MONDAY totaL doses adMinisteRed 16 $$DAY$$ vellore DD MM YYYY l l 6.3 2.3 epaper.morningstandard.in AfricA stAres At BleAk future Africa has surpassed 1,00,000 confirmed deaths from Covid-19 as the continent praised for its early response to the pandemic now struggles with a dangerous resurgence, with reports of many doctors and other health workers dying, sapping the region of the medical resources it desperately needs 3 killed in shooting Three people were killed and two were injured in a shooting at a gun store in the US’ Louisiana. Deputies were called to the scene at the Jefferson Gun Outlet in Metairie just before 3 pm (US local time), Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto III said during a press briefing. One initial shooter fatally shot two people inside the store, according to Lopinto. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Several people then engaged the original suspect inside and outside the store, leaving two more people injured with gunshot wounds, the sheriff said. P9 Which Vaccines aRe used the Most ElEvEn DiffErEnt vaccinEs arE bEing aDministErED globally. HErE’s a list of tHE top six Oxford/AstraZeneca 49 countries Moderna 27 countries We are more vulnerable than we thought... We are beginning to normalise deaths — John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The AP in a recent interview 60% of population by 2022 40% population left unvaccinated Medicine A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI   J8.00 Sinopharm (Beijing+Wuhan) 11 countries untold toll even if doses Are AvAilABle, AfricA cAn vAccinAte only 0.2 Ukraine 7% iSrael 138% Since most countries in Africa lack the means to track mortality data, it is not clear how many excess deaths (fatalities due to the coronavirus but not recorded as such) have occurred across the continent since the pandemic began Pfizer/BioNTech 67 countries Sinovac 6 countries doses secured and optioned under Covax, a programme for vaccinating low-income countries $2.2-$44 range of vaccine prices per dose globally Sputnik V 9 countries SUriname 23% trinidad & toBaGo 23% 270 million Astra, Pfizer and J&J 300 million Sputnik V S. ar 5% aB ia niGer 5% GUatemala 23% mexico 119% el SalVador 38% hondUraS 23% nicaraGUa 23% coSta rica 62% panama 58% VenezUela 59% ecUador 49% colomBia 73% perU 38% BoliVia 45% paraGUay 30% Brazil 76% UrUGUay 23% chile 86% arGentina 70% Most countries have barely begun vaccinations, partialy due to the cost. For example, the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago began vaccinations last week only because India could give the country 2,000 doses monGolia 5% china 24% india 85% yemen 5% B’deSh SUdan 5% 5% chad 5% ethiopia 5% Sri Somalia 0% lanka 5% kenya 5% UGanda 0% myanmar rwanda 0% 5% Sri lanka 5% indoneSia 55% thailand 45% tanzania 5% camBodia 8% zamBia 5% SinGapore 5% malawi 4% zimBamBe 6% mozamBiqUe 5% madaGaScar 5% mali 5% iVory coaSt 5% BUrkina FaSo 5% Ghana 5% Benin 5% niGeria 5% cameroon 5% GaBon 0% conGo 0% anGola 5% dr conGo 10% namiBia 5% BotSwana 5% SoUth aFrica 39% Price gouging doses secured by african union nepal 93% US 197% moldoVa 5% eGypt 61% liBya 4% tUniSia 5% alGeria 5% morocco 5% maUritania 5% SeneGal 5% GUinea-BiSSaU 5% GUinea 5% Sierra leone 5% liBeria 5% LaRge How much a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine VaRiations cost in some places, as per UNICEF figures $2.72 $3 $3 $3.5 $3.5 $4 India African Union Covax facility EU Bangladesh US Japan 129% S korea 135% laoS 5% Vietnam 21% pnG 5% malaySia 126% Data sources: Bloomberg, Our World in Data, UNICEF. The frequent 5% figure represents coverage under Covax. The 231% number reflects EU vaccine deals aUStralia 250% new zealand 247% $8.5 $5 $5 Brazil* Philippines Pfizer vaccine reduces coronavirus transmission: Israel data $5.25 $5.25 Saudi S Africa Uganda Arabia * (doses imported from India) striking a data-sharing deal with the US company . Check out our exhaustive coverage of the inequality in the global vaccine rollout, which has delayed immunisation in many poor nations | P12 The Pfizer/BioNTech coroanvirus vaccine appears to be able to stop the majority of those vaccinated in Israel from becoming infected, in the first indication that immunisation will curb transmission of the particular pathogen. The vaccine, first to be approved in the world, was 89.4% effective in preventing lab-confirmed infections, Bloomberg reported, citing a copy of a PAGES 12 draft publication as well as an unnamed