Medically Speaking Team

The researchers identified immune cell types that could be targeted to develop specialised immunotherapies in chemotherapy-resistant breast tumours.

Researchers from King’s College London and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, with funding from Breast Cancer Now, investigated the distinct immunological markers found in tumour tissues and blood samples from early breast cancer patients whose cancer did not respond to chemotherapy before surgery. The study, which was published today in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, sheds light on how immune cells behave in patients with chemotherapy-resistant breast cancer.

While chemotherapy may not eliminate cancer cells in these high-risk patients, immunotherapy, which aids the immune system in attacking cancer cells, may be beneficial.

Researchers used several and unique complementary technologies to examine at proteins and genes on both pre-treatment and post-treatment breast cancer tissue to investigate the immunological milieu that surrounds these chemotherapy-resistant tumours. They also looked at how chemotherapy altered 1,330 cancer and immune-related genes in cancer tissues.

They discovered that chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells were surrounded by very few immune cells, although chemotherapy did cause alterations in several immune cell types. They discovered an increase in the number of “innate” (first responder) cells such neutrophils and natural killer (NK) cells in particular. NK cells aid the body in its battle against infection and cancer. However, the study discovered that the enhanced NK cells in chemotherapy-resistant patients lacked cytotoxic function – the ‘killing instinct.’

Researchers also discovered that immune-related genes linked to NK cells were linked to cell inhibition or exhaustion, implying that NK cells were unable to combat cancer cells. This new understanding of NK cell behaviour could be leveraged to build targeted immunotherapies for these high-risk patients. Future clinical trials would need to look into this.

These findings also suggest that blood monitoring throughout chemotherapy may aid in early prediction of chemotherapy response, thus allowing for treatment modification prior to surgery.

Lead author Dr Sheeba Irshad, Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist at King’s College London said: “Chemotherapy resistance in aggressive early breast cancers is a major reason why cancer regrows after treatment, contributing significantly to people not surviving their disease. In order to find the right targets for drug developments, it’s important to have a deep understanding of the complex mechanisms that allow some cancer cells to resist treatment, then hide from our immune system to only re-emerge later when they’re harder to eradicate.”

“Our work has identified several cell types that would be worth investigating further to understand how they are interacting with the resistant cancer cell and how we can tweak that for our benefit. I am excited to continue to investigate these findings further.”

Professor Andrew Tutt, Director of the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and of the Breast Cancer Now Research Unit at King’s College London, said: “Great strides have been made in harnessing immunotherapies to treat several types of cancer, but we need to do better to realise their potential for patients with breast cancer.

“This exciting work advances our understanding of the interaction between cancer cells and the immune system during treatment, and why existing treatments work well for some patients, but not others. I hope this research will help us to enhance the anti-cancer immune response in breast cancer, particularly for patients whose cancer has not responded well to chemotherapy.”

Advances in Breast Cancer Treatment

Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, Senior Research Communications Manager at Breast Cancer Now, said: “With an estimated 35,000 people living with incurable secondary (metastatic) breast cancer in the UK, it’s vital we develop smarter, more effective treatments to ensure fewer people hear the devastating news the disease has returned and spread to other parts of the body.

This exciting early-stage research, which has been part-funded by Breast Cancer Now, helps to lay the groundwork for discovering a way to target breast cancer cells that resist chemotherapy treatment. We hope by building on these findings, scientists will ultimately be able to develop immunotherapy treatments that may help more people survive breast cancer.”

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Bharti Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, stated on Sunday that India’s healthcare system has demonstrated significant efficiency not just in delivering diagnostic and management services, but also in lowering mortality and maximising recovery.

Bharti Pravin Pawar made the remarks while presiding over AIIMS’s 67th Foundation Day festivities in New Delhi.

Speaking at the occasion, the Minister said, “India’s health care system has shown great efficiency not only in providing diagnostic and management facilities but also in minimizing mortality and maximizing recovery.”

Pawar expressed happiness over AIIMS ranking among the top 10 educational institutional in research category. She also said it is the only institution with a patient care service component in addition to research.

