All you need to know about the third COVID-19 vaccine

Good morning!

The wait for Sputnik V vaccine is finally over. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories said it has commenced the rollout of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in India. The imported vaccine is priced at Rs 995, with the first doses being administered in Hyderabad.

To help people get vaccinated, a growing list of startups have come up with digital tools to accelerate the vaccination drive. 

Gurugram-based ride-sharing startup Sugatix launched a new vaccine search portal vaccinetrackercowin.com. Built using CoWIN APIs, the portal will help users find suitable vaccination slots in their areas.

B2B retail-tech startup Arzooo also launched a tracker to help people check for the availability, and get notified for the next available COVID-19 vaccine slots. The slot finding feature is created exclusively for partner retailers.

Meanwhile, IIT Alumni Council-founded Megalab is developing a two-dose Ayurveda-based coronavirus vaccine with the aim of stopping the spread of the deadly virus and preventing infection within a few days of the first dose.

The startup has secured Rs 300 crore as seed funding to develop the proposed vaccine, which will have both injectable and nasal drops variants, and plans to roll it out within the next six months.

Read about how the Indian startup ecosystem is battling the second wave of COVID-19 here.

Here are some useful tools and links that can help you find the nearest vaccine centres in real-time.

The Interview

Taran Chhabra has worked in the US for around a decade, watching the Indian ecosystem grow and evolve and observing how consumer companies were entering the market from 2016 onwards. While travelling in 2016, he had to carry a suitcase full of shoes, which he found unsustainable. So, he founded Neeman's to launch eco-friendly sustainable sneakers in India.

Editor’s Pick: The Turning Point  

Gaurav Singh and Piyush Mishra wanted to solve the problem of retaining and engaging customers to help brands with long-term growth with minimal human intervention. So, they started Verloop.ai in 2015 to help B2C brands automate their conversations with customers and make them highly personalised. The team also launched a WhatsApp chatbot to help connect people who need oxygen with those who have it. Read more.

Startup Spotlight

WhatsApp chatbot for instant, verified leads on COVID-19 resources

The deadly second wave of COVID-19 has increased our reliance on technology to find life-saving medical resources. To help people looking to locate hospital beds and find oxygen cylinders, plasma, medicines, and other such resources, Divyaansh Anuj and Utkarsh Roy built IntroBot, which is a WhatsApp AI community chatbot that shares real-time, verified leads. Read more.

News & Updates

• Global investment banking major JP Morgan Chase has increased its COVID-19 support to India, taking the total planned aid to close to $16 million, of which $3.8 million is for supporting its over 35,000 employees.

• Samsung Electronics provided 60 oxygen concentrators to Uttar Pradesh, half of them to Gautam Buddh Nagar district. The help comes as part of CSR of Samsung, which has its biggest mobile phone manufacturing factory at Gautam Buddh Nagar, Noida.

• Zoho Corporation has contributed Rs 5 crore to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to combat COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu. It has also helped hospitals in the state by providing oxygen, beds, and other medical equipment worth Rs 13 crore.

• Facebook will roll out a new campaign in India to "educate and inform people" about how to detect misinformation related to COVID-19, and encourage users to check the information they receive. These tips will show up on Facebook through a series of creative adverts.

• IIT Alumni Council-founded Megalab has secured a Rs 300-crore seed funding to develop a two-dose Ayurveda-based coronavirus vaccine. The proposed vaccine will have both injectable and nasal drops variants, and is expected to improve efficacy and reduce side effects.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“Our mission as a group is to save a million lives at the very least by the end of this month. And we’re all gathering our horsepower, our resources, our intellects, our skills, our friends and families to be ready for the big wave.”

— Utkarsh Roy, Co-founder, IntroBot

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