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New variant named as Omicron, WHO classifies strain as VOC

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 was recognised as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday. Omicron is the name given to a novel coronavirus variant that has been found in South Africa, Hong Kong, Israel, and Botswana.

The WHO classed the variation as a “highly transmissible virus of concern,” the same classification as the coronavirus’s most common delta form. Countries all over the world have raced to impose travel bans in an attempt to contain the new Covid-19 danger, a move South Africa has slammed as “unjustified.”

“Based on the evidence presented indicative of a detrimental change in Covid-19 epidemiology… the WHO has designated B.1.1.529 as a variant of concern (VOC), named Omicron,” the UN health agency said in a statement.

The WHO said it could take several weeks to complete studies of Omicron to see if there are any changes in transmissibility, severity or implications for Covid vaccines, tests and treatments.

The WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution changed its classification during a hastily convened virtual conference.

On Wednesday, the WHO received the first report of the variation from South Africa.

A specimen taken on November 9 was the first known verified Omicron infection. Infections in South Africa have risen sharply in recent weeks, coinciding with the discovery.

“This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning,” the WHO said, pointing to worrying characteristics.

“Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs.”

It said the number of Omicron cases appeared to be increasing in almost all provinces of South Africa.

As for testing for the strain, the WHO added: “Current SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostics continue to detect this variant.”

Omicron’s actual risks are not understood yet. But early evidence suggests it carries an increased risk of re-infection compared with other highly transmissible variants, the WHO said. That means people who contracted Covid-19 and recovered could be subject to catching it again. It could take weeks to know if current vaccines are less effective against this variant.

However, medical experts, including the WHO, have warned against any overreaction before the variant is thoroughly studied. Even though some of its genetic changes appear worrisome, it is unclear how much of a public health threat it poses as of now.

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Bathinda AIIMS rolls out centre of excellence for medical professionals

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, opened a centre of excellence (CoE) in the health sector on Thursday, with a focus on skill development in patient care.

According to Punjab technical education, employment generation, and training minister Rana Gurjeet Singh, 31 nurses are being educated as respiratory therapists in the first batch under the unique programme.

“These paramedics will be imparted training in handling ventilators and basic management of the intensive care unit (ICU),” he said.

Funded by the Union ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship, the Punjab government has collaborated with AIIMS for skill upgrade of medical and paramedical professionals.

A first-of-its-kind project was conceptualised when the country was passing through the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.

Nodal officer of the centre and head of urology department at AIIMS Dr Kanwaljit Singh said the skill upgrade will give a new dimension to the healthcare sector.

“During Covid-19 outbreak, challenges in the healthcare sector were realised. As hospitals were equipped with ventilators under the PMCare initiative, it was seen that there were not enough professionals in the country to use the ventilators. There were reports across India that the life-saving machines were left disused due to lack of people,” said Dr Singh.

The premier medical institute of Punjab has been mandated to train 260 qualified nurses in respiratory therapy within a year. There is no fee and expenses for boarding, lodging and food of candidates will be funded by the centre government.

Nurses with degrees or diplomas with two-year experience with Punjab domicile are eligible for the current programme.

Director of employment generation and training of Punjab MK Aravind said the centre of excellence that started operating this month will improve career options for the medical professionals.

“Candidates selected through written tests will undergo comprehensive training by experts for free for three months. More such specialised programmes will be introduced in a phased manner to cater to the requirement for doctors and paramedic professionals,” he added.

Sandeep Singh Kaura, adviser to the state government for skill development and technical education, said AIIMS certified paramedics will be assisted for better employment in hospitals across Punjab.

‘Govt considering regulatory authority for education sector’

The minister said the Punjab government is considering constitution of a regulatory authority for higher education. He said the standard of education can be improved only if there is a transparent mechanism to audit the quality of education.

“During a recent cabinet meeting, I had suggested formulating a regulatory mechanism in the technical education. There is a need to fix accountability when people are spending money in different courses,” he told reporters.

The minister was in Bathinda to chair a 6th inter-zonal youth festival-2021 “Maan Watna Da” at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University (MRSPTU).

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Two arrested for fraud at AIIMS eye centre

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

The storekeeper of the Dr Rajendra Prasad Eye Centre at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been arrested, along with another contractual employee, in a case involving fictitious medical item deliveries at the hospital’s eye department, for which money was released without the knowledge of senior officials, Delhi police announced on Thursday.

Police are investigating the three-month-old scam and have already detained Sneh Rani Gupta, a 59-year-old city merchant, for defrauding the institute of at least Rs. 13 crore on October 30.

According to police, the trader’s interrogation led them to the storekeeper, Bijender Kumar, and the office assistant, Naveen Kumar, who are being questioned by detectives in order to find other persons from the hospital who were engaged in the scam.

Bijender (52) is accused of forging purchase paperwork, supply orders, and inspection notes in order to gain payments in Gupta’s favour, according to police.

Additional commissioner of police (EOW) RK Singh said the purchase documents were issued allegedly using Naveen’s official ID. “All the manual and digital records maintained at AIIMS for the purpose of such supplies revealed criminal misdeeds of the accused in connivance with accused firm,” he said, adding that Naveen worked as a programme assistant at the office of a former chief of the centre when the fraud happened.

Narrating the sequence of events that led the EOW to investigate the scam, police said that the scam surfaced in September when the medical superintendent of the Dr Rajendra Prasad Eye Centre lodged a complaint regarding embezzlement of government funds to the tune of ₹5 crore on account of purchase of linen items which were never delivered. Investigators soon uncovered that ₹13.85 crore was lost to the fraud.

Additional commissioner Singh said that these items were shown as purchased on basis of forged supply orders.

“No actual supply of items took place, and the payment was released to the supplier firm… The account statement of the firm confirmed receipt of payments for items which were never delivered. Scrutiny of the e-way bills revealed that the vehicles, shown as used for delivery of those goods to AIIMS, never delivered the same at AIIMS Delhi on any of the dates mentioned on the e-way bills. Scrutiny of GPS logs of the vehicles appearing on the e-way bills showed locations outside Delhi. This firm was a supplier and in business with AIIMS since many years,” said additional commissioner Singh.

The officer said that in response to forged supply orders, the accused firm submitted only invoices and delivery challans without physically delivering the goods. “The receipts of goods were not found in the other registers of general store. Bills were raised by AIIMS staff and was approved without the knowledge of the authorised/competent officials of AIIMS. After getting these bills sanctioned, the money was transferred to the firm’s account,” added Singh.

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NEET PG 2021: Doctors call for nationwide strike on postponement of counselling

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) has proposed a statewide strike starting on Saturday in protest of continuous delays and postponements of National Eligibility Entrance Test postgraduate (NEET PG) counselling 2021. (November 27). According to the announcement, FORDA has demanded that all resident doctors countrywide withdraw from Out Patient Department (OPD) services as of Saturday.

According to FORDA, “The already overburdened and exhausted Resident Doctors of the nation fighting at the frontline since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, have been waiting patiently till date for some positive outcome of Supreme Court proceedings in the matter of already delayed NEET-PG 2021 counselling. However, there seems to be no respite to their physical and mental distress, with the next court hearing scheduled on 6th January 2022.”

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health
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Long Haul Carriers of COVID-19 Still Suffering Months After Diagnosis

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

The headaches became so severe, “it was making my vision get blurry,” she told News 5. It affected her ability to read or focus on her studies. The mother of two was forced to take a break from school. That was in August of 2020. Now, in November 2021, “my taste and smell is still abnormal,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t even have an appetite because food don’t be tasting right.” She still gets headaches too, something that never happened before she got COVID-19. We spoke with MetroHealth Rheumatologist Dr. Elisheva Weinberger about how doctors define these so-called Long Haulers.

“We use ‘long hauler’ for people who are having persistent symptoms after their acute infections,” she said. The formal diagnosis is Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, or PASC. That means a patient is still suffering symptoms 12 weeks after the initial, acute infection. And the doctor said there are myriad symptoms to watch out for. The most common are fatigue, brain fog including trouble concentrating, confusion and memory loss, and shortness of breath, and gastrointestinal problems. But some patients can also experience chest pains and heart palpitations. Brown told News 5 she hopes her story will convince everyone to take this virus seriously, get the help they need, and get vaccinated to protect themselves and their communities.

“You’re not alone,” she said. “There are a lot of people struggling with the same thing and know that we’re here to listen and we believe you.” Brown is hoping to be part of a solution. She’s part of a six-month pilot program designed to address the specific challenges our area’s African American community faces when living with Long COVID-19. ‘The Long Haul’ was funded by a grant from the COVID-19 Rapid Fund and kicks off with an event Saturday. “A lot of people think this is a game like they don’t believe in this. I tell them it is real. It is real,” she said. “This disease is killing people.”

There are some risk factors associated with your chances of getting PASC. If you have a more severe acute infection, one that requires hospitalization, you’re more likely to have these long-term problems. Females are also more likely than males to experience long-term effects, as are those with a higher BMI, and those with more than five symptoms in the initial infection. If you’re dealing with these long-term effects of the virus, Weinberger told News 5, there’s help out there. “A lot of people really do feel alone, and they feel like people don’t understand what they’re going through and don’t understand their struggles and don’t believe them when they say, you know, that they can barely get through a day without napping four hours that day,” she said.

This story has been taken from a syndicate feed without modification to the text.

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coronavirus variants
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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
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.

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Pandemic adversely affected mental health of people, especially older: Study

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of older people living in the community, with those who are lonely faring far worse, according to new research from McMaster University.

The study was published in the journal Nature Aging.

Using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a national team of researchers found that 43 per cent of adults aged 50 or older experienced moderate or high levels of depressive symptoms at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that increased over time.

Loneliness was the most significant predictor of worsening depressive symptoms, with other pandemic-related stressors, such as family conflict, also increasing the odds.

The research was led by Parminder Raina, a professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact and scientific director of the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionated impact on older adults, with groups of people who were already marginalized feeling a far greater negative impact,” said Raina, lead principal investigator of the CLSA.

“Those who were socially isolated, experiencing poorer health and of lower socioeconomic status were more likely to have worsening depression as compared to their pre-pandemic depression status collected as part of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging since 2011.”

The research team included CLSA principal investigators Christina Wolfson of McGill University, Susan Kirkland of Dalhousie University, Lauren Griffith of McMaster, along with a national team of investigators.

They used telephone and web survey data to examine how health-related factors and social determinants such as income and social participation, impacted the prevalence of depressive symptoms during the initial lockdown starting March 2020 and after re-opening following the first wave of COVID-19 in Canada.

Caregiving responsibilities, separation from family, family conflict, and loneliness were associated with a greater likelihood of moderate or high levels of depressive symptoms that got worse over time.

Women were also more likely to have higher odds of depressive symptoms during the pandemic compared to men, and a greater number of women reported separation from family, increased time caregiving as well as barriers to caregiving.

Overall, older adults had twice the odds of depressive symptoms during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. But those with lower income and poorer health, either due to pre-existing health conditions or health concerns reported during the pandemic, experienced a greater impact.

“These findings suggest the negative mental health impacts of the pandemic persist and may worsen over time and underscores the need for tailored interventions to address pandemic stressors and alleviate their impact on the mental health of older adults,” Raina added.

The findings mark the first published COVID-19 research emerging from the CLSA, a national research platform on ageing involving more than 50,000 community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults at recruitment. The platform is funded by the Government of Canada through and Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Additional funding for the CLSA COVID-19 Questionnaire Study was provided by the by the Juravinski Research Institute, McMaster University, the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging, the Nova Scotia COVID-19 Health Research Coalition and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Covid case update: India logs over 10,000 cases again, vaccination crosses 120.27 cr mark

by Medically Speaking Team
written by Medically Speaking Team

The Union Health Ministry announced on Friday that a single-day increase of 10,549 new COVID-19 infections had brought India’s total to 3,45,55,431. At the moment, there are 1,10,133 active cases.

In the last 24 hours, 488 people have died, bringing the total death toll to 4,67,468. During the same time period, 9,868 recoveries were reported, bringing the total number of recoveries to 3,39,77,830.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 49 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 152 consecutive days now.

The health ministry also said, the active cases comprise 0.32 per cent of the total infections while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.33 per cent

With the administration of 83,88,824 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 120.27 Cr (1,20,27,03,659) as per provisional reports till 7 am today.  This has been achieved through 1,24,56,121 sessions.

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ICMR Chief Balram Bhargava on need for booster shots: No scientific evidence

by Medically Speaking
written by Medically Speaking

Dr Balram Bhargava, the head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has said that there is no scientific evidence to yet to support the necessity for a booster vaccination dosage to provide further protection against the coronavirus illness (Covid-19). “Administering the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine to all adult population, and ensuring that not only India, but the entire world gets vaccinated, is the priority of the government for now,” the ICMR director general (DG) said.

“More so, there is no scientific evidence so far to support the need for a booster vaccine dose against Covid-19,” Bhargava told news agency PTI on Sunday.

The senior scientist’s remarks come in the backdrop of recent reports that the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), the Centre’s top expert panel on immunisation, is likely to meet in the last week of November to discuss key issues such as booster shots, as well as opening up the vaccination for children.

In recent days, several people, including Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, have urged the Union government to permit the boosters.

“The Centre cannot take a direct decision in such a matter. When the ICMR says that a booster shots should be given, we will consider it then. At present, the aim is to complete full vaccination of the target population. Once that is done, a decision on boosters will be taken. We have enough stocks available,” Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said recently.

According to official data, out of 940 million eligible adults, around 82 per cent have taken their first dose of a Covid-19 jab, while nearly 43 per cent have taken both doses, or, in other words, are fully inoculated.

The nationwide vaccination drive against this viral illness began on January 16 this year. Till now, nearly 1.17 billion doses have been administered.

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blood
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Health survey shows anaemia a concern across age groups in children, women

by Medically Speaking
written by Medically Speaking

THE MOST RECENT National Family Health Survey (NFHS) from the Union Health Ministry has shown a concerning trend: a rise in anaemia across age groups, notably among children and women.

The statistics in NFHS 2019-21, the fifth in the series, reveal that the biggest jump in anaemia was observed among children aged 6-59 months (see box) — 67.1 percent (NFHS-5) up from 58.6 percent in the previous year (NFHS-4, 2015-16). According to the report, the figure was greater in rural India (68.3 percent) than in urban India (64.2 per cent).

This is followed by anaemia in females aged 15-19 