She appreciated that it is a matter of pride that for the fifth consecutive year, AIIMS, New Delhi has been ranked as number one among medical institutions as per the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) issued by the Ministry of Education and she urged the authorities to maintain the ranking in coming years too.

She stated that “To build stronger and healthier India, AIIMS New Delhi with its repository of wisdom, to lead the path with other Institutes of Excellence,” she said.

“When we talk about holistic health and inclusiveness of accessibility, we are including three factors in it. Firstly, expansion of infrastructure and human resources related to modern medical science. Secondly, promotion of research in traditional Indian system of medicine and its active engagement in the healthcare system and thirdly providing better and affordable healthcare facilities to every person and every part of the country through modern and futuristic technology,” she added.

The Minister stated that the federal government’s efforts aim to operate holistically, with an emphasis on preventative care and a priority on tertiary healthcare.

She stated that attempts are being made to minimise the cost of treating the poor while also significantly expanding the number of physicians.

She also recognised AIIMS personnel for their exceptional efforts.

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The National Health Authority conducted a two-day physical event, Arogya Manthan, on Sunday to commemorate the double anniversaries of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

The festival began today in New Delhi and will go through September 26. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, praised the initiative during his speech.

“PM-JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) is the largest health care scheme in the world. Our healthcare system is evolving like never before,” said Pawar.

National Health Authority, CEO, Dr RS Sharma, highlighted the progress of Ayushman Bharat.

“NHA has created robust and interoperable infrastructure through the two pillars of Ayushman Bharat, prepared to scale up for a population of 1.4 billion and be replicated across the world,” said Sharma.

He also informed that Aarogya Setu is now being repurposed as India’s health application.

“CoWIN, Covid19 vaccination portal is being repurposed for national immunisation program and as a health management information system for small doctors,” he added.

Implementations of all of these initiatives have resulted in immense learnings for NHA which were shared during the event.

Arogya Manthan

Lauding the improvement in the nation’s infrastructure as the AB PM-JAY completed its 4 years, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “India has made significant progress over last 8 yrs in terms of connectivity – close to 1.5 lakh villages are already connected with high-quality fibre connection; good data speeds available in villages.”

“This event will be a fantastic chance to celebrate accomplishments so far, take stock to inform the route forward, and learn from colleagues from across the world.

The two-day (physical) event will include formal and technical sessions that will bring together global and national healthcare experts, as well as government officials and State Health Agency officials, to deliberate and collaborate on the future roadmaps for the two schemes, AB PM-JAY and ABDM, respectively “A statement can be found on the Arogyamanthan website.

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Dr. M Srinivas, who took over as the new Director of AIIMS, Delhi, on Friday, had significant triumphs as an administrator and clinician during his stint at ESIC Hospital, Hyderabad, and now has his work cut out for him at one of the country’s busiest hospitals and vital research organisations.

Dr. Srinivas significantly reduced referrals to private hospitals during his stay at ESIC hospital in Hyderabad. Referrals at the hospital are currently limited to specialties that are not available, such as cardiac Cath Lab, Nuclear Medicine, and Radiotherapy equipment.

Dr. Srinivas, 56, went to the paediatric surgical unit and AB5 ICU on his first day as AIIMS Delhi Director and spoke with the employees.

The staff members ANI spoke to lauded his simplicity. “We are expecting positive changes, he is extremely humble,” said a staff member.

The new AIIMS Director has also issued the memorandum on submitting files in e-mode except for confidential ones.

“All concerned are hereby informed that henceforth all the files be submitted to the undersigned in e-file mode only unless the matter is confidential and cannot be submitted in e-filing mode,” an office memorandum said.

He took over the presidency about 11 p.m. on Friday and was back in the hospital around 6 a.m. on Saturday.

Dr. Srinivas has returned to AIIMS, Delhi, following a six-year stint at ESIC Hospital, where he also served as Dean.

He is credited for considerable change at ESIC Hyderabad, as well as the implementation of biometric attendance at the hospital, which is likely to be emulated at AIIMS.

Dr. Srinivas established undergraduate (MBBS Course), postgraduate programmes in 22 departments, 25 super specialty departments, and 12 super speciality courses at ESIC Hyderabad.

During the Covid epidemic, he turned the ESIC hospital’s dorms and OPD into isolation wards in a matter of days.

