Tag:

covid

India’s COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage surpasses landmark milestone of 42 Cr

by Medically Speaking July 23, 2021

written by Medically Speaking

According to a recent provisional report by the government, the cumulative across the country has crossed the 42 crore landmark on Thursday, Day 188th of the Covid-19 vaccine drive. More than 48.86 lakh (48,86,103) Vaccine Doses have been administered as per the 7 pm provisional report.

Cumulatively, 13,29,60,281 persons in the age group 18-44 years across 37 States/UTs have received their first dose and total 55,40,162 have received their second dose since the start of Phase-3 of the vaccination drive. Three States namely Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have administered more than 1 Crore Cumulative Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine in the age group 18-44 years. Also, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have vaccinated more than 10 lakh beneficiaries of the age group 18-44 years for the first dose of COVID vaccine.

July 23, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

Doctor infected with two Covid-19 strains simultaneously

by Medically Speaking Team July 22, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

A doctor in Assam was concurrently infected with two distinct Covid-19 strains, a scientist said. A completely vaccinated female doctor in Assam has been infected with Alpha and Delta forms of coronavirus, according to prominent scientist Dr BJ Borkakoti.

“We have detected double infection of Covid-19 by two different variants of concern– Alpha & Delta. A lady doctor was found to be infected simultaneously with both the variants,” Dr BJ Borkakoti, Senior Scientist, Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh said.

“It will be similar to any other mono-infection of the virus, nothing to worry that the dual infection will cause the severe disease, it is not like that. We have followed the case for one month and she is quite all right,” he added.

The senior scientist, on the other hand, stated that the lady doctor’s health was in perfect shape. He stated that she experienced a minor sore throat, body discomfort, and insomnia and recovered without the need for hospitalisation.

There have been few such instances in the UK, Brazil and Portugal but such a case has not been reported from India so far.

July 22, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

NHS doctor requests that lateral flow tests not be performed in accordance with UK health secretary’s advice

by Medically Speaking Team July 18, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

A UK doctor claims that the country’s health secretary, Sajid Javid, gave erroneous advice regarding lateral flow tests (LFTs) when presenting his coronavirus illness test result (Covid-19). Javid said he had a lateral flow test because he was feeling “groggy” and was found to be infected in a video message on Twitter.

“If like me you might feel a bit groggy or you think you might have come into contact with someone who is positive, please also take a lateral flow test too,” he added.

Rachel Clark, an NHS doctor, said that LFTs are for those without symptoms, urging people to not follow Javid’s advice. She also posted a link of NHS guidance on asymptomatic testing and asked the health secretary to delete the video.

“Here’s the NHS guidance on LFTs. They’re for asymptomatic testing. If you have symptoms, you need to book a PCR test.

July 18, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

PM Modi has set an aim to halt third wave, says NITI Aayog member VK Paul

by Medically Speaking Team July 17, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

The next 100-125 days are important in the fight against COVID-19, according to NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr V K Paul, who also stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a deadline to halt the pandemic’s third wave, which he believes is achievable. He told a news conference that the globe is going towards a third wave of Covid, and that even the Prime Minister has addressed it as a warning that nothing should be taken for granted.

“Leaving the North and South American regions, all other WHO regions are moving from bad to worse. The world is moving towards a third wave and this is a fact. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has asked us to take this as a red flag and warning…. The prime minister has given us the target to stall the third wave and it is possible,” Paul said.

He said Spain has registered a 64-per cent rise in the weekly number of coronavirus cases, while the Netherlands has witnessed a 300-per cent increase in the figure.

“If you look at Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand…the system was stable in Thailand, (but) there has been an increase. If you look at the data of Africa, there has been a rise in the (number of) cases by 50 per cent,” Paul said.

He said the next 100-125 days are going to be critical.

“If we all decide, then there will not be any third wave. As the vaccination drive pick ups further…(in) three-four months, there is a possibility that we will be in a safe zone. But the next 100-125 days are critical, both for the system and the people. We have to remain cautious,” he added.

Paul said a large population is still vulnerable to the virus.

“The question of the third wave keeps coming back. This is because our population is still very vulnerable. We still have not reached the stage of herd immunity nor have we reached the stage of infection and we do not want to acquire herd immunity through infections. We are progressing in terms of vaccines and nearly 50 per cent of our most vulnerable group above the age of 45 years is protected. This will also impact mortality and it will come down, but the infection can spread. We are vulnerable, the virus is still around,” he said.

July 17, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

Doc duped ₹ 34.70 by Pharma firm staffer on promise of Covid meds

by Medically Speaking Team July 17, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

Nagpur: Police stated on Friday that a doctor was scammed out of Rs 34.70 lakh by a pharmaceutical business employee who promised to secure an order to provide COVID-19 pills to a government hospital in Nagpur.

The accused duped the doctor of Rs 34.70 lakh between July 10 and November 9 last year, according to an Ambazari police station official.

