Page 15 - Coronavirus Vaccine

India logs 1,331 new Covid-19 cases , active infections dip to 22,742

India has recorded 1,331 fresh COVID-19 infections, while the number of active cases have come down to 22,742 from 25,178, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The COVID-19 tally now stands at 4.49 crore (4,49,72,800). The death toll climbed to 5,31,707 with 11 fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. At 22,742, the active cases comprise 0.06 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.76 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,44,18,351, while the case fatality rate stood at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Emergency ends

Public health questions about Covid persist, however

Here's why some people suffered heart inflammation post Covid vaccine

Heart inflammation post Covid vaccination was not caused by antibodies created by jab, rather it was the result of a more generalised response involving immune cells and inflammation, finds a study

Pfizer beats profit estimates as new drugs offset Covid products slump

Pfizer expects 2023 to be a "transition year" for its Covid products, before potential returning to growth in 2024

US to lift Covid-19 vaccine mandates for international travelers next week

The Biden administration will end most of the last remaining federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements next week when the national public health emergency for the coronavirus ends, the White House has said. Vaccine requirements for federal workers, federal contractors, and foreign air travellers to the US will end May 11. The government is also beginning the process of lifting shot requirements for Head Start educators, healthcare workers, and noncitizens at US land borders, the White House said on Monday. The requirements are among the last vestiges of some of the more coercive measures taken by the federal government to promote vaccination as the deadly virus raged, and their end marks the latest display of how President Joe Biden's administration is moving to treat COVID-19 as a routine, endemic illness. While I believe that these vaccine mandates had a tremendous beneficial impact, we are now at a point where we think that it makes a lot of sense to pull these requirements down, Whi

As India prepares for Sudan evacuation, a look at earlier rescue operations

The government has announced that it was working to ensure the safety of more than 3,000 Indian citizens in Sudan

Patent data shows India among the top innovators in fight against Covid

The results were based on a detailed review by WIPO which analysed patent activity starting from January 2020 through September 2022

New XBB Covid sub-variants reported in China, says SHINE report

The centre detected 603 cases of variants under strict inspection, including the 12 sub-variants being found for the first time, according to SHINE

Paediatricians bat for Covid-19 vaccine for children as cases rise

Doctors say they are seeing an increase in children with Covid infection

Delhi logs 948 fresh Covid-19 cases, two deaths, positivity rate of 25.69%

Delhi on Sunday logged 948 fresh COVID-19 infections and two fatalities with a case positivity rate of 25.69, according to data shared by the Health department here. With the new fatalities, the death toll from the pandemic rose to 26,597 in the national capital. The total case tally is at 20,33,372. Covid was the primary cause of death in one of the fatalities, the Health department said. Of the 7,973 Covid beds in the city, 370 are occupied, the data showed. Delhi on Saturday logged 1,515 fresh COVID-19 infections and six fatalities with a case positivity rate of 26.46. The department did not issue a bulletin on Friday. The city saw three fatalities and 1,603 fresh caseload additions on Thursday with a positivity rate of 26.75. On Wednesday, it reported six deaths along with 1,757 new cases with a positivity rate of 28.63.

Current Covid variants mild, senior citizens can take booster dose: SII CEO

He further stated that Covovax is also being provided in the United States of America and Europe

Current Covid-19 strain mild, SII produced 5-6 mn Covovax doses: Poonawalla

The prevalent strain of COVID-19 is mild and the Serum Institute of India (SII) has already produced five to six million doses of the Covovax vaccine, said the company's chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla on Saturday. Poonawalla was talking to media persons amid rising cases of coronavirus infections in the country since March. India has recorded 12,193 fresh COVID-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, with the number of active cases of the infection going up to 67,556, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. Currently, the COVID strain is not severe, it's just a mild strain. Just for precautionary measures, elderly people can get the booster dose, but it would be their choice whether or not to take it. Five to six million doses of Covovax are available. We will also produce the same amount of Covishield doses in the next two to three months, said Poonawalla. As per a health bulletin of the Maharashtra government on Friday, the XBB.1.16 variant of Omicron is currently the domina

