Page 26 - Vaccination

S Africa hopeful of herd immunity as vaccination opens for all above 18

South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla is hopeful the country would achieve herd immunity against coronavirus if 70 per cent of its 18 to 35 population is vaccinated.

Coronavirus vaccination to resume in Mumbai today post 2-day halt

After receiving COVID-19 vaccine doses, Mumbai will resume vaccination from Saturday, informed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

As 160,000 vaccine doses arrive in Mumbai, drive to resume on Sat, says BMC

BMC has said the vaccination drive against Covid-19 will resume at civic and government-run centres in Mumbai from Saturday as fresh stock of over 160,000 doses had arrived

Over 144,000 Covid-19 vaccines administered in Delhi on Thursday

Over 1.44 lakh people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the national capital on Thursday, according to the Delhi government's vaccination bulletin. The bulletin issued on Friday showed that 1,06,728 people received their first dose while 38,192 were administered the second dose of Covid vaccine. The city has administered 1,21,16,533 Covid vaccines so far, of which 86,86,698 were first doses and 34,29,835 second doses, it showed. As of Friday morning, the national capital had only two days of vaccine stocks left, the bulletin claimed. Delhi had a balance stock of 4,07,270 coronavirus vaccines, of which 2,02,280 doses were of Covishield and 2,04,990 of Covaxin. The national capital has 915 Covid vaccination centres with a capacity of inoculating 1,77,496 beneficiaries per day.

Scientists argue against US decision to roll out Covid booster shots

Scientists have criticised the US decision to roll out Covid booster shots for all Americans stating that the data isn't compelling, the media reports said

Breakthrough Covid infections in India due to Delta variant: INSACOG

Breakthrough infections of coronavirus cases comprise a very high proportion of the Delta variant, the INSACOG, a genome sequencing government consortium of laboratories, has said

Focus on vaccine supply

Pace has increased but supply constraints remain

Over 38 mn people didn't get 2nd vaccine dose within stipulated time: Govt

Over 3.86 crore people did not get their second dose of anti-Covid vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin -- within the stipulated period of time, the government has said in response to an RTI query

Pfizer, AstraZeneca vaccines less effective against Delta variant: Study

The COVID vaccines by Pfizer and AstraZeneca are less effective against the Delta variant compared to the Alpha variant, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Oxford

Study in Chennai shows vaccines reduce mortality due to Delta variant

ICMR study conducted in Chennai has found that the Delta variant has the potential to infect both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, but it reduces mortality among the former group

Biden administration to start offering vaccine booster shots on Sept 20

The US will begin issuing more booster shots as soon as Sept. 20 to people who received their second shot at least eight months earlier

Where have all the statesmen gone?

The national interest may not be popular. The international interest may be even less so. It's what the world needs now

US officials recommend booster shots for all Americans amid Delta surge

US health officials Wednesday recommended all Americans get COVID-19 booster shots to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and evidence that the vaccines' effectiveness is falling. The plan, as outlined by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other top authorities, calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The doses could begin the week of September 20. Health officials said people who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also probably need extra shots. But they said they are awaiting more data and have yet to work out a plan. The plan is still awaiting a Food and Drug Administration evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of a third dose, the officials said. In a statement, health officials said it is very clear that the vaccines' protection against infection wanes over time, and now, with the highly contagious delta variant spreading rapidly, we

Covid ebbing as R-value goes below 1 in India, including Kerala, NE: Study

After breaching the value of 1 in the first week of August, the R number, which reflects how rapidly the coronavirus pandemic is spreading, has been steadily ebbing, according to researchers

Russia's Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine shows 93.5% efficacy in Paraguay

The Russian Direct Investment Fund on Wednesday announced the data from Paraguay regarding the one-shot Russian Sputnik Light vaccine demonstrating high safety profile and a 93.5 per cent efficacy

Malls to close ops after Maharashtra govt insists on fully-jabbed staff

Shopping malls in Maharashtra state on Tuesday decided to close down operations, after the government modified guidelines mandating them to operate with fully-vaccinated staff. It would take at least a month before a "sizeable number" of staff gets both the doses of vaccine and meets the criteria provided there is no shortage of the jabs, the Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) said in a statement. Maharashtra had allowed malls to open up last Wednesday after months of closure to contain the spread of infections. However, the government had asked the malls to operate only with double-vaccinated employees and also admit only fully-vaccinated patrons. "In light of the modified guidelines issued by the Government of Maharashtra on 16 August 2021, restraining mall staff from returning to workplace unless they are vaccinated with two doses with a gap 14 days after the second dose, it is unfortunate that malls across the state have decided to close down, a statement from the SCAI

Kerala records 21,613 fresh Covid-19 cases, 127 more deaths

Kerala on Tuesday logged 21,613 new COVID-19 cases pushing the infection count to 37,03,578, as the number of people succumbing to the disease rose to 18,870 with 127 additional deaths

India's Serum Institute takes 50% stake in drug vial maker Schott Kaisha

SII, the world's largest vaccine maker by production volume, has taken a 50% stake in Indian drug vial maker Schott Kaisha, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday.

Cumulative Covid vaccine doses administered in India cross 550 mn: Govt

The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 55 crore-mark on Monday, he Union health ministry said. "In record-breaking progress, India administers 55 crore #COVID19 vaccines. Let's strengthen India's fight against Coronavirus. Let's get vaccinated!" Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a tweet on Monday afternoon. India took 85 days to touch the figure of 10 crores. It then took 45 days to cross the 20 crore-mark, 29 days more to reach 30 crores. India took 24 days to reach 40 crore from 30 crore and then 20 more days to cross 50 crore vaccinations on August 6. It surpassed the 54 crore-mark on August 14. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated and vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) starting from February 2. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for those over 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid .

Explained: What will it take to stop delta variant of coronavirus

Delta is both more infectious and more capable of evading immunity generated by either vaccination or a previous natural infection