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Despite disruptions created by the COVID-19 epidemic, the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia Region maintained its polio-free status, but authorities stressed on Friday that further steps are needed to address the ongoing and rising threats of polio internationally.

“Countries have been making efforts, but gaps persist, especially at the sub-national level. We need to scale-up surveillance and immunization coverage and update our polio outbreak response capacities to respond rapidly and timely in the event of a polio outbreak,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director WHO South-East Asia as the South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication met here to review the situation in the Region. The chairs of national certification committees and global certification commission; representatives of donor and partner agencies and WHO participated in the two-day meeting earlier this week.

The Commission concluded that the region has not had any case of wild poliovirus or circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV). However, risks persist due to the continued circulation of wild poliovirus type 1 in endemic countries bordering the region, and due to the cVDPVs being reported from several countries in other regions.

“The situation requires constant monitoring until global polio eradication is achieved,” the Commission recommended.
The Regional Director said globally polio remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Earlier this month, New York declared a state of emergency following the detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples.

In recent months cases of wild poliovirus type 1 have been reported in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malawi and Mozambique.
In June, the 32nd Polio IHR Emergency Committee assessed the risk of international spread of cVDPV2 or circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2, as high, in view of the COVID-19 outbreak impacting routine immunization services in many countries. cVDPVs are a risk in areas with low immunization coverage.

“Today, coverage in the region of the bivalent oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine has, for the most part, stabilized or improved since 2020; however, the trajectory in several countries continues to be cause for concern,” Dr Khetrapal Singh said.

Though the Region maintained global surveillance standards throughout the COVID-19 response, there are variations at national and sub-national levels that need to be addressed, she added.

Emphasizing sustaining adequate resources amid immense fiscal stress, Dr Khetrapal Singh said, “enabling polio networks in the Region to strengthen immunization systems and carry out other public health functions will help polio-priority countries maintain core capacities and infrastructure until global polio eradication is achieved.”

“The last year two and a half years – almost three – have not been easy, but the Region’s continued polio-free status is a testament to the dedication and commitment of the polio programme workforce, many of whom have significantly contributed to the COVID-19 response, and the steadfast resolve of donors and partners,” the Regional Director said.

Updates on the polio situation were also provided at the two-day conference on September 21 and 22 from the WHO Africa Region, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, WHO European Region, and WHO Western Pacific Region.

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Two new studies show how skin grows differently around the body, from the face and underarms to the palms of our hands and feet. Researchers discovered that tracking skin changes has a direct influence on how various skin illnesses arise throughout the body.

“Skin does not have a uniform composition throughout the body,” said Emanual Maverakis, professor of dermatology, molecular medical microbiology at UC Davis and senior author on both studies. “Different skin characteristics at different body sites may affect the skin’s susceptibility to certain diseases.” Skin diseases affect about 84.5 million Americans. Aging, trauma, and environmental and genetic factors can lead to a wide range of skin conditions.

Body site determines skin structure and function and disease susceptibility.

The skin is the largest organ in the body. It has an average area of about 20 square feet — that’s the size of a 4′ by 5′ room! Its outermost layer (epidermis) has a lipid matrix composed of free fatty acids, cholesterol and ceramides (a family of waxy lipid molecules).

This layer must meet the environmental challenges specific to each area of the body. For example, the skin of the face needs to be thin and flexible to accommodate facial expressions. The skin covering the heel of the foot has to be thick and rigid to withstand force and protect it from objects we step on.

Skin composition depends on multiple factors, including the structure of the skin barrier, the cell types, and the genes they express.

Until recently, little was known about the cellular and molecular processes behind these differences. In the first study, researchers showed the mechanisms that lead to these structural changes in the skin.

The epidermis has a “brick and mortar” structure: molecules like ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids make up the “mortar,” and cells called keratinocytes are the “bricks.”

The researchers used single-cell sequencing to characterize how the keratinocytes differ at different body sites. They also used targeted molecular profiling to characterize the molecules that form the “mortar” between the keratinocytes. They then examined how these differences in gene expression matched the compositional differences in the lipid and protein structures across body sites. These experiments explained why the skin looks so different at different body sites.

