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corona variant

Gujarat: Man returned form Zimbabwe tests Omicron positive

by Medically Speaking Team December 4, 2021

According to the city’s Covid-19 nodal officer, whole genome sequencing of a 71-year-old NRI who arrived in Gujarat’s Jamnagar city from Zimbabwe and tested positive for Covid-19 on December 2 found that the patient is infected with the Omicron variant. The patient’s samples were submitted to two different labs: one to Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, which found the Omicron variation, and another to NIV Pune. On Monday, NIV is anticipated to release its full genome sequencing findings.

This is the third case of Omicron found in India. Two persons in Karnataka, a 46-year-old doctor and a 66-year-old South African national, were discovered to be infected with the new type earlier this week.

In other news, the Centre has said that it anticipates the severity of the Omicron variant of coronavirus to be low in the country given the fast pace of vaccination and high exposure to the Delta variant. Speaking in the Parliament, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday highlighted that a decision on booster dose and Covid jabs for children will be taken on the basis of scientific guidance from experts.

Top genome scientists, meanwhile, have recommended a booster dose of the Covid vaccine for those above the age of 40 years with priority for high-risk and high-exposure populations, according to the weekly bulletin of Indian SARS-CoV2 Genomics Sequencing Consortium (INSACOG), a network of national testing laboratories set up by the Government to monitor genomic variations of the virus.

December 4, 2021 0 comment

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Covid case Update: India reports 8,309 new cases

by Medically Speaking Team November 29, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

According to data from the union health ministry, India reported 8,309 coronavirus infections and 236 deaths in a 24-hour period on Monday. The number of single-day recoveries was at 9,905, while active cases fell by 1,832. With this, India’s total number of cases has risen to 3.45 crore. 4,68,790 persons died as a result of Covid-19 infection, whereas 3.40 crore recovered. At the moment, India’s active caseload is at 1,03,859, accounting for 0.30 percent of total cases.

Meanwhile, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage has crossed the 122 crore milestone. Of the total 122 crore, 78.33 crore have been given single Covid-19 shots and 44.01 crore are fully vaccinated.

Despite the fact that India’s Covid cases have continued to decline, the union health ministry amended foreign arrivals criteria due to concerns about the Omicron Covid-19 variant.

The guidelines require passengers to submit the self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha Portal before the scheduled travel and to submit the last 14 days’ travel details.

The guidelines also mandated the uploading of negative RT-PCR test reports on the Air Suvidha portal before the journey. The test should have been conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey.

So far, India has not reported any case of Omicron variant but yesterday a passenger from South Africa who returned to Maharashtra was found positive for Covid-19. It is unclear whether the passengers have got infected by the new variant.

November 29, 2021 0 comment

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Covid variant alert: New South African variant wreaks havoc, India calls for screening of travelers from 3 countries

by Medically Speaking Team November 26, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

The Union Health Ministry directed states to rigorously screen and test travellers coming from or transiting through three countries where the variant had been confirmed — South Africa, Botswana, and Hong Kong — just hours after South African authorities announced they had discovered a new variant of the novel coronavirus with a “very unusual constellation” of mutations.

In a communication to all states and Union Territories, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said India’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has informed the government that “multiple cases of a Covid-19 variant B.1.1529 have been reported in Botswana (3 cases), South Africa (6 cases) and Hong Kong (1 case)”.

“This variant is reported to have a significantly high number of mutations, and thus, has serious public health implications for the country, in view of recently relaxed visa restrictions and opening up of international travel,” Bhushan said.

“lt is therefore imperative that ALL international travellers travelling from and transiting through these countries, (they are part of the “at risk” Country Category of international travellers coming to lndia)…are subjected to rigorous screening and testing”, the communication said. “The contacts of these international travellers must also be closely tracked and tested as per MoHFW guidelines.”

The Hong Kong case is a traveller from South Africa. South African scientists told a news conference on Thursday that the mutations detected in B.1.1529 were “concerning because they could help it evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible”, Reuters said in a report from Johannesburg.

Following Bhushan’s direction, all states will have to send samples from Covid-positive travellers to designated labs of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Sequencing Consortium (INSACOG), which tracks and monitors the emergence and transmission of variants of concern and variants of interest in India.

Covid surveillance officers in the states will have to coordinate with INSACOG labs, and will have to undertake test-track-treat to prevent the spread of the variant and the formation case clusters.

