India Coronavirus Dispatch: Poultry sector takes a hit from second wave

Karnataka to develop its own vaccination portal, Bengaluru Kumbh returnee suspected to have infected 33 people, and more-news relevant to India's fight against Covid-19

Over 326,098 fresh cases reported

 

India reported 326,098 fresh coronavirus infections on Saturday, taking the cumulative caseload to 24.3 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 3,890 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 266,207. The active caseload is at 3.6 million, while the total recoveries have surged to 20.4 million. As many as 180 million shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 1.1 million were given on Friday. Read more
 

 

The poultry sector takes a hit from the second wave of Covid

 

The poultry sector, which was recovering from the bird flu outbreak and Coronavirus-related rumours last year, is taking a big hit from the lockdowns sparked by the second Covid wave, a report in ThePrint said. The second wave has caused a dip in demand and prices, especially at the wholesale and the HORECA (Hotel/Restaurant/Catering) ends. Many small and medium poultry owners have abandoned or cut down their output owing to heavy losses and that this has led to a temporary spike in prices, according to industry experts. Read more

 

 

A Bengaluru woman returned from Kumbh, tested positive and ‘infected 33 people’

 

A Bengaluru woman, who returned from the Kumbh Mela in April, tested positive for Covid soon after and is suspected to have infected 33 other people, a report in ThePrint said. The 67-year-old woman is the mother-in-law of one of the psychiatrists at the Spandana Healthcare and Rehabilitation Centre in the city. The Kumbh returnee is believed to have infected 18 other members of her family and some among the clinic’s patients and staff at Spandana too tested positive, subsequently, the report said. Read more

 

 

Adverse reactions from mixing Covid-19 vaccines short-lived: Study

 

Researchers examining the outcomes of mixing Covid vaccines (Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines) have put out preliminary data that show more frequent mild-to-moderate reactions in mixed schedules compared to standard schedules, a report in The Indian Express said. The University of Oxford-led study, whose findings were published in The Lancet, found that both of the ‘mixed’ schedules (Pfizer-BioNTech followed by Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Oxford-AstraZeneca followed by Pfizer-BioNTech) induced more frequent reactions following the second, ‘boost’ dose than the standard, ‘non-mixed’ schedules. The adverse reactions, however, were short-lived, and there were no other safety concerns. Read more

 

 

Karnataka to develop its own vaccination portal after glitches emerge on Co-Win

 

The Karnataka government has announced that it would launch its own digital portal to facilitate the vaccination programme in the state owing to limitations of the Centre's Co-Win platform, a report in The Indian Express said. Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said, “The Co-Win application was found to have certain limitations regarding where one chooses to be vaccinated leading to chaos across centres. To manage the process in a better way, we will soon be coming up with a solution.” Read more