The compositional differences in the skin’s lipids and proteins across different body sites may also explain why different skin diseases are found at different body sites. While characterizing the specific lipid alterations associated with various skin diseases, the researchers discovered that lipids stuck to a piece of tape applied to the skin were sufficient to diagnose a patient with a particular skin disease.

“These discoveries will lead to non-diagnostic tests for common dermatologic disease” said co-lead author, Project Scientist Alexander Merleev.

“These differences are also relevant to the future design of skin care products,” said Stephanie Le, dermatology resident and co-lead author of the study. “They demonstrate how skin care products should be specifically formulated to match the particular body site that they will be applied to.”

In the second study, the research team studied how skin cells interact with the immune system.

Previously, it was known that keratinocytes could secrete substances that both increase and decrease inflammation. Using single-cell sequencing to analyze each keratinocyte individually, the researchers observed that these immune-modulating molecules were expressed in certain layers of the epidermis.

Keratinocytes at the lowest layer of the epidermis secrete immune-attracting and immune anti-inflammatory molecules. This is to attract immune cells to the skin and park them in place to wait patiently to fight off any pathogenic microbe or parasite that might break through the physical barrier of the skin. In contrast, they found that the keratinocytes in the outer layer of the epidermis secrete proinflammatory molecules, in particular IL-36.

IL-36 is a main mediator of a subtype of psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease. The team found that the amount of IL-36 in the skin was regulated by another molecule called PCSK9 and that individuals with variations in their PCSK9 gene were predisposed to developing psoriasis.

“Our discovery that different layers of the skin secrete different immune mediators is an example of how the skin is highly specialized to interact with the immune system. Some people develop skin diseases, such as psoriasis, when there is an imbalance in the molecules secreted by the different layers of the skin.” said UC Davis research fellow Antonio Ji-Xu, co-lead author of the study.

Also Read: Taking a dip in cold water may not be as healthy as you think!

A new scientific assessment reveals that taking a plunge in cold water may reduce ‘bad’ body fat in males and lower the risk of illnesses such as diabetes.

According to the scientists, cold water swimming has a substantial influence on ‘good’ fat, which helps burn calories, in many of the 104 research they examined. They note that this may protect against obesity and cardiovascular disease. The analysis, however, found equivocal on the health advantages of cold-water bathing, a growingly popular activity.

Much of the existing study used small numbers of volunteers, frequently of one gender, and with varying water temperature and salt content.

In addition, it is unclear whether or not winter swimmers are naturally healthier, say the scientific expert team of review authors from UiT The Arctic University of Norway and from the University Hospital of North Norway.

“From this review, it is clear that there is increasing scientific support that voluntary exposure to cold water may have some beneficial health effects,” states lead author James Mercer, from UiT.

“Many of the studies demonstrated significant effects of cold-water immersion on various physiological and biochemical parameters. But the question as to whether these are beneficial or not for health is difficult to assess.

“Based on the results from this review, many of the health benefits claimed from regular cold exposure may not be causal. Instead, they may be explained by other factors including an active lifestyle, trained stress handling, social interactions, as well as a positive mindset.

“Without further conclusive studies, the topic will continue to be a subject of debate.”

Weight loss, better mental health, and increased libido are among numerous health and well-being claims made by followers of regular cold-water immersion or arising from anecdotal cases.

This activity takes many forms such as swimming in cold water during the winter, and is the subject of growing interest worldwide.

The main aim of the review was to determine whether voluntary exposure to cold water has health effects in humans. The methodology involved a detailed search of the scientific literature.

Excluded from the review were studies where participants wore wet suits, accidental cold-water immersion, and water temperatures greater than 20 degrees centigrade.

Themes covered by the studies that were eligible for review included inflammation, adipose tissue, blood circulation, immune system, and oxidative stress.

Immersion in cold water has a major impact on the body and triggers a shock response such as elevated heart rate.
Some studies provided evidence that cardiovascular risk factors are actually improved in swimmers who have adapted to the cold. However, other studies suggest the workload on the heart is still increased.

