India Coronavirus Dispatch: Maha not the only offender on 'backlog' deaths

Is 'double infection' possible, WHO warns the Delta variant's transmissibility is likely overwhelm healthcare, and more-news relevant to India's fight against the pandemic

Over 38,500 fresh cases reported

India reported 38,792 fresh coronavirus infections on Wednesday, taking the cumulative caseload to 30.9 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 624 more deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 411,408. The active caseload is at 429,946, while the total recoveries have surged to 30.1 million. As many as 387 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 3.7 million were given on Tuesday. Read more

Maharashtra not the only offender on 'backlog' deaths

While Maharashtra’s nearly 23,000 'backlog' deaths skew India's fatality rate, a report in ThePrint said the state isn't the only offender. The other states whose death numbers are a particular cause for worry, and in serious need of a systemic audit, are West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, and Karnataka. Bihar, the northeastern states and Odisha have over the last few weeks been quietly adding backlog deaths to their daily Covid bulletins, pushing up the casualty figures even as daily cases have plateaued in the 35,000-50,000 a day range, the report said. Read more

Delta variant transmissibility likely to up pressure on healthcare: WHO

The World Health Organization has warned that the Delta variant's increased transmissibility is likely to substantially increase cases and put greater pressure on healthcare systems, especially in places of low vaccine coverage, a report in ThePrint said. As of July 13, at least 111 countries, territories and areas have reported detection of the Delta variant, and this is expected to continue to increase, becoming the dominant variant globally in the coming months, the report said. Read more

Explained: Is 'double infection' possible?

Medical experts say cases of "double infection", in which an individual contracts two different variants of the novel coronavirus at the same time, might be rare but is possible, said an explainer in The Indian Express.

Infections from multiple persons within a short period of time are neither impossible nor unheard of. “If somebody is exposed to more than one infected person, he or she can get the infection from any or all of them. There is nothing that prevents such an eventuality,” said V S Chauhan, former director of the Delhi-based International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. Read more

Single dose of Sputnik V triggers strong antibody response among those infected: Study

According to new research, a single dose of the Sputnik V vaccine may be enough to bring about a strong antibody response against SARS-CoV-2, in people who have already contracted Covid, a media report said. Previous studies have found that two doses of Sputnik V result in 92 per cent efficacy against Covid. The new study, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, examined whether a single dose would achieve greater public health benefit than two doses by allowing protection of a larger population more quickly, the report said. Read more