India Coronavirus Dispatch: Odisha facing a shortage of vaccine doses

An odour distortion condition associated with coronavirus, doctors make a song to raise awareness about vaccination, and more-news relevant to India's fight against Covid-19

Expert panel likely to meet this week to decide on Sputnik V's emergency use

The union government's expert panel on new drugs and vaccines could meet later this week to consider granting emergency approval to Sputnik V, Russia's Covid-19 vaccine, a report in ThePrint said citing sources. Hyderabad-based drugmaker Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, which conducted the clinical trials for the vaccine, has submitted the immunogenicity data to the subject expert committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO), India's national regulatory body for pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Read more here

Odisha facing a shortage of vaccine doses

Odisha might have to have to pause its coronavirus vaccination drive for a few days because of a shortage in doses, according to a report by Reuters. The state's additional chief secretary for health P.K. Mohapatra wrote to the central health ministry to say Odisha only had enough doses to run its vaccination drive until March 30. It is expecting another batch of Covishield only on April 2. “We will have no vaccines for 4 days,” Mohapatra said. “Hence, adequate doses of Covishield vaccine may be supplied in time so as to continue uninterrupted vaccination drive in our state. Your urgent attention is drawn to the above issue.” Read more here

Doctors make a song to raise awareness about vaccination

In order to encourage people to get themselves vaccinated, a group of doctors around the world have come together with a song in Tamil and English, a report in The Hindu said. The song—played over the score of ‘Roop Tera Mastana’ from the Bollywood classic Aradhana—received more than 18,000 views within 24 hours from when it was uploaded to YouTube on Friday. “As more people watch it, the urgency to get vaccinated will hopefully translate,” Madurai-based ophthalmologist Dr Badri Narayanan Thiagarajan told The Hindu. Thiagarajan appears for a split second in the video, along with 40 other contemporaries who are part of the 1978 class of Madurai Medical College (MMC), the report said. Read more here 

Parosmia: An odour distortion condition associated with Covid-19

While many people go through a loss of smell (anosmia) and taste after contracting Covid-19, some individuals may experience parosmia, which is characterised by a change in perception of odours, a report in The Indian Express said. The condition leads to “distortions of the sense of smell”. A person with parosmia can detect certain odours, but they might experience the smell of certain things as different and find them unpleasant. For example, coffee might smell like burnt toast, the report said. Read more here 

Nurse tests positive a month after getting both doses; experts say not unusual

A nurse at Delhi's Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra hospital tested positive for coronavirus over a month after she received both doses of a vaccine, which experts said was not unusual, a report in the Hindustan Times said. Experts said fully vaccinated people getting infected is not surprising, as no vaccine is 100% effective. But the vaccines are still expected to offer 100% protection against severe forms of Covid. Read more here