person familiar with the matter. This could be the first real-world data that shows vaccination halting transmission of the virus At least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been given to 4.25 million people out of Israel’s nine million-strong population since December. Some 2.88 million people have received the recommended full course of two jabs. Separately, the country’s health ministry said late on Saturday that jab was 99.2 % effective against serious illness and 98.9 % effective in preventing death. It also said that the vaccine had proved 95.8 % effective in preventing coronavirus infection among those vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second shot compared to unvaccinated people,as per data compiled up to Feb 13. For those tested one week after receiving a second jab, the vaccine was 91.9% effective against infection, 96.4% effective in preventing serious illness and 94.5% in preventing death. “Our goal is to continue vaccinating all our population aged 16 and up, to reach a wide coverage of the population that will enable us to return to our much missed routines,” health ministry director general hezi Levi said Saturday . The jab developed by US firm Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech is based on novel mRNA technology . Israel, which has one of the world’s most sophisticated medical data systems, secured a substantial stock of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by paying above market price and by Green pass Israel also took a step towards normalcy on Sunday, re-opening a raft of businesses and services from pandemic lockdowns, but with some only available to fully vaccinated “green pass” holders. The green pass scheme is being closely watched as a possible model for how other economies may work in the Covid-19-era. Farmers, tribals, women: BJP resets target for polls Party brass lists priorities for leaders to work with FPOs on mission mode to woo tillers, Van Dhan for tribals & Poshan Abhiyan for women PTI M A N I S H A N A N D @ New Delhi WITH the Opposition breathing fire against the NDA government, the BJP on Sunday sought to present an effective counter ahead of a string of Assembly elections over the next three years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the party to work for organisational expansion, while the BJP leadership prioritised its focus on farmers, tribals and women as catchment areas. Exuding confidence of winning polls in West Bengal, Assam, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu in alliance with the NDA constituents, the BJP on Sunday kept Himachal Pradesh ‘Sabka sath, sabka vikas’ “Prime Minister Modi reiterated the constructive outlook of the BJP and the mantra of sabka sath, sabka vikas, listing out the GST, farm laws, labour codes, freight corridors, etc., as steps in line with the philosophy of nation first,” said BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav PROTEST LETTER Nothing short of extortion, Sonia to PM on fuel prices E X P R ESS N E WS S E RV I C E @ New Delhi THE Congress on Sunday intensified its attack on the Centre over the spiralling fuel prices with interim party president Sonia Gandhi writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing his gover nment of choosing to ‘profiteer’ off people’s misery and urging him to follow his Raj Dharma by partially rolling back excise duty on fuel. The government’s act of raising prices continuously for 12 days was ‘little less than a brazen act of profiteering’ with fuel prices at a ‘historic and unsustainable high’, she said. “What baffles most citizens, is that these prices have been increased despite moderate prices of International crude oil. To put it in context, the crude oil price is nearly half of what it was during the UPA gover nment’s tenure,” she wrote in a scathing letter. Despite being in power for seven years, the government continues to blame the previous regimes for the economic management, Sonia wrote, adding the domestic crude oil production had fallen to an 18-year low in 2020. “I fail to understand how any government can justify such thoughtless and insensitive measures directly at the cost of our people,” the Congress chief wrote. “Your government has increased excise duty on diesel by 820% and on petrol by 258% over and collected upwards of `21 lakh crore in the last six and a half years. This unaccounted-for windfall is yet to be passed to the people for whose benefit it was ostensibly collected.” Urging