma major Pfizer is sending its medicines worth USD 70 million (over Rs 510 crore), from its distribution centres in the US, Europe and Asia, that have been identified as part of India's COVID-19 treatment protocol, the company's Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said on Monday.

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, the Punjab government on Sunday issued that no one will be allowed to enter the state without a negative COVID-19 test result or a vaccine certificate.

In a set of new guidelines to curb the spread of the virus, the state government further said that all non-essential shops would be closed till May 15.

The daily COVID-19 cases in India showed a slight dip with3,68,147new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, taking the total tally of cases to1,99,25,604, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The death toll increased to2,18,959 with3,417daily new fatalities,thedata updated at 8 am showed.

The third and largest phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive to inoculate people in 18-45 age group began here Monday morning.

Around 90 lakh people are eligible for the jabs under this category in Delhi. Five vaccination booths each have been set up at 77 schools for the exercise, an official said.

In a significant development, the Election Commission of India has rejected TMC’s demand seeking recount of votes at Nandigram which saw a tight fight between TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. It is to be noted that Mamata lost to Adhikari by 1,756 votes from Nandigram.

On Sunday evening, a TMC delegation led by its Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’ Brien, Kolkata former Mayor Firhad Hakim, MP Kalyan Banerjee and Atin Ghosh met Chief ELection Officer and submitted a letter seeking a recount of votes in Nandigram.

Shares of Natco Pharma, on Monday, rose 4 per cent to Rs 935 on the BSE in intra-day trade after the company received emergency use approval for Baricitinib tablets for Covid-19 treatment.

The company has received Emergency Use approval for Baricitinib tablets, 1mg, 2mg and 4mg strengths from Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in India.

Following Trinamool Congress' thumping win in assembly elections in West Bengal, Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Monday said arrogance, might, money power and using Jai Shri Ram for politics lost the polls in the state.

Sibal also hailed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is all set to continue her third term in West Bengal.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance secured a comfortable majority in Assam Assembly elections paving its way to form the government in the state winning 75 seats of the total 126 constituencies.

As per the Election Commission, the BJP secured 60 seats, about 33.2 per cent of the total vote share, while allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party, Liberal (UPPL) bagged nine and six seats respectively.

Mamata Banerjee steamrolled the BJP election war machine as she powered the TMC to a two thirds majority in the assembly elections and secured a third straight term in office in West Bengal, the longest-standing opposition fortress in the country.

The mercurial leader, however, lost by 1956 votes in Nandigram to former protege-turned-BJP adversary Suvendu Adhikari.

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