Of the four variants of concern currently designated by the World Health Organisation, Beta (Pango lineage B.1.351), was first detected in South Africa in May 2020. The other three VoCs, Alpha (B.1.1.7), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Gamma (P.1) were first detected in the United Kingom, India, and Brazil in September 2020, October 2020, and November 2020 respectively.

“Twenty-two positive cases of variant B.1.1.529 have been recorded in the country following genomic sequencing collaborations between the NICD and private laboratories. In addition, other NGS-SA laboratories are confirming more cases as sequencing results come out,” South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in a statement on Thursday.

The Reuters report quoted South African scientists as saying that early signs from diagnostic laboratories suggested the variant has rapidly increased in the most populated province of Gauteng, and may already be present in South Africa’s other eight provinces as well.

“Although the data are limited, our experts are working overtime with all the established surveillance systems to understand the new variant and what the potential implications could be,” the NICD statement said.

Bloomberg quoted South Africa’s Health Minister Joe Phaahla as saying: “Here is a mutation variant of serious concern…We were hopeful that we might have a longer break in between waves — possibly that it would hold off to late December or even next year January.”

In an official release, the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced two cases of the new variant in the territory. The cases in the Regal Airport Hotel had “highly similar genetic sequences and the viruses belonged to a newly emerged lineage, B.1.1.529”, the release said.

“The sequences are similar to those found in South Africa and Botswana, supporting that case 12388 arriving in Hong Kong from South Africa was the index case. Scientific information on the public health significance about this lineage is lacking at the moment,” it said.

Authorities in Botswana reported four cases of B.1.1.529 in fully vaccinated travellers. “Initial investigations…have established that the new variant has a high number of mutations as compared to the locally predominating Delta variant. What this means is still unclear and under investigation. New variants have the potential to affect severity of disease… At this moment, real-world impact of the variant has not been established,” Dr K Masupu, Coordinator of Botswana’s Presidential Covid-19 task force, said.

November 26, 2021 0 comment

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Delta’s AY.4.2 strain raises alarm with 17 cases reported in India

by Medically Speaking Team October 29, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

As many as 17 cases of the Delta variant AY.4.2 strain, which is quickly spreading in the United Kingdom, have been reported in India during the third Covid wave alarm. These samples were taken in May and September of 2021. For the same time period, India submitted a total of 19,466 sequences to GISAID.

A sub-lineage of the Delta variant of COVID-19, AY.4.2, has been detected in the United Kingdom, China, and Russia, and now it has made its way to India.

Several states including Andhra Pradesh have reported 07 cases of new strain, Kerala 4, Karnataka and Telangana 2 cases each, Jammu & Kashmir and Maharashtra have reported 1 case, respectively taking the total tally to 17.

The Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare Services in Karnataka issued an official memo warning the public against the AY.4.2 strain.

“As the complete nature of the said newly reported variant is yet to be understood, it is crucial to step up vigilance & follow Covid-19 appropriate behavior instead of creating panic among the public,” the note read.

Following the rise in the cases, the Centre decided to step in ahead of the festival season as fears of COVID-19 third wave mounts.

“A team is investigating the new COVID19 variant AY.4.2. ICMR and NCDC teams study and analyze the different variants,” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told ANI.

In addition, the Centre has released additional instructions to prevent a third COVID-19 wave.

AY.4.2 has consistently increased in volume, accounting for around 9% of UK cases in the previous 28 days. A few European countries, such as Denmark, Germany, and Ireland, have also reported it.

AY.4.2, one of 45 Delta sub-lineages termed Delta plus by many, is likely to be renamed Nu.

According to British experts, it might be up to 15% more transmissible than the original Delta, and according to the Daily Mail, its incidence in England jumped in a month, from 4% in September to 8.9% in the two weeks leading up to October 9.

October 29, 2021 0 comment

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First fatality due to Delta Plus reported in Mumbai

by Medically Speaking Team August 13, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

A 63-year-old woman died at a hospital here, becoming the city’s first casualty due to the Delta Plus Covid variant. She succumbed to the infection on July 27, 6 days after testing positive for the deadly virus. Officials said that she had several comorbidities, including diabetes. She was on oxygen support and was administered steroids and Remdesivir.

As per the reports, the woman had taken both doses of the vaccine and among seven patients in Mumbai whose reports came positive for the Delta Plus variant.