the Centre to roll back the fuel price hike, Sonia said governments are elected to ease the burden of people. DIAL ‘J’ WHY JAT SUPPORT TO KISANS WORRIES BJP In Haryana, Rajasthan & western Uttar Pradesh, community constitutes big chunk of vote bank | P8 and Karnataka, too, on the radar, where elections are still a long distance away . To neutralise the impact of the ongoing farmers’ agitation, the BJP tasked the party leaders to work with the FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations) on mission mode, tribals for Van Dhan (forest produce) and Poshan Abhiyan (nutrition) with women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs). While the BJP wants to consolidate its support base among women, it is on an overdrive to strengthen its appeal among tribals, as they are increasingly being drawn by the Opposition in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. PM Modi, while inaugurating the first physical meeting of the national office bearers at the NDMC Convention Centre in the capital, asserted that there was a “positive mood in the country for the works of the government”. He reiterated the constructive outlook of the BJP and its ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’ mantra and also listed out GST rollout, farm laws, labour codes and freight corridors among steps of the government in line with the party’s ‘nation first’ philosophy, said BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav. Party president JP Nadda spelt out the campaign agenda for an Atmanirbhar Bharat, Start-up India, FPOs, Van Dhan E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kolkata A CBI team on Sunday served notices on the wife and sisterin-law of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, asking them to join its probe into the coal pilferage scam. The notices came two days after a court issued summons to Union Home Minister Amit Shah asking him to appear in person on Monday in connection with a defamation case filed by Abhishek. Responding to the notices, Abhishek tweeted: “We have full faith in the law of the land. If they (the central government) think they can use these ploys to intimidate us, they are mistaken. We are not the ones who would ever be cowed down.” At an event later, Mamata, Police deployed outside TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s residence on Sunday | PTI without referring to the CBI’s move, said she is not afraid of anyone. Her mother tongue Bangla has taught her to “fight like a tiger and not be afraid of rats”, she roared at a programme held on International Mother Language Day “Don’t . try to intimidate us with jail. We have fought against guns and are not afraid of fighting against rats.” CBI sources said the decision to summon Abhishek’s wife Rujira Banerjee and her sister Menoka Gambhir was taken after suspicious transactions in their bank accounts emerged during the probe. The CBI sleuths wanted to record Super I think emotionally it was one of the hardest tournaments that I’ve ever had. If there was a tournament where I want to risk any more damage, and try my hardest to battle, it’s here, it’s a Grand Slam Novak Novak Djokovic demolished Russia’s Daniil Medvedev Djokovic GRAPHIC 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 7,400 No. of fans at the Rod Laver Arena TWENTY Medvedev’s winning streak of 20 finally broken This is Djokovic’s ninth Australian Open title. He is yet to lose a final in Melbourne Djokovic is two `titles behind Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam record We’re talking about some cyborgs (the big three) of tennis, in a good way. They’re just unbelievable Medvedev NAMO CANTEEN No one goes hungry in this backward Assam town P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati Alok Ghose says it was the call of soul that inspired him to open a canteen A small crowd of daily wage workers and beggars throngs a canteen in Upper Assam’s Mariani town every day. It is not just the taste of food served in the eatery that attracts them, but also the price. For daily wagers a meal here costs just `8 while for the beggars the food is absolutely free. For businessman-cum-politician Alok Kumar Ghose, it was the “call” of his “soul” that inspired him to open a canteen for the poor in his town. Started on a sunny day in 2018, Ghose’s initiative, named NaMo canteen, soon became and Poshan, said Yadav. Nadda also set out programmes for expansion in Himachal Pradesh, where assembly polls are scheduled