India among 3 countries where vaccines' importance improved: Unicef

India is one of three countries out of 55 where the perception of the importance of vaccines held firm or improved after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to UNICEF. However, India is home to about 2.7 million of the world's zero-dose children, UNICEF stated. Zero-dose children are those who have not received a single routine vaccine. "Despite the increase in the number of zero-dose children to three million during the pandemic, India was able to arrest the backslide between 2020 and 2021 to bring the number of zero-dose children down to 2.7 million thanks to unwavering political commitment and sustained evidence-based catch-up campaigns initiated by the government, including the fourth Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) and its continued provision of comprehensive Primary Health Care services," said Vivek Virendra Singh, a health specialist at UNICEF. The public perception of the importance of vaccines for children declined during the COVID-19 pandemic in 52 of the 55 countries

Covid advisories must be updated based on evolving scenario: Mishra

PK Mishra asked officials to maintain a strict vigil on the situation and take necessary actions to contain the Covid-19 spread

FDA clears extra Covid-19 booster dose for some high-risk Americans

US regulators on Tuesday cleared another booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for older Americans and people with weak immune systems. The Food and Drug Administration also took steps to make coronavirus vaccinations simpler for everyone, saying that anyone getting a Pfizer or Moderna dose whether it's a booster or their first-ever vaccination will get the newest formula, not the original shots. The FDA said those 65 or older can opt to roll up their sleeves again for another booster as long as it's been at least four months since their first dose of the so-called bivalent vaccine that targets omicron strains. And most people who are immune-compromised also can choose that extra spring booster at least two months after their first, with additional doses in the future at the discretion of their physician, the agency said. If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signs off, those spring boosters could begin within days. The CDC's advisers are set to meet

Self-testing could hide real Covid numbers; kit sales up 15% in Apr: Report

According to ICMR and MoH&FW protocol, individuals who test Covid positive after checking from self-testing kits can be considered as true positives and will not have to get tested again

Top headlines: Sideloading apps in iOS 17, India Inc gears for Covid spike

Business Standard brings you top headlines at this hour

Number of road accident deaths in Maharashtra up by over 2,000 in 3 years

A total of 14,883 people were killed in road accidents in Maharashtra last year, an increase of 2,095 compared to 12,788 fatalities recorded in the pre-COVID-19 year of 2019, while the number of such incidents rose by 144 in 2022 from three years ago, as per official statistics. Last year, 33,069 road accidents took place in the state compared to 32,925 in 2019, as per the data. While there was a 0.44 per cent rise in the number of accidents in 2022 compared to 2019, the fatalities went up by 16.38 per cent, though the number of injuries to 27,218 from 28,628 during the period. The issue of road accidents gains prominence as 13 people, including five minors, were killed and 29 injured after a bus carrying young male and female members of a traditional music troupe fell into a gorge on the old Mumbai-Pune highway in the state's Raigad district on Saturday. The private bus with 42 persons on board was going from Pune to Mumbai when it plunged into the 300-feet deep gorge in the Bor

It is not a panic situation: Dr Guleria amid spike in Covid-19 cases

Former director of AIIMS, Delhi, Dr Randeep Guleria, on Saturday said while the country was seeing a fresh surge in Covid-19 infections, the situation, as of now, isn't one to induce panic

Three years into pandemic, Himachal sees 14% decline in suicide cases

The spurt in number of suicides witnessed in the immediate wake of the COVID pandemic due to job loss, poor health, and uncertainty about future, has relented a little, declining by 14 per cent from 889 in 2021 to 758 in 2022. A total of 2,502 persons committed suicide in the past three years between 2020 and 2022 with a majority of them men at 1,710 and the rest 792 women. As per the data procured from the police department, 709 persons committed suicide in 2019 with the number rising to 855 and 889 in 2020 and 2021 respectively during the peak COVID 19 pandemic. According to police, the maximum number of people who committed suicide were labourers (28 per cent) followed by housewives (24 per cent), students (11 per cent), private employees (10 per cent), businessmen and government employees (4 per cent each), farmers (three per cent), and others (16 per cent). The suicide cases were attributed to marriage related issue, financial issues, drug addiction, sickness, unemployment, ..