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Covid News and Updates

All about Stealth Omicron

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

Even though we assumed our lives had returned to normal following the Covid-19 epidemic, such forecasts may have been premature. Covid-19 instances are still being reported over the world after three years, but in smaller numbers.
While other nations are removing Covid restrictions and allowing their borders, China is experiencing its biggest pandemic epidemic since Wuhan. Across the previous 24 hours, there have been 5,280 new cases recorded in the country, with 3,507 of those being domestic.

Since the epidemic began in Wuhan, this is the second greatest number of cases. In 13 Chinese cities and districts, a lockdown has been ordered due to the rising number of cases. According to reports, the new Omicron type has spread throughout the country.

Despite this, experts suggest India should not be too concerned about the new form of the Omicron variation, and that the IIT Kanpur study’s prediction of the fourth wave in India by June 22, 2022 is incorrect.

AFFECT ON CHINA

About 5 crore Chinese individuals have been confined to their homes as a result of a lockdown ordered to stem the spread of the disease. Higher than 10,000 cases have been reported in China in the first two weeks of March, significantly more than in prior waves.

The province of Jilin is the hardest hit in the country. In addition, tight limits have been enforced in Shenzhen province, which is known as China’s technical powerhouse. Before March 12, two hospitals in Shanghai and one in Shenzhen were also completed.

To stop the virus from spreading, testing has been ramped up across the country on a big scale. So far, six rounds of inquiry have been conducted in Jilin province.

STEALTH OMICRON

The fourth wave has been spreading in China for about a month, according to these preparations.

According to Zhang Wenhong, a well-known infectious disease expert, the present outbreak is caused by the Omicron variation ‘Stealth Omicron’ or the B.A.2 lineage.

According to preliminary studies, it spreads faster than the original highly transmissible Omicron strain, which spreads faster than the Wuhan virus itself.

According to a study done by Danish researchers, the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron is 1.5 times more transmissible than the original Omicron strain.
According to the World Health Organization, Omicron, also known as B.1.1.529, has three main substrains: BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3 (WHO).

STEALTH OMICRON AND ITS SYMPTOMS

According to Cornelius Römer, a bioinformatician, the BA.2 subvariant evolved from a common ancestor about the same time as the original Omicron.

The Omicron variety, according to WHO, affects the upper respiratory tract rather than the lungs.

The Omicron variation causes symptoms similar to a common cold, with dizziness and exhaustion being the most typical early signs.
Fever, excessive weariness, coughing, sore throat, aching head, muscle fatigue, and an increased heart rate are among the additional symptoms.

Loss of taste and smell, as well as shortness of breath, are not likely to occur in the BA.2 variety.

One of the most common symptoms of the BA is a cold. Omicron has two variants, one of which is known as ‘Stealth Omicron.’

Is it necessary to be concerned?

The ‘Stealth Omicron,’ also known as the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, is quickly spreading over the world.

The ‘Stealth Omicron’ is currently spreading fast in China, the site of the first Covid-19 outbreak.

BA.2 is the sixth Omicron variety to be discovered, and it was initially discovered in November of last year in South Africa.

According to the World Health Organization, the BA.2 variety will not only spread throughout China, but also to neighbouring nations.

The ‘Stealth Omicron,’ according to Indian experts, will not create too much difficulty in India.

The risk of BA.2 spreading in India, according to Dr Narendra Kumar Arora, leader of the Covid-19 task force, is quite low.

According to him, the number of patients infected with BA.2 increased during the third wave in India.

According to Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, chairman of the IMA-Kochi Research Cell, there is a reason why it is growing in China.

Because of widespread misunderstanding, China’s senior population has a lower vaccination rate.

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Canada got green light for First plant-based vaccination against Covid-19

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

A unit of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. and Philip Morris International has received approval to utilise the world’s first plant-derived Covid-19 vaccine in Canada, resulting in a novel immunisation to combat the virus.
Medicago Inc., a biopharmaceutical business established in Quebec City and owned by Mitsubishi Chemical and Philip Morris, and GlaxoSmithKline Plc collaborated on the Covifenz vaccine. Adults aged 18 to 64 will be allowed to use it, according to a statement released by Medicago and Glaxo on Thursday.

The approval gives people who are hesitant to take currently available vaccines made by Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc. another option. Many countries are struggling to raise vaccination rates and are requiring citizens to be immunized to get into restaurants, shopping malls trains and planes.

The company hopes Covifenz will generate about $1 billion a year eventually, Mitsubishi Chemical’s Chief Executive Officer Jean-Marc Gilson said in an interview last week. The vaccine is easier to transport and store than rival mRNA shots, such as those from Pfizer and Moderna, since it doesn’t need to be kept at ultra-low temperatures, he said.

Covifenz is made from proteins, grown in plants, that look like the virus that causes Covid-19 to the human immune system, according to Medicago’s website. The vaccine also uses Glaxo’s pandemic adjuvant, a substance that boosts the immune system’s response.

Medicago has a contract with the Canadian government to supply up to 76 million doses of the vaccine and is in talks with other countries about potential agreements, Chief Executive Officer Takashi Nagao has said. The immunization was granted fast-track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February 2021.

The vaccine demonstrated 71% efficacy against multiple variants of the virus in December, Medicago said. It was 75% effective against the highly-infectious delta variant and nearly 89% effective against the gamma variant first identified in Brazil. The omicron variant wasn’t circulating when the trial was conducted, and the company is planning future tests against that strain.

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OMICRON VARIANT
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Omicron was less severe in India because of these 2 reasons: Research

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

Omicron had a lower impact in India than in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a recent study, due to the presence of hybrid immunity among its population. The researchers explain hybrid immunity as immunity developed when a person who has already been infected with the virus is vaccinated.

The human body gains immunity through natural infection or vaccination, explained Dr Padmanabha Shenoy, clinical immunologist and rheumatologist, who headed the research, as quoted by news agency PTI, and further added: Hybrid immunity is the immunity generated when a person with prior infection receives a vaccine.

As more than 70% of Indians were infected with Delta during the second wave and India has vaccinated 95% of eligible population, at least with one dose, so close to three-fourths of India’s population has hybrid immunity. This hybrid immunity wall is the reason India had a relatively minor third wave.

About 65% of patients, who had received a single dose of Covishield following an infection, were able to neutralise Omicron. The researchers are currently decoding the impact of Covaxin on generating hybrid immunity and its effect on Omicron.

The study further revealed, 60% of people who had received two vaccine doses were able to neutralise the original Wuhan strain of virus, 90% of them with hybrid immunity could neutralise the original strain. Even in Delta variant also, the figures were almost similar.

The research included about 2,000 patients with auto-immune rheumatic diseases at the Centre for Arthritis & Rheumatism Excellence (CARE). It was found during the initial studies that hybrid immunity generated antibody levels 30 times higher than those who have received two doses of vaccines. Dr Sakir Ahmed of Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, was co-researcher for the study.

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4th booster shot? White House Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci Says It Might Be Necessary

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

Washington: White House Chief Medical Advisor Antony Fauci stated that a fourth-dose boost may be required in the United States to combat COVID-19 variant Omicron, adding that the booster might be depending on the individual’s age and underlying illnesses.
“There may be a need for even another boost — in this case, a fourth-dose boost for an individual getting the mRNA — based on age, as well as underlying diseases,” Dr Fauci said at the White House briefing on Wednesday (local time).

Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters that the data demonstrating the need for a shot beyond the third dose is “clearly an issue that has been thoroughly examined.”

Earlier, President Biden’s top medical adviser said that half a million people around the world have died of COVID-19 since the omicron variant of the coronavirus was first detected in November, terming it “the full-blown pandemic phase” of the coronavirus crisis.

On Tuesday World Health Organization said that about 1,00,000 of the deaths since omicron was declared a “variant of concern” occurred in the United States.

Speaking further, Dr Fauci said: “The data from the trials on children from six months to 24 months, as well as those from 21 months to — up to the end of four years have been conducted by the pharmaceutical company, in this case, Pfizer.”

Meanwhile, some statewide COVID-19 mask mandates in the US are coming to an end.

Previously, the White House maintained its adherence to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance encouraging mask usage in schools Monday (local time) as some states take steps toward lifting mask mandates in the classroom, CNN reported.

The CDC recommends that those who are vaccinated should “wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.”

According to The Washington Post, coronavirus deaths rose for the fifth consecutive week worldwide, with the 68,000 fatalities reported last week representing a 7 per cent jump from the previous week.

Last week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news briefing that COVID deaths are increasing in many parts of the world. He warned it would be “premature for any country either to surrender or to declare victory” against the coronavirus.

“We’re concerned that a narrative has taken hold in some countries that because of vaccines, and because of omicron’s high transmissibility and lower severity, preventing transmission is no longer possible, and no longer necessary,” he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

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Covid News and Updates

Covishield protection wanes after three months: Lancet

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

According to a research published in The Lancet magazine, the protection provided by the Oxford-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccination reduces after three months after taking two doses of the preventative.

The findings, based on data from Brazil and Scotland, imply that booster vaccinations are needed to assist those who have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca’s Covishield vaccine maintain their protection against severe illness.

The researchers analysed data for two million people in Scotland and 42 million people in Brazil who had been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

In Scotland, when compared with two weeks after receiving a second dose, there was approximately a fivefold increase in the chance of being hospitalised or dying from COVID-19 nearly five months after being double vaccinated, the researchers said.

The decline in effectiveness begins to first appear at around three months, when the risk of hospitalisation and death is double that of two weeks after the second dose, they said.

The researchers from Scotland and Brazil found that the risk of hospitalisation and death increases threefold just short of four months after the second vaccine dose. Similar numbers were seen for Brazil, they said.

“Vaccines have been a key tool in fighting the pandemic, but waning in their effectiveness has been a concern for a while,” said Professor Aziz Sheikh, from the University of Edinburgh, UK.

“By identifying when waning first starts to occur in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, it should be possible for governments to design booster programmes that can ensure maximum protection is maintained, Sheikh said.

The team was able to compare data between Scotland and Brazil as they had a similar interval between doses — 12 weeks — and initial prioritisation of who was vaccinated — people at highest risk of severe disease and healthcare workers.

The dominant variant was different in each country during the study period — Delta in Scotland and Gamma in Brazil.

This means the decline in effectiveness is likely because of vaccine waning and the impact of variants, according to the researchers.

The study also estimated vaccine effectiveness at similar fortnightly intervals by comparing outcomes of people who have been jabbed with those who are unvaccinated.

However, the experts warned that these figures should be treated with caution because it is becoming harder to compare unvaccinated people to those vaccinated with similar characteristics, particularly among older age groups where so many people are now vaccinated.

“Our analyses of national datasets from both Scotland and Brazil suggest that there is considerable waning of effectiveness for the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, with protection against severe COVID-19 falling over time,” said Professor Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi from the University of Glasgow in the UK.

“Our work highlights the importance of getting boosters, even if you’ve had two doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, as soon as you are able to,” Katikiredd added.

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Over 118 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India so far: Health Ministry

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed 118 crore on Tuesday, according to the Union Health Ministry. Over 68 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Tuesday until 7 p.m., it said, adding that the tally is expected to rise as final reports for the day are compiled late at night.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers started from February 2. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

Vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years was launched on April 1. The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1.

 

 

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Covid News and Updates

The Pfizer booster shot was 95.6 percent effective against Covid-19

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

BioNTech stated in a tweet, “During a time when Delta was the most common strain, our #mRNA vaccine provided 95.6 percent relative vaccine efficacy against #Covid19 after a booster shot. This is the first time efficacy data from a randomised, controlled vaccine booster trial has been published.”

According to the companies, a booster shot of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine is 95.6 percent effective against Covid-19 when compared to those who received two shots and a placebo.

They claimed that a trial of 10,000 people aged 16 and up showed 95.6 percent effectiveness against the diseases during a time when the Delta strain was prevalent.

The booster shot was also found to have a favourable safety profile, according to the study.

Pfizer claimed that the efficacy of its two-shot vaccine decreases over time, citing a study that found 84 percent effectiveness four months after a second dose, down from 96 percent at the start. Some countries had already made plans to administer booster doses.

BioNTech stated in a tweet, “During a time when Delta was the most common strain, our #mRNA vaccine provided 95.6 percent relative vaccine efficacy against #Covid19 after a booster shot. This is the first time efficacy data from a randomised, controlled vaccine booster trial has been published.”

“These findings provide additional evidence of the benefits of boosters as we strive to keep people well-protected against this disease,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in a statement.

The median age of the participants was 53 years, with 55.5 percent aged 16 to 55 years and 23.3 percent aged 65 or older.

 

 

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Consider children to be a Covid-19 virus reservoir: Expert

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

According to Indian virologist Dr T Jacob John, children can be potential Sars-CoV-2 reservoirs, making vaccination a public health imperative. The senior medical expert emphasised the importance of prioritising the Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 18 years old in order to reduce virus transmission and the risk of the emergence of new variants due to mutations.

“We have underestimated the epidemic among children as they are not falling sick so much, but we must think of children as a reservoir of the virus,” said John. He was speaking at an online session organised by the Indian Academy of Paediatrics on Tuesday evening.

He cited a study by researchers at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) that confirmed that children are capable of carrying and replicating the Sar-CoV-2. The study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases included 110 Covid-19 patients aged two weeks to 21 years. While the researchers did not find a correlation between viral load and severity of the disease in kids, they said that it was a misconception that children, who are mostly asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, are less infectious.

John suggested that the government should prioritise children in the age group of 12 to 18 as a pilot and then open the vaccination for much younger children.

India’s epidemic stage is over

“India has reached the end of the epidemic phase of Covid-19, and is in an endemic phase which will be a long haul,” said John. “Paediatric vaccination will play a crucial role in keeping the Covid-19 numbers in the endemic stage,” he said.

Navi Mumbai-based Paediatrician Dr Vijay Yewale, who is a former president of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, said that the Covid-19 trend among children has been that of mild disease. “We see Covid-related complications very rarely among children,” he said, adding that it is likely that the government will open paediatric vaccination only for children with comorbidities at first.

John cited his observations of the past 16 weeks during which the number of cases in India has been steady without any upswings. In addition, the latest serological survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research has shown 70% sensitivity. “At least 95% of the population has antibodies, considering all the factors,” he said, adding that barring some states like Kerala, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Sikkim, India is in an endemic phase.

John predicts that a third wave is unlikely in the current circumstances, but if it hits, the timing will be sometime mid- 2022 or the last quarter of 2022. “India’s endemic phase is likely to be influenced by re-infections. But we can forget about the third wave for the time being. If at all the third wave hits, it will be because of a new variant which does not acknowledge our existing immunity,” he said.

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The FDA scientists’ examination of J&J COVID-19 booster data raises concerns

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

Scientists at the United States Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday that they did not receive enough data in time to conduct their own analysis of Johnson & Johnson’s application for a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, but the agency’s review of company studies raised some red flags.

The FDA’s advisory committee will meet on Oct. 15 to weigh the risks and benefits of a booster shot of J&J’s vaccine, which is currently administered as a single dose.

In their review, FDA scientists repeatedly emphasised the limitations of many of the company’s studies, such as their small sample sizes.

They noted that the data J&J used to support administering a booster shot six months after the initial shot relied on an unvalidated immune response test that was possibly not sensitive enough.

Because of the mismatch in assessment tools, meaningful comparisons with data from the company’s larger two-dose booster trial would be difficult.

Agency scientists also noted that there were insufficient cases of COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant to estimate how effective the vaccine is against the coronavirus mutation now dominant globally in that larger J&J trial evaluating two doses of the vaccine given nearly two months apart.

U.S. health officials have been under pressure to offer advice on booster doses of the J&J and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines after the White House announced in August it planned to roll out boosters beginning last month for most adults, pending approvals from the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The FDA and CDC last month signed off on boosters of the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine for certain high-risk adults, but reviews of the Moderna and J&J shots were delayed until the companies could produce more data.

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India crossed landmark of 90 cr jabs, says Union Health Minister

by Pragati Singh
written by Pragati Singh

New Delhi, India Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Friday that India has reached a milestone of 90 crore COVID-19 vaccinations. So far, 90,10,04,270 Covid vaccine doses have been administered across the country, according to the CoWIN dashboard. There are 65,69,56,299 first doses and 24,40,47,971 second doses.

Shastri ji gave the slogan ‘Jai Jawan – Jai Kisan’. Revered Atal ji added ‘Jai Vigyan’ and PM @Narendra Modi Ji gave the slogan ‘Jai Anusandhan’. Today the result of anusandhan is this corona vaccine.#JaiAnusandhan,” Mandaviya tweeted.

Meanwhile, in the previous 24 hours, the country reported 22,842 new cases as per the latest data by health ministry. In India, the active caseload is 2,70,557. The recovery rate is presently at 97.87%, the highest since March of last year.

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