A cheating and forgery case has been registered and further investigation in on, he added.

July 17, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

Single dose of Sputnik V triggers strong antibody response: Study

by Medically Speaking Team July 14, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

A single dose of the Sputnik V vaccine may be enough to elicit strong antibody response against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in already infected people, a study suggested.

Previous studies have found that two doses of Sputnik V, a vector vaccine produced using a combination of two adenoviruses, results in 92 per cent efficacy against COVID-19 infection.

Adenoviruses are common viruses that cause a range of illness with cold-like symptoms such as fever and sore throat, reported The Indian Express.

The new study, published on Tuesday in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, examined whether a single dose would achieve greater public health benefit than two doses by allowing protection of a larger population more quickly.

“Due to limited vaccine supply and uneven vaccine distribution in many regions of the world, health authorities urgently need data on the immune response to vaccines to optimize vaccination strategies,” said study senior author Andrea Gamarnik of the Fundacion Instituto Leloir-CONICET in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“The peer-reviewed data we present provide information for guiding public health decisions in light of the current global health emergency,” Gamarnik said.

July 14, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

86 employees at Gujarat hospital contracted Covid-19 over a month after finishing vaccination course, study reveals

by Medically Speaking Team July 13, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

Eighty-six of 461 employees at a hospital in Gujarat’s Nadiad, who received both doses of the Covishield vaccine, got infected after 38 days of the vaccination on an average, the hospital’s study on breakthrough infections has revealed. One of the employees who contracted the virus succumbed to it.

Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital in the Kheda district tracked 461 employees after they received both doses of Serum Institute of India’s Covishield jab. Of the 86 employees testing positive for the virus, 27 were nurses and technicians, 40 paramedical staff, and 19 doctors. Of these, only nine had comorbidities. Sixty-nine of those infected showed mild symptoms, while one was critical and six others severe. Ten of them required hospitalisation, among which two required ICU beds for high flow oxygen. While one of the two recovered, the other patient died.

July 13, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

Children coming to Delhi hospitals with post-Covid symptoms like headaches, brain fogging, say doctors

by Medically Speaking Team July 13, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

Adults and children who have battled Covid are reporting to hospitals in Delhi with post-coronavirus symptoms such as gastrointestinal difficulties, headaches, brain fogging, and shortness of breath, according to doctors at private hospitals.

Aside from MISC (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children) problems, experts are also seeing youngsters who had mild Covid come to them with delays.

Dr Rahul Nagpal, Director, Pediatrics, Fortis Hospital Vasant Kunj said, “Fortunately, children did not have very severe Covid. We got a handful of patients who had congenital heart disease, some kidney disorders, severe asthma or obesity who required hospitalization.”

“Post-Covid we are seeing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. It happens in 1 to 2% of cases, but that is also a huge number. With proper drugs and identification, it can be cured. Then there are lots of patients with diarrhoea, fatigue, body ache, digestive issues,” he said.

July 13, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

Mixing and matching Covid-19 vaccines ‘dangerous trend’: WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan

by Medically Speaking Team July 12, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

The World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan has warned against mixing and matching of Covid-19 vaccines by different manufacturers for the first and second doses, calling it a “dangerous trend” and saying that there was a lack of data about the impact of the process.

“There are people who are thinking about mixing and matching. We receive a lot of queries from people who say they have taken one [dose] and are planning to take another one (doses). It’s a little bit of a dangerous trend here. We are in a data-free, evidence-free zone as far as mix and match,” Swaminathan said in an online briefing earlier in the day.

“There is limited data on mix and match. There are studies going on, we need to wait for that. Maybe it will be a very good approach. But, at the moment we only have data on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, followed by Pfizer. It will be a chaotic situation in countries if citizens start deciding when and who will be taking a second, a third and a fourth dose,” she said.

July 12, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

Working with Moderna to see make its COVID vaccine available in India: Govt

by Medically Speaking Team July 9, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

The government said on Friday that it is working actively with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna to see how its vaccine can be imported and made available in the country.

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was granted emergency use authorisation last month.

Responding to a question at a press briefing, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said, “Moderna vaccine is under emergency use authorisation. The government is working actively with the manufacturers to see how to make this vaccine available in the country, importing it into the country, those efforts are on the process that has to be gone through is being actively pursued.”

In response to another question on the vaccine of drug firm Zydus Cadila, Paul said the company had submitted its third phase trial results to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) last week.

“Zydus Cadila has submitted its phase-3 trial results to the DCGI last week and scientific evidence is being probed and the process of exchange of information is actively going on,” he said.

In this trial, Paul said children were also included and “we are hoping that after all this data gets evaluated through scientific process then recommendations will be followed, and if there is enough evidence to support vaccination by this vaccine for children between 12-18 years then that will also be provided at that time depending upon the robustness of the data and scientific evidence”.

July 9, 2021 0 comment

Newer Posts

Older Posts