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covid-19

Mix-and-match vaccines highly effective against COVID-19: Lancet study

by Medically Speaking Team October 18, 2021

According to a countrywide trial in Sweden, people who got a first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination followed by an mRNA vaccine injection had a reduced risk of infection than those who received both doses of the AstraZeneca preventative.

Since the use of AstraZeneca’s vector-based COVID-19 vaccine for persons under the age of 65 was discontinued owing to safety concerns, all people in Sweden who had previously got their first dose of this vaccination were advised to have an mRNA vaccine as a second dose.

“Having received any of the approved vaccines is better compared to no vaccine, and two doses are better than one,” said Peter Nordstrom, a professor at Umea University, Sweden.

“However, our study shows a greater risk reduction for people who received an mRNA vaccine after having received a first dose of a vector-based, as compared to people having received the vector-based vaccine for both doses,” Nordstrom said.

October 18, 2021 0 comment

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Covid case update: India reports lowest cases in 230 days

by Medically Speaking Team October 18, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

According to the latest Covid-19 bulletin issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Monday, India recorded 13,596 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, the lowest in 230 days.

It was 3.9 percent lower than the previous day’s figure in the country. In India, the total number of cases is currently 3,40,81,315.

At least 166 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours taking the total death count to 4,52,290.

India’s recovery rate stands at 98.12%, the highest since March 2020, as a total of 19,582 patients recovered in the last 24 hours bringing the total recoveries to 3,34,39,331.

In the last 24 hours, active cases have declined by 6,152 and India’s active caseload stands at 1,89,694, the lowest in 221 days. The weekly positivity rate has been recorded at 1.37%, less than 3% for the last 115 days.

A total of 12,05,162 doses have been administered in the last 24 hours, which brings the total tally to 97,79,47,783.

October 18, 2021 0 comment

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The United States will allow travellers who received Covid vaccines in mixed doses to enter the country

by Medically Speaking October 17, 2021

written by Medically Speaking

Key Highlights

While the CDC in the United States does not allow mixed vaccines in primary series, it is fairly common in other countries.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously stated that it would accept any vaccines approved by the US regulator or the World Health Organization.
Beginning November 8, the United States will relax Covid-19 travel restrictions for international passengers.

International visitors who have been immunised with a combination of Covid vaccines will now be permitted to enter the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States confirmed on Friday that they will accept mixed-dose vaccines from international travellers.

“While the CDC does not recommend mixing vaccine types in a primary series, we recognise that this is becoming more common in other countries and should be accepted for the interpretation of vaccine records,” a CDC spokeswoman said.

The CDC earlier said that it would accept any vaccines approved by the US regulator or the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The US will ease Covid-19 travel restrictions for international passengers from November 8.

Additionally, the US also endorsed the booster dose of Johnson & Covid-19 Johnson’s vaccine, admitting that Americans who got the single-dose vaccine are not as protected as those who got other double-dose vaccines.

J&J told US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that a booster dose provides additional protection as early as two months after the initial vaccine but will work better for those who get it after 6 months. The FDA’s advisory panel voted that booster shot should be taken at least 2 months after the initial vaccination.

Initial results from ongoing research suggest that J&J recipients may have a stronger response if the booster dose is from another brand. The preliminary results from a new study catering to effects of taking competing vaccine brands showed that booster shot from a competing vaccine jacked up virus-fighting antibodies — at least for a few weeks and it was most effective from taking a Pfizer or a Moderna booster shot after a J&J vaccine.

October 17, 2021 0 comment

Kids Uncategorized

Kids can spread, carry emerging COVID-19 variants: Study

by Medically Speaking Team October 16, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

Researchers have shown in a recent study that infants, children, and teenagers are all capable of carrying high levels of life and replicating SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in their respiratory secretions, highlighting the importance of children in combating the pandemic.

The high levels of virus correlate to the live, infectious virus, according to the study, which found that levels are highest early in the disease in both symptomatic and asymptomatic youngsters. A team from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Ragon Institute, MIT, and Harvard University spearheaded the research.

They looked at 110 kids ranging in age from two weeks to twenty-one years old who had tested positive for COVID-19 at MGH or urgent care clinics. The researchers discovered no link between the children’s age and the size of their viral load. They also discovered that viral load did not correspond with the degree of sickness in the kids themselves, which is reassuring, but there are still worries for them and others around them.

“Children can carry the virus and infect other people,” said Lael Yonker, a pediatric pulmonologist at MGH.

“There had been the question about whether the high viral load in children correlated with the live virus. We’ve been able to provide a definitive answer that these high viral loads are infectious,” Yonker added.

As COVID-19 variants continue to emerge, infected children are potential “reservoirs” for the evolution of new variants as well as potential spreaders of current variants, she said.