Notably, this is Maharashtra’s second death from the Delta Plus. Earlier on June 13, an 80-year-old woman with comorbidities had succumbed to the infection. The woman hailed from Sangameswar and was admitted to the hospital, over 330 kilometres from Mumbai, Sanjay Shinde, Additional Collector, Ratnagiri told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Delta Plus variant of SARS-CoV2 has been detected in over 90 samples in the country so far. Sujit Singh, head of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said that four types of variants are categorised as Delta Plus — AY1 (B.1.617.2.1), AY2, AY3 and one more sub-lineage — in which one more gene has been detected and its only sample was found in Maharashtra.

August 13, 2021 0 comment

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As doctors investigate whether Delta makes patients sicker, the variant spreads like ‘Wildfire’

by Medically Speaking Team August 3, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

With a new wave of COVID-19 infections fueled by the Delta variant striking countries worldwide, disease experts are scrambling to learn whether the latest version of coronavirus is making people – mainly the unvaccinated – sicker than before.

According to an internal assessment made public on Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that Delta, which was initially found in India and is now prevalent worldwide, is “likely more severe” than earlier versions of the virus.

People infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be hospitalised than patients earlier in the pandemic, according to data from Canada, Singapore, and Scotland.

In interviews with Reuters, disease experts said the three papers suggest a greater risk from the variant, but the study populations are limited and the findings have not yet been reviewed by outside experts. Doctors treating patients infected with Delta described a more rapid onset of COVID-19 symptoms, and in many regions an overall increase serious cases.

However, experts say that further research is needed to evaluate outcomes in epidemiologic studies involving larger numbers of people to determine whether one variation causes more severe disease than another.

“It’s difficult to pin down the increase in severity and population bias,” Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick Medical School in the United Kingdom, said.

Furthermore, the doctors believe that the high rate of Delta transmission is contributing to an increase in the number of severe cases coming at hospitals.

According to the CDC, Delta is as contagious as chickenpox and significantly more contagious than the typical cold or flu.

August 3, 2021 0 comment

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According to a CDC internal report, Delta Variant is as contagious as chickenpox

by Medically Speaking July 30, 2021

written by Medically Speaking

According to an internal presentation circulated within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Delta variant is much more contagious, more likely to overcome vaccine protections, and may cause more severe disease than all other known versions of the virus (CDC).

The agency’s director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, admitted on Tuesday that vaccinated people with so-called breakthrough infections of the Delta variant carry just as much virus in their nose and throat as unvaccinated people and may spread it just as easily, if less frequently.

But the internal document lays out a broader and even grimmer view of the variant.

The Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox, and it is as contagious as chickenpox, according to the document, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times.

The immediate next step for the agency is to “acknowledge the war has changed,” the document said. Its contents were first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday evening.

The document’s tone reflects alarm among CDC scientists about Delta’s spread across the country, said a federal official who has seen the research described in the document. The agency is expected to publish additional data on the variant on Friday.

“The CDC is very concerned with the data coming in that Delta is a very serious threat that requires action now,” the official said.

There were 71,000 new cases per day on average in the United States, as of Thursday. The new data suggest that vaccinated people are spreading the virus and contributing to those numbers — although probably to a far lesser degree than the unvaccinated.

Dr Walensky has called transmission by vaccinated people a rare event, but other scientists have suggested it may be more common than once thought.

The agency’s new masking guidelines for vaccinated people, introduced on Tuesday, were based on the information presented in the document. The CDC recommended that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in public settings in communities with high transmission of the virus.

But the internal document hints that even that recommendation may not go far enough. “Given higher transmissibility and current vaccine coverage, universal masking is essential,” the document said.

The agency’s data suggest that people with weak immune systems should wear masks even in places that do not have high transmission of the virus. So should vaccinated Americans who are in contact with young children, older adults, or otherwise vulnerable people.

There are roughly 35,000 symptomatic infections per week among 162 million vaccinated Americans, according to data collected by the CDC as of July 24 that was cited in the internal presentation. But the agency does not track all mild or asymptomatic infections, so the actual incidence may be higher.

July 30, 2021 0 comment

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The course of COVID-19 can be predicted by an early antiviral response in the nose, according to a study

by Medically Speaking July 25, 2021

written by Medically Speaking

Cells taken at the time of diagnosis from patients who later developed severe COVID-19 exhibit a suppressed antiviral response, according to a new study.

