Current Affairs in Short: 10 March 2021

103-year-old becomes oldest woman in India to get Covid-19 vaccine

•103-year-old J Kameshwari became the oldest woman in India to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on March 9, 2021. This is as per the available data. 
•The Union Health Ministry informed recently that the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 2.40 crore. 
•The centre has been ramping up the Covid-19 vaccination drive across states as it started the second phase of vaccination from March 1.
•Under this phase, those above 60 years of age and those above 45 years with co-morbidities are eligible to register and receive the Covid-19 vaccine. 

ICC CEO Manu Sawhney sent on 'leave' 

•The International Cricket Council's (ICC) Chief Executive Manu Sawhney has been sent on leave after his conduct came under the scanner. 
•The ICC CEO's conduct came under scanner as audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers was conducting an internal investigation. It was decided that the best way forward will be to keep him away.
•Sawhney has been asked to go on leave as there have been allegations that his behaviour hasn't been great over the last 12 months and is in conflict with the way the international body likes to function. 

First 'Milk ATM' installed in Kashmir's Pulwama

•The first milk vending machine called as 'Milk ATM' has been installed in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. 
•The machine has been installed near Shaheed Park in the Chatpora area of Pulwama by a professional milk supplier, Shabir Ahmad Wagay. 
•The milk ATM has been set up in collaboration with the Department of Animal and Sheep Husbandry under the Integrated Dairy Development Scheme. 
•The vendor has got 50 percent subsidy on all dairy processing equipment from the department besides other equipment for the development of the milk ATM.
•The capacity of the vending machine in 500 litres and it aims to ensure that there is no shortage of milk in the town. 

Pakistan to get 16 million free doses of COVID-19 vaccine manufactured in India through Gavi

•Pakistan is scheduled to get 16 million free doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, which is being manufactured in India, through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi).
•As per reports, Pakistan is largely relying on free doses being provided by Gavi to vaccinate its citizens against the coronavirus, as the Chinese-made vaccine CanSino would cost Pakistan around Rs 2000 per person. 
•Pakistan will receive the first batch of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India by mid-March and the rest of it is expected to arrive by June.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can protect against Brazil variant

•A new study has suggested that the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine can provide protection to people against the coronavirus variant first identified in Brazil.
•The blood serum samples of people who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine "efficiently" neutralized a version of the virus engineered to carry the same mutations as the Brazil variant, known as the P.1.
•The blood samples were taken from 15 people 2-4 weeks after they received the second dose of the vaccine as a part of a clinical trial. 
•The blood samples could neutralize the Brazil variant "roughly" as well as it could neutralize an earlier strain of the virus from January 2020.
The study was published by the New England Journal of Medicine on March 8, 2021.