India Coronavirus Dispatch: Travel agencies plan 'vaccine tourism' packages

The awkward link Covid-Vit D connection, IISc start-ups await nod to launch innovative products, Expert urges vaccination of high-risk population first-news relevant to India's fight against Covid-19

Indian travel agencies plan ‘vaccine tourism’ with packages for UK, US and Russia

With the United Kingdom government approving the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, travel agencies in India have already started planning ‘vaccine tourism’ packages for Indians who want to travel to England to take the shots.

Travel agencies such as Zenith Holidays in Kolkata, Gem Tours & Travels in Mumbai and Chariot World Tours in Bengaluru confirmed that they are formulating such tour packages, which could even include the vaccine cost. 

The tour operators are confident that they can arrange for the vaccine. None of the operators has tied up with any foreign firms or agencies as of now. India is currently allowing international flights via ‘air bubble arrangements’ with only 22 countries, including the UK. Read more here
 

IISc start-ups get ready for second Covid wave

Start-ups at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), incubated at the institute’s Society of Innovation and Development, are getting ready to tackle the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. Azooka Labs, co-founded by Alex D Paul and Fathima Benazir, is waiting for the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approval to scale up its facility to produce one million kits of RNAWRAPR, a medium to safely transport Covid test swabs. Two more firms are awaiting different approvals to launch products, methods. Read more here
 

Vitamin D’s Covid-19 connection is not as straightforward as you think

The recent publication of a high-profile study from India showing that patients with severe Covid-19 infections were more likely to have low vitamin D levels as well, and that the death rate was significantly higher among those with low vitamin D, has caused a flutter in the medical research community as well as among non-experts.

The authors of the study have also written that their results indicate mass supplementation of vitamin D to those at risk of developing Covid-19 infections.

Although this is one of many studies linking vitamin-D deficiency to the severity of disease and fatality in Covid-19 patients, it is also unique in several ways. Read more here 
 

Covid-19 in India: Where is it at and what does the future have in store?

In mid-September, India’s Covid-19 cases and deaths began a steady decline, which then slowed and became more uncertain in late October.

The data appears to tell a familiar story. There is a peak, the worst seems over, but then comes a roadblock: the number of cases refuses to fall any further and sometimes starts to rise again.

What could lie behind this story of peak, decline and “getting stuck”? And what is likely to happen next? Answering these questions is hard – but spelling out the difficulties could help. Read more here 
 

Let’s prioritise Covid-19 vaccines for antibody-negative high-risk individuals

Let us vaccinate our antibody-negative high-risk population first. We can simultaneously generate data on the usefulness of the vaccine in individuals who are already immune. We need to utilise our precious resources wisely, argues Dr Abdul Ghafur, a consultant in infectious diseases, Apollo Hospital, Chennai. Read more here