“Kids with COVID-19, even if asymptomatic, are infectious and can harbour SARS-CoV-2 variants. Variants could potentially impact both the severity of the disease and the efficacy of vaccines, as we are seeing with the Delta variant. When we cultured the live virus, we found a wide variety of genetic variants. New variants have the potential to be more contagious and also make kids sicker,” Yonker noted.

Further, the viral loads of kids in the hospital were no different from those found in hospitalised adults, according to the study. Similar evidence was cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting that when compared to adults, children “likely have similar viral loads in their nasopharynx, similar secondary infection rates, and can spread the virus to others”. The study called for increasing awareness of pediatric COVID and implementing broader testing programmes for children as they are an essential component in the fight against COVID.

October 16, 2021 0 comment

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Covid case update: India reports 15,981 cases, vaccination exceeds 97.14 cr mark

by Medically Speaking Team October 16, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

According to data from India’s health ministry, 15,981 new coronavirus infections and 166 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours. With this, India’s total number of Covid-19 cases has risen to 3,40,53,573.

The active cases decline by 2,046, taking the overall count to 2,01,632, whereas the Covid-related death toll has surged to 4,51,980. A total of 17,861 patients got recovered in a day. The total recoveries from Covid infection have jumped to 3.33 crore.

Meanwhile, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded the 97.14 crore mark. In a day or two, India’s Covid vaccination drive is set to cross the 100 crore mark. To celebrate the achievement, the union health minister said big events have been planned.

“Announcements will be made at seaports, railway stations, bus stations, metro stations, and airports at the time India completes 100 crore vaccinations,” the minister said.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed that nearly 73% adult population has received the single dose of the vaccine and around 30% have been administered double doses.

October 16, 2021 0 comment

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India has been ramping up health infrastructure rapidly, this will boost India’s stature on a global level: Mandaviya

by Medically Speaking Team October 16, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

Describing India’s achievements during the COVID-19 crisis, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said that indigenous capacity building, be it in human resources or vaccination, India has been ramping up health infrastructure rapidly and this has boosted India’s stature ona global level.

Today, countries are seeking India’s vaccines and this should make us and our countrymen proud of our efforts, said the Union Minister.

His remarks came at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a new building for ICMR School of Public Health in Chennai which he attended virtually.

Mandaviya further said that there is a need to develop the interface between public health training and communities so that trained professionals can respond to the problems of communities.

“There is a need to build a visible interface between public health training and communities so that the trained professionals can effectively deal with the problems in the communities. Interdisciplinary learning, which enables public health professionals to identify multiple determinants of health and influence them through multi-sectorial pathways, must be promoted,” he said.

He further added, “Public health learning needs to become more real-world oriented and equip the practitioner with problem-solving skills. It is imperative to increase the interface of public health education with the health system, especially with health services at various levels, to ensure that public health professionals can become effective change agents and elevate the health system toward greater efficiency and equity.

Mandaviya said that the School of Public Health would boost the public workforce in the country. ICMR has been at the forefront and this step would further strengthen their efforts in ramping up the health Infrastructure in the country.

Reiterating the crucial role played by the health professionals, Mandaviya noted, “The health workforce is the channel for delivering health interventions to populations. A critical mass of health professionals is necessary to manage the health system and is often a crucial limiting factor in the deliveryof quality health services.”

He further stated, “It is time for the country to develop a public health culture by creating a robust public health education system.”

He did not just emphasize that public health education needs to be at par with the International level but also must be able to respond to public health issues at local levels in our country.

This new building of ICMR School of Public Health will be the first step towards ICMR-NIE’s goal of training at least 150 mid-level public health professionals over the next three years. Special focus is being provided to the states with an inadequately trained workforce.

October 16, 2021 0 comment

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Covid case Update: India logs 16,862 cases in 24 hrs

by Medically Speaking Team October 15, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

India registered 16,862 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, 11.2 per cent lower than the number reported on Thursday. With fresh cases, the country’s overall caseload has mounted to 3,40,37,592, showed the data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare early Friday. The top five states which registered the maximum number of Covid-19 cases are Kerala with 9,246 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 2,384 cases, Tamil Nadu with 1,259 cases, Mizoram with 901 cases, Andhra Pradesh with 540 cases. As many as 84.98 per cent of the new cases were reported from these five states, with Kerala alone responsible for 54.83 per cent of the new cases.

As of Friday morning, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.07 per cent even as a total of 19,391 patients recovered from the Covid-19 infection in the last 24 hours.

In the previous 24 hours, India’s active caseload has decreased by 2,908 cases. The total number of active cases is 2,03,678.

In the previous 24 hours, India has delivered a total of 30,26,483 doses, increasing the total number of doses administered to 97,14,38,553. In the previous 24 hours, a total of 11,80,148 samples were examined.

October 15, 2021 0 comment

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FDA panel endorses lower-dose Moderna COVID shot for booster

by Medically Speaking Team October 15, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

Some Americans who got Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccination should obtain a half-dose booster to improve their viral protection, according to US health officials.