next year, and organisational growth at the mandal level in Karnataka, where the election will be held in 2023. The political resolution adopted by the BJP national office bearers termed the Congress as “perennially suffering from prejudice in opposing every decision of the government, accounting for its days in darkness”, signaled the saffron outfit’s urgency to lend organisational might to the NDA government in communicating its decisions and achievements more effectively P7 . CBI notice to wife of Didi’s nephew in coal scam What is equally distressing is that despite being in power for almost 7 years now, your government continues to blame previous regimes for its own economic mismanagement —Sonia Gandhi, Congress chief Emergency landing Debris from a United Airlines plane fell onto Denver suburbs during an emergency landing Sunday after one of its engines suffered a failure and rained pieces of the engine casing on a neighborhood where it narrowly missed a home. The plane landed safely, and nobody aboard or on the ground was reported hurt, authorities said. United said that there were 231 passengers and 10 crew on board. All passengers were to be rebooked on a new flight to Hawaii, the US airline said. P9 1.6 3.01 bn 40% by 2021 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “use of lethal force” in Myanmar after two people were killed on Saturday when security forces opened fire on protesters in Mandalay. “I condemn the use of deadly violence in Myanmar,” Guterres tweeted. “The use of lethal force, intimidation & harassment is unacceptable,” he added. Crowds in Yangon, meanwhilem attended a funeral Sunday for the young woman who was the first person confirmed to have been killed in protests against the military’s takeover. Sweden 231% poland 231% Reading the Map norway 231% Vaccination Finland 231% lithUania 231% Countries are colour-coded to reflect their eStonia 231% present vaccination status, measured in latVia 231% BelarUS 0% number of doses given per 100 people czechia 231% aUStria 231% SloVenia 231% 2 4 6 8 No data SerBia 33.7% Greece 231% Vaccine contracts tUrkey 63% The numbers in red next to the names of cyprUS 231% countries shows the % of their population that GeorGia 5% will be vaccinated under the contracts they armenia 5% have inked with manufacturers. The lower the Jorden 35.8% azerBaiJan 5% number, fewer the doses a country has secured kUwait 5% Bahrain 35.8% qatar 5% Uae 31% rUSSia 55% oman 5% iran 5% aFGhaniStan 5% BhUtan 5% pakiStan 26% Germany 231% netherlandS 231% France 231% United kinGdom 340% ireland 231% Switzerland 132% italy 231% Spain 231% portUGal 231% canada 335% T O D AY INTERNATIONAL Rap from UN chief brazil turkey UaE germany russia france italy newindianexpress com total number of vaccine doses secured by countries around the world IN THE NEWS Chandrayaan-3, India’s third mission to Moon, is likely to be launched in 2022. Several ISRO projects including Chandrayaan-3, which was scheduled to be launched in late 2020, and Gaganyaan, the country’s first manned space mission, are hit due to the Covid lockdown. Unlike its predecessor, Chandrayaan-3 will not have an orbiter. “The orbiter launched during Chandrayaan-2 will be used for Chandrayaan-3. With that we are working on a system and mostly the launch will be next year in 2022,’ ISRO chief K Sivan said. israel North Europe South Asia Africa America America twitter.com/TheMornStandard Moon project in 2022 india 9.5 bn facebook.com/TheMorningStandard Former MP chief minister Kamal Nath and other senior state Congress leaders had a narrow escape at a private hospital in Indore on Sunday evening when an elevator crashed from the first floor to the ground floor due to overcrowding. Nath had gone to DNS Hospital to meet ailing party leader Rameshwar Patel. All the Congress leaders in the lift, including Nath and former ministers Jeetu Patwari and Sajjan Verma, escaped unhurt. “Hanuman Ji ki kripa sada se rahi hai (The grace of Lord Hanuman has always been with me),” Nath tweeted UK denmark 231% By continent Doses administered per 100 people 10.6 Close shave for Nath Number of Covid-19 vaccine shots given, in millions EU More than two months after vaccinations began, the inequality in access among poor and rich nations has never been more stark, prompting a UNAIDS official call it “vaccine apartheid”. With the United Nations unable to ensure fair distribution, poor nations have been left scrambling for doses. Here’s a global view of where