Save vaccines, save lives

Experts say vaccines are the key to saving lives, as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic rips through the country. But, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, at least 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been wasted so far. The World Health Organisation says that more than 50 percent of vaccines that end up getting wasted globally every year take place during distribution, particularly at last-mile delivery.

To solve this and ensure that vaccines are not wasted at last-mile delivery, Blackfrog Technologies came out with a solution called Emvolio. It is a portable temperature-regulated carrier for safe last-mile transport of vaccines and other biological products such as blood serums, specimens, and medications.

Both the COVID-19 vaccines (available in India) — Covishield and Covaxin — are freeze-sensitive, and need to be stored and transported at temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees celsius, Emvolio can maintain pre-set temperatures for over 12 hours. Also, the battery-powered device can carry around 30-50 vials at a time.

Replacing the traditional iceboxes that are used in the last-mile delivery of vaccines, Emvolio is being deployed in remote areas in Manipur, Bihar, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. 

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

As India steps up its fight against COVID-19, a crucial aspect of winning this fight will be ensuring the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines through robust, unbroken cold-chain systems. Blackfrog Technologies has developed a solution to strengthen the efficacy of immunisation supply chains and ensure vaccines are not wasted during distribution. 

Editor’s Pick: The Turning Point

When Ghazal Alagh and Varun Alagh were expecting their first child, they wanted to use the best products for their baby but could not find anything that was chemical-free. This led them to start Mamaearth in 2016. Mamaearth makes natural, plant-based products, which are certified safe as well as effective. Read more.

Startup Spotlight

Enabling access to mentorship, network, and capital to entrepreneurs in Bihar

Startups in Tier II, Tier III towns, and non-urban centres, often lack an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Founded in 2020, Karekeba Ventures nurtures, incubates, seed-funds, and accelerates early-stage startups in ‘Bharat’. The venture focuses on grassroots level startups that have scalable product and service ideas to create investment-ready and employment-generating enterprises. Read more.

News & Updates

• Twitter is testing a new feature called Tip Jars, which will allow users to raise money on the microblogging site. In a blog post, Twitter said users around the world who tweet in English will see the "Tip Jar" feature — a new way for people to send and receive tips. 

• WhatsApp has scrapped its May 15 deadline for users to accept its controversial privacy policy update and stated that not accepting the terms will not lead to the accounts being deleted. It had faced severe backlash over user concerns that data was being shared with Facebook.

• Prominent Indian chef Vikas Khanna is working on war footing to send COVID-19 emergency relief materials, including oxygen concentrators and PPE kits, to India which is battling a devastating surge in coronavirus infections.

• The Indian government should regulate and control cryptocurrencies instead of prohibiting them, former Finance Secretary S C Garg said. Addressing a virtual event by Assocham, he said there is an undue emphasis on cryptocurrencies, and these digital assets will require standard frameworks.

• The CoWIN system is introducing a new feature of a four-digit security code from May 8 to minimise data entry errors about vaccination status that would subsequently reduce the inconvenience caused to citizens, the health ministry said.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is generating hope. At this critical moment, vaccine equity is the biggest moral test before the global community.”

— António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

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