The research was published in the scientific journal Cell. Researchers have learned a lot about COVID-19 and its viral aetiology, SARS-CoV-2, in the last 18 months. They understand how the virus enters the body, infecting the mucus layers of the nasal tube after entering through the nose and mouth.

They know that infections that remain in the upper airway are likely to be mild or asymptomatic, while infections that progress down the airway to the lungs are much more severe and can lead to fatal diseases.

They have also identified common risk factors for severe diseases, like age, gender, and obesity. But there are still many unanswered questions — such as when, and where, the course of severe COVID-19 is determined. Does the pathway to severe disease begin only after the body has failed to control mild disease, or could it start much earlier than that?

Researchers at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard; the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH); MIT; and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) wondered whether this path towards severe disease could start much earlier than expected — perhaps even within the initial response created when the virus enters the nose.

To test this, they studied cells taken from nasal swabs of patients at the time of their initial COVID-19 diagnosis, comparing patients who went on to develop mild COVID-19 to those who progressed into more severe disease and eventually required respiratory support.

Their results showed that patients who went on to develop severe COVID-19 exhibited a much more muted antiviral response in the cells collected from those early swabs, compared to patients who had a mild course of the disease.

July 25, 2021 0 comment

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Scientists identify drug that prevents multiple coronavirus variants

by Medically Speaking Team May 31, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

Scientists have identified a new drug which is highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, and could also treat other respiratory coronaviruses.

The findings, published in the journal Science Immunology, suggest that the drug diABZI activates the body’s innate immune response, the first line of defence against invading pathogens.

“This paper is the first to show that activating an early immune response therapeutically with a single dose is a promising strategy for controlling the virus, including the South African variant B.1.351, which has led to worldwide concern,” said Sara Cherry, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.

“The development of effective antivirals is urgently needed for controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease, especially as dangerous variants of the virus continue to emerge,” Cherry, the senior author of the study, said.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus initially targets epithelial cells in the respiratory tract.

As the first line of defence against infection, the respiratory tract’s innate immune system recognises viral pathogens by detecting their molecular patterns.

The researchers first sought to better understand this effect by observing human lung cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 under the microscope.

They found that the virus is able to hide, delaying the immune system’s early recognition and response.

The team predicted that it may be able to identify drugs that could set off this immune response in the respiratory cells earlier and prevent severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.

To identify drugs that would block SARS-CoV-2 infection, the researchers screened 75 drugs that target sensing pathways in lung cells.

They identified nine candidates that significantly suppressed infection by activating STING — the simulation of interferon genes which plays an important role in innate immunity.

The team tested a newly-developed drug molecule called diABZI, which is currently being tested in clinical trials to treat some cancers.

The researchers found that diABZI potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection of diverse strains, including variant of concern B.1.351, by stimulating interferon signalling.

Interferons are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses.

The scientists tested the effectiveness of diABZI in transgenic mice that had been infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Because the drug needed to reach the lungs, diABZI was administered through a nasal delivery.

Mice treated with diABZI showed much less weight loss than the control mice, and had significantly-reduced viral loads in their lungs and nostrils, and had increased cytokine production.

The findings provide further support that diABZI stimulates interferon for protective immunity, the researchers said.

The study also offers promise that diABZI could be an effective treatment for SARS-CoV-2 that could prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms and the spread of infection, they added.

May 31, 2021 0 comment

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Pfizer, Moderna vaccines found to be effective against Covid variants, says study

by Medically Speaking Team May 18, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines appear to protect against Covid variants B.1.617 and B.1.618 first identified in India, researchers have reported in a new pre-print paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, reported CNN.

Based on lab experiments, involving cell cultures, the B.1.617 and B.1.618 variants seem to be partially resistant to the antibodies elicited by vaccination.

“Thus, there is a good reason to believe that vaccinated individuals will remain protected against the B.1.617 and B.1.618 variants,” the researchers from New York University wrote in their paper. But more research is needed to determine just how effective the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are against those variants in the real world.

The new research involved serum samples collected from eight people who recovered from Covid-19, six people fully vaccinated with Moderna’s vaccine. The researchers analyzed in lab experiments how the serum samples neutralized lentiviruses – a type of retrovirus – equipped with the same mutations as the B.1.617 and B.1.618 coronavirus variants.

May 18, 2021 0 comment

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