countries stand on immunisation and vaccine access FEBRUARY, 2021 All Indians are descendants of Hindu ancestors and no one in India is a foreigner, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday. “The British tried to divide the country by fanning separatist sentiment among the Muslims community. I appeal to all to live with unity and contribute to the contry’s development,” he said at a book launch at Delhi’s Constitution Club. He urged all the Indians not to forget their glorious history, lamenting that they had forgotten their rich cultural traditions even before the invaders arrived in the country. china US Jabs & Jab-nots 22 INDIA Bhagwat’s peace call 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 the talk of the town. The canteen serves one complete vegetarian meal to around 300 people daily . Ghose, a local BJP leader, said he extended his services during the Covid pandemic by offering ration to several people, besides providing cooked meals to many . “It was the call of my soul that asked me to start the NaMo canteen. It has no connection whatsoever with elections or votes. Elections come once in five years but I have been doing social work for the past more than 20 years,” Ghose said. He said as a school student, he grew up struggling but was inspired by Swami Vivekananda’s famous quote: ‘Those who serve mankind and any other living beings are serving God.’ Mariani in Jorhat district is a backward region. The town has no industries or factories where the poor can work to eke out a living, Ghose said. “Had it not been for the ready meals and ration, consisting of mustard oil, potato, rice, pulses provided by him, my family would have gone hungry said ,” Asim Dhar, a daily wager. Meanwhile, Ghose has plans to start another NaMo canteen provided he gets the support and cooperation of people. “Preparing each meal costs around `15. I also spend `15,000 to pay the salaries of canteen staff,” Ghose said. A party hopper, Ghose has contested all Assembly elections since 2001. The 62-yearold served as an MLA for two years after winning a by-election in 2004. Like him, his son, who is a doctor in Chhattisgarh, and two daughters, both married and work in the IT sector in Delhi and Gujarat, are into social work. Rujira’s statement but went back as she was not at home. The CBI sent the notices under Section 160 of CrPC as it considers Rujira and Menoka as witnesses in the case. “If discrepancies are found in their statements, they can be booked as accused,’’ a CBI officer said. The CBI had registered an FIR in November 2020 against Anup Kumar Majhi alias Lala, who is alleged to be involved in illegal mining and theft of coal, two general managers of Eastern Coalfield Ltd and security officials of ECL. The BJP has accused Trinamool leaders of siphoning the money earned from the sale of smuggled coal into the ruling party’s coffers. While the CPM questioned the timing of CBI’s action, Congress state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said truth should come out. Pondy govt set to crumble as two more MLAs resign D E B J A N I D U T TA @ Puducherry A day ahead of the trust vote in Puducherry the fall of V Naray, anasamy’s Congress-led government appeared imminent as two MLAs — one from the Congress and another from the DMK — resigned on Sunday. With this, the strength of the ruling front has fallen to 12, compared to the Opposition’s 14. The Congress MLA from the Raj Bhavan constituency, K Lakshminarayanan, who is also parliamentary secretary to the Chief Minister, said he quit as the party didn’t give him due recognition, causing him to feel “cheated”. He is likely to join the NR Congress, which has tied up with the BJP . DMK MLA D Venkatesan submitted his resignation to Speaker VP Sivakozhunth, saying he couldn’t serve his constituency as his hands were tied. He is likely to join the BJP . The V Narayanasamy government now has the support of 12 MLAs, including the Speaker, while the Opposition’s 14 include three nominated MLAs. Of the 26 MLAs, the Congress has nine, DMK two, and one is an Independent. As for the Opposition, the NR Congress has seven, AIADMK four and three are nominated MLAs who are BJP functionaries. Seven MLA seats are vacant due to the resignations of Congress and DMK MLAs and the disqualification of a Congress MLA. Sunday’s resignations came hours ahead of a meeting between the Congress and DMK MLAs, under the leadership of Chief Minister Narayanasamy, to discuss their course of action.