Seniors, individuals with other health issues, employment, or living arrangements that place them at higher risk for COVID-19 were unanimously recommended to have a booster shot by a panel of FDA advisors.

Although the proposal is not legally obligatory, it is an important step in expanding the US booster campaign to millions of additional Americans.

After the FDA approved its usage last month, many patients who received their original Pfizer injections at least six months ago are now obtaining a booster.

The dosage for the first Moderna vaccine is two 100-microgram injections. However, Moderna claims that a single 50-microgram booster injection should enough.

The CDC’s specialists met on Thursday and Friday to discuss who should get booster doses and when for patients who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines earlier this year.

The FDA will make final decisions on boosters from both firms based on the advice of its experts. Even if the judgement is favourable, there’s still one more barrier to overcome: next week, a panel established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will provide further details on who should receive one.

October 15, 2021 0 comment

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Health Ministry issues alert over Covid team vacancies

by Medically Speaking Team October 15, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

The vacancy of nine senior officer positions in the Union Health Ministry’s Covid team has put the department under “acute stress,” according to the ministry.

In a letter dated October 13 to Deepti Umashankar, Establishment Officer and Additional Secretary, DoPT, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, “As you are aware that even though the pandemic of Covid-19 is declining, however we cannot let our guard down. At this crucial juncture, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is required to put in extra efforts to ensure full preparedness across the country. Vacant positions of one Joint Secretary and eight DS (Deputy Secretaries) / Directors have put this ministry under acute stress.”

Bhushan sought “early and timely action” to fill up the existing vacancies “and also the vacancies arising in the coming weeks”.

Bhushan has identified openings in the Health Ministry for the second time in two months. He had written to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on August 12 regarding the vacant positions of extra secretary, joint secretary, director, and deputy secretary in the Health Ministry under the Central Staffing Scheme of the Central Secretariat Services (CSS).

Asked about the letter, a Health Ministry official, who refused to be named, said: “Each ministry gives the list of vacancies every month to the DoPT. Otherwise how would they fill the vacancies?”

Bhushan included a list of 11 personnel who have left or are going to leave the ministry in his October 13 letter. Vandana Gurnani, Additional Secretary and Mission Director of the National Health Mission, is at the top of the list, having taken a one-year study leave in September 2021. Joint Secretary Nipun Vinayak, who oversaw oxygen supplies during the severe Covid second wave and was prematurely deported to his Maharashtra cadre on August 31, and Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal, who has been the ministry’s face during Covid briefings and will leave the Health Ministry on November 28.

October 15, 2021 0 comment

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COVID-19 pushes hospitals to focus on digital investments : Survey

by Medically Speaking Team October 14, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

According to a recent Frost & Sullivan survey, the healthcare sector is focusing on accelerating information technology (IT) investments to meet the quadruple aim of improving patient experience, reducing costs, improving health outcomes, and improving clinician experience. This has encouraged healthcare organisations to invest in digital health solutions.

According to the report, more than half of hospitals are increasing their information technology (IT) spending to deal with the problems posed by the COVID 19 epidemic.

The survey had a total sample size of 349 and included IT decision-makers from hospitals, medical practices, and residential care. It revealed that improving customer experience (CX) and operational efficiencies are top priorities, which healthcare organizations aim to attain by deploying digital health solutions.

“Leveraging cloud-based IT has become a priority to capitalize on the vast new resources of clinical, financial, socioeconomic, and other data generated across the health ecosystem and captured by electronic health records (EHR), connected medical devices, smartphones, and wearables,” said Alpa Shah, VP – CX Practice at Frost & Sullivan.

“Healthcare companies can use robust data sets to develop new insights, which help improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare and deliver new, innovative IT solutions that engage consumers,” Shad added.

Informing that data visualization tools are the top transformative technologies used today and will be the highest priority for investment over the next two years,Shah said, “Artificial intelligence (AI) will be vital to enhance organizations’ enterprise communications and contact centre capabilities. However, dealing with security concerns continues to be a top obstacle for IT departments, which is a crucial factor for consideration when purchasing any solution over the next two years.”

According to the study, industry participants should focus on the following development possibilities in the healthcare area as investments in digital solutions increase:

Over the next two years, digital systems that track healthcare personnel and patients will gain traction. Patients will be assessed, treated, and tracked via virtual visits and remote patient monitoring (RPM), keeping them out of the hospital. Predictive analytics will also detect hotspots before they get established.

Each hospital must discover the right mix of human vs. artificial intelligence. Investing in AI technologies will assist the firm in achieving its key priorities of improving customer experience and increasing operational efficiency.

Telemedicine is in high demand due to on-demand access to care. The focus on behavioural health will become more prominent, with a strong emphasis on “whole health” wellbeing.

Medical technology need in hospitals will increase. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will be able to collaborate with providers on new patient management models as a result of chronic illness cases and a backlog of elective operations.

October 14, 2021 0 comment

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