The review provided insights into positive links between cold water swimming and brown adipose tissue (BAT), a type of ‘good’ body fat that is activated by cold. BAT burns calories to maintain body temperature unlike ‘bad’ white fat which stores energy.

Cold exposure in water — or air — appears also to increase the production of adiponectin by adipose tissue. This protein plays a key role in protecting against insulin resistance, diabetes and other diseases.

According to the review, repeated cold-water immersions over the winter months dramatically raised insulin sensitivity and lowered insulin concentrations. This was open to both novice and veteran swimmers.

However, the authors note out that the demographics of the swimmers who took part in the research varied. They varied from expert swimmers to experienced winter bathers to people who had never swum in the cold before.

Others were not exactly ice bathers, but employed cold-water immersion as a post-exercise therapeutic.

According to the authors, there is also a need for education about the health dangers involved with swimming in ice water. These include the effects of hypothermia, as well as heart and lung problems that are frequently associated with cold shock.

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Moderate use of black, green, or Oolong tea is connected with a decreased risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes, according to a research of over 1 million individuals from eight nations.

The findings, which were presented at this year’s European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden (19-23 September), show that consuming at least four cups of tea per day is related with a 17% decreased risk of T2D over a 10-year period.

“Our results are exciting because they suggest that people can do something as simple as drinking four cups of tea a day to potentially lessen their risk of developing type 2 diabetes”, says lead author Xiaying Li from Wuhan University of Science and Technology in China.

While it’s long been known that regularly drinking tea may be beneficial for health because of the various antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic compounds tea contain, less clear has been the relationship between tea drinking and the risk of T2D. So far, published cohort studies and meta-analyses have reported inconsistent findings.

To address this uncertainty, researchers conducted a cohort study and a dose-response meta-analysis to better define the relationship between tea consumption and future T2DM risk.

First, they studied 5,199 adults (2583 men, 2616 women) with no history of T2D (average age 42) from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), who were recruited in 1997 and followed until 2009. The CHNS is a multicentre prospective study looking at the economics, sociological issues and health of residents from nine provinces.

At the outset, participants filled in food and drink frequency questionnaires and provided information on lifestyle factors such as regular exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption. Overall, 2,379 (46%) participants reported drinking tea, and by the end of the study, 522 (10%) participants had developed T2D.

After controlling for characteristics known to be associated with an elevated risk of T2D, such as age, gender, and physical inactivity, researchers discovered that tea drinkers had a comparable risk of acquiring T2D as non-drinkers. Furthermore, whether the data were broken down by age and gender, or when people who got diabetes within the first three years of follow-up were omitted, the results did not alter significantly.

In the next step of the study, the researchers did a systematic review of all cohort studies investigating tea drinking and the risk of T2D in adults (aged 18 or older) up to September 2021. Overall, 19 cohort studies involving 1,076,311 participants from eight countries [1] were included in the dose-response meta-analysis.

They explored the potential impact of different types of tea (green tea, oolong tea, and black tea), frequency of tea drinking (less than 1 cup/day, 1-3 cups/day, and 4 or more cups/day), sex (male and female), and the location of the study (Europe and America, or Asia), on the risk of T2D.

Overall, the meta-analysis found a linear association between tea drinking and T2D risk, with each cup of tea consumed per day reducing the risk of developing T2D by around 1%.

When compared with adults who didn’t drink tea, those who drank 1-3 cups daily lowered their risk of T2D by 4%, while those who consumed at least 4 cups every day reduced their risk by 17%.

The associations were observed regardless of the type of tea participants drank, whether they were male or female, or where they lived, suggesting that it may be the amount of tea consumed, rather than any other factor, that plays a major role.

“While more research needs to be done to determine the exact dosage and mechanisms behind these observations, our findings suggest that drinking tea is beneficial in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, but only at high doses (at least 4 cups a day)”, says Li.

She adds, “It is possible that particular components in tea, such as polyphenols, may reduce blood glucose levels, but a sufficient amount of these bioactive compounds may be needed to be effective. It may also explain why we did not find an association between tea drinking and type 2 diabetes in our cohort study because we did not look at higher tea consumption.”

Oolong tea

Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea that’s made from the same plant used to make green and black teas. The difference is how the tea is processed–green tea is not allowed to oxidise much, black tea is allowed to oxidise until it turns black, and oolong tea is partially oxidised.

Despite the important findings, the authors note that the study is observational and cannot prove that drinking tea reduced the risk of T2D, but suggests that it is likely to contribute.

The researchers also point to various drawbacks, including the fact that they relied on subjective ratings of tea consumption and cannot rule out the potential that residual confounding by other lifestyle and physiological variables influenced the results.

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A team of researchers from the University of Missouri investigated how nursing home personnel may utilise texting to speed up decision-making and minimise patients’ health decline, which can lead to costly and painful hospital transfers.

A three-year, USD 1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will help MU researchers demonstrate how nursing home staff can securely use HIPPA-compliant text messages to speed up decision-making, allowing residents to be safely cared for in the nursing home without the need for a traumatic transfer to the hospital.

“Deciding whether or not to transfer a nursing home resident to the hospital may seem simple, but it is actually extremely complicated with many factors involved,” said Kimberly Powell, an assistant professor in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing and the grant’s principal investigator.

“Bedside nurses often use a fax machine or leave voicemails to communicate with physicians or advanced practice nurses who are not in the facility. You also need to take into account the preferences of the patient and their family members, and if the patient has a cognitive impairment like dementia, which two-thirds of nursing home residents do. They may be unable to communicate their preferences, which complicates things further.”

Powell stated that prompt decision-making is critical in these instances since early treatments and recognising changes in a resident’s condition as soon as feasible might prevent subsequent health difficulties or deterioration, which often leads to unneeded hospital transfers.

“Currently, when bed-side nurses send faxes or leave voicemails and wait to hear back from physicians, social workers, specialists, therapists, registered nurses and family members of the resident, by the time they hear back, there has already been a missed opportunity for early intervention and the resident must get transferred to the hospital because it is too late to intervene,” Powell said.

He added, “Whereas, with text messages, bedside nurses can contact all parties involved instantly, which speeds up decision-making and allows for earlier interventions so there is the potential for the hospital transfer to be avoided. It’s an easy, convenient, low-cost solution to a serious problem.”

He added, “Whereas, with text messages, bedside nurses can contact all parties involved instantly, which speeds up decision-making and allows for earlier interventions so there is the potential for the hospital transfer to be avoided. It’s an easy, convenient, low-cost solution to a serious problem.”

For the grant project, Powell will be analyzing the effectiveness of a HIPAA-secure text messaging platform, Mediprocity, that was used in an earlier study by nursing home staff in 16 Missouri nursing homes. That study was part of the Missouri Quality Improvement Initiative, a $35 million program funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid that implemented advanced practice registered nurses full-time into nursing homes in an effort to reduce avoidable hospitalizations.

By learning what went well in the 16 Missouri nursing homes and what can be improved upon, Powell’s efforts can help nursing homes across the country adopt similar technology to improve the quality of care delivered to their residents.

The interdisciplinary team included nurses, physicians, social workers, specialists, therapists and family members of nursing home residents, all of whom were all included in the same text message thread.

“Our secure, HIPPA-compliant technology services are focused specifically on long-term care,” said Mason Rothert, co-founder and CEO of Mediprocity, the organization that developed the technology being used in the grant. “By cutting down the amount of time it takes for the nursing home facility, physicians, and pharmacies to communicate with each other, potential medications can be delivered to the residents sooner, and interventions can be decided and taken, which ultimately leads to improved health outcomes.”

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India recorded 4,129 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs on Monday.

India’s active caseload currently stands at 43,415 which accounts for 0.10 per cent of the total cases. The recovery rate currently is at 98.72 per cent. As many as 4,688 recoveries were made in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 4,40,00,298.

The country has recorded a daily positivity rate of 2.51 per cent and a weekly positivity rate of 1.61 per cent.

Covid vaccines

As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has been supporting the States and Union Territories by providing them with COVID-19 Vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.

So far, under the nationwide vaccination drive, 217.68 crore total Vaccine doses (94.78 crore Second Dose and 20.44 crore Precaution Dose) have been administered, of which 11,67,772 doses were jabbed in the last 24 hours.

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