Page 21 - Coronavirus Vaccine

Vaccines only for those with comorbidities, uninfected, say experts

Warning against unnecessary and irrational use of vaccines, the report emphasised that vaccination should be recommended only for those with comorbidities or those who have never had Covid-19

Acceptance of Covid vaccines increased globally to 79.1% in 2022: Study

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines increased globally, from 75.2 per cent in 2021 to 79.1 per cent in 2022, according to a survey in 23 countries that represent more than 60 per cent of the world's population. The study underlines a wide variability among countries and the need for tailored communication strategies in addressing vaccine hesitancy. It was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Spain, and the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), US. However, vaccine acceptance decreased in eight countries and almost one in eight vaccinated respondents, particularly younger men and women, were hesitant about receiving a booster dose, the study said. The findings have been published in Nature Medicine. "The pandemic is not over, and authorities must urgently address vaccine hesitancy and resistance as part of their COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategy," says Jeffrey V Lazarus, Head of the Health Systems ...

Govt panel may decide on Covovax as heterologous booster dose for adults

An expert panel of the central drugs regulatory authority is likely to take a decision on Wednesday on granting market authorisation to SII's COVID-19 vaccine Covovax as a heterologous booster dose for adults who have been administered two doses of Covishield or Covaxin, official sources said. The Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is scheduled to meet on January 11. Prakash Kumar Singh, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Serum Institute of India (SII), had written a letter to the the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) recently for the approval to Covovax as a heterologous booster dose for adults in view of the escalating pandemic situation in some countries, an official source told. The DCGI had approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations for adults on December 28, 2021, for those in the 12-17 age group on March 9, 2022, and also in children aged 7- 11 years on June 28, 2022, subject to certai

Ocugen announces positive data for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in US trials

The study enrolled 419 US adult participants that were randomized 1:1 to receive two doses of Covaxin or placebo, 28 days apart

Covaxin shows 'positive' results in phase 2/3 studies in US: Ocugen

If approved, will become the first India-developed vax to be commercialised in the US

Ocugen-Bharat Biotech Covid vaccine meets main goals in US trial: Report

Ocugen Inc said on Monday the COVID-19 vaccine developed by its Indian partner Bharat Biotech International Ltd met the main goals of a trial in the United States

Poonawalla gets Patangrao Kadam award, Maha Dy CM hails SII for vaccine

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday lauded vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India and its CEO Adar Poonwalla for their contribution in the fight against COVID-19. He was speaking at the inauguration of Bharti Super Specialty Hospital at Bharti Vidyapeeth where Poonwalla was conferred with the first Dr Patangrao Kadam Memorial Award. "I am very happy we got the opportunity to felicitate Poonawalla. It is an opportunity to say thanks for saving us. The entire nation wants to thank you," he said. The vaccines provided by SII during the pandemic showed the country's strength to the world, Fadnavis said. He also hailed the Bharti Vidyapeeth and said Patangrao Kadam was a leader who created 190 institutes to provide quality education and created quality human resource. ' The event was also attended by Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Adar Poonawalla was carrying forward the legacy of his fath

Covovax to get approval as booster in 10-15 days, says SII CEO Poonawalla

Serum Institute of India chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla on Sunday said its Covovax vaccine will get approval as a booster in the next 10 to 15 days, adding it works well against the Omicron variant of coronavirus. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at Bharti Vidyapeeth University here, Poonawalla, when asked about states and districts not getting Covishield vaccines, said there are ample stocks with the Union government for supply. "Covovax will be approved as a booster in the next 10-15 days. It is actually the best booster because it works very well against Omicron, more than Covishield," said Poonawalla. He said everyone was looking at India, not just in terms of healthcare but because the country managed to take care of a huge and diverse population and also helped 70 to 80 nations during the COVID-19 pandemic. "This was all possible because of the leadership of our Central government, our state governments, healthcare workers, manufacturers, all of who

India records 163 new Covid cases; active tally declines to 2,423

India logged 163 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases declined to 2,423, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,79,924). The death toll stands at 5,30,720 with two deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 86 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,46,781, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.13 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and

Covishield immune responses against Covid-19 higher than Covaxin: Study

Neutralising antibody responses against the SARS-COV-2 virus and its variants of concern (VoC) are higher among Covishield recipients than those who took the indigenously made Covaxin, according to a multi-centre study. The yet-to-be peer-reviewed study, posted on the preprint server MedRxiv on Friday, also found that when compared to pre-vaccination baseline, both vaccines elicited statistically significant antibody levels in both seronegative individuals and seropositive or those who had recovered from Covid-19 infection. Between June 2021 and January 2022, the researchers enrolled 691 participants in the 18-45 age group across four sites in urban and rural Bengaluru and Pune. Participants received either two doses of Covaxin at 28 days apart or two doses of Covishield at three months apart. The Omicron wave in early 2022 overlapped with the second dose of vaccine in two sites and with both doses in one site. Participants were sampled at six timepoints for antibody analyses and

Himachal Pradesh govt seeks 1 million doses of Covishield vaccine

The government said it is fully geared up to tackle any possible threat due to COVID virus and the basic health infrastructure is being strengthened in all health institutions

Covid-19 vaccine safe in children, adolescents with MIS-C : Study

Scientists demonstrated that it is safe for children and adolescents to get a COVID-19 vaccine after having multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). The researchers found that there were no reports of serious complications including myocarditis or MIS-C reoccurrence. About half of participants experienced mild and typical reactions, including arm soreness and fatigue, they said. The multicentre, observational study, the largest of its kind to examine COVID vaccination in this group, helps resolve a lingering question about whether the COVID vaccine can increase the risk of health problems in young people who have had MIS-C. The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open. MIS-C is a poorly understood condition that affects 1 in about 3,000 to 4,000 children and adolescents who had COVID-19, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It occurs a few weeks after COVID infection and can lead to organ failure. MIS-C ...

Second Covid booster shot unwarranted, says report amid infection surge

"There is no data available on the utility of a second booster for the currently used vaccines"

Boosters limit Omicron transmission in Californian prisons, finds study

The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, demonstrated the benefits of vaccination and boosting, even in settings where many people are still getting infected, in reducing transmission

India logs 173 new coronavirus infections; active tally declines to 2,670

India has recorded 173 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have declined to 2,670, according to Union health ministry data updated on Monday. The total tally of Covid cases has been recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,78,822) and the death toll stands at 5,30,707 with two fatalities -- one reconciled by Kerala and one reported by Uttarakhand -- in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the ministry's website. The ministry said a decrease of 36 cases has been recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,41,45, 445, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.19 per cent, it said. The ministry on its website stated that 220.10 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far. India's COVID-19 ta

Study reveals booster dose increases resilience of Covid antibody response

Recent research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine discussed the benefits of a Covid-19 booster vaccine dose.The most recent study clarifies how Pfizer and Moderna mRNA boosters influence the persistence of our Covid-19 antibodies. According to the researchers, a booster produced more durable antibodies in all individuals, including those who had recovered from a Covid-19 infection.The researchers have published their latest findings in the scientific journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology."These results fit with other recent reports and indicate that booster shots enhance the durability of vaccine-elicited antibodies," said senior researcher Jeffrey Wilson, MD, PhD, of UVA Health's Division of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.Tracking Covid-19 antibodies: Wilson and his collaborators looked at antibody levels following a booster in 117 UVA employee volunteers and compared those results with the levels seen in 228 volunteers after their primary vaccination .

2022: When India learnt to live with Covid as the virus eased its grip

The health sector returned to the old normal; the advice for 2023 is 'watchfulness and appropriate response'

Bengal to write to Centre for more Covid vaccines, testing kits: Official

The West Bengal government on Wednesday decided to write to the Centre to request for more COVID vaccines and testing kits, a senior official said. Along with five lakh doses of nasal vaccines, the state government has decided to request the Union government to send one lakh doses of Covaxin and 15 lakh doses of Covishield, he said. Keeping in mind the warnings of a probable COVID surge, the state government issued guidelines for hospitals and directed them to set up COVID wards in medical establishments where such facilities are unavailable. The decisions were taken during a virtual meeting chaired by Chief secretary H K Dwivedi with the district magistrates and senior officials of the state health department. The official said that hospitals were asked to keep beds ready keeping in mind critical and very critical patients. Meanwhile, nine fresh cases were reported in the state on Wednesday, taking the tally to 21,18,606, a health bulletin said. The toll remained unchanged at 21

Patchy recovery: How 2022 swung from despair to hope to caution

Even as it grappled with new viruses, the human race hit another milestone

Biological E, Bharat Biotech together sitting on 250 mn Covid vaccine doses

Two major vaccine makers from Hyderabad, Biological E Ltd and Bharat Biotech, together are holding about 250 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines ready to dispatch as and when orders are received. According to respective company sources, Biological E is holding 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax while Bharat Biotech is sitting on a stockpile of 50 million doses of Covaxin. Dr Vikram Paradkar, Executive Vice President (Manufacturing), Biological E, said the firm produced about 30 crore doses of Corbevax in total, abiding by the vaccine manufacturing commitment to the Central government. In March '22, Biological E successfully supplied 10 crore doses to the government. "Currently, we have approximately 20 crore (200 million) doses that are fully tested and ready for supply, as and when we receive orders. Additionally, we manufactured 20 crore doses equivalent of the antigen which will help us ramp up the manufacturing of the Corbevax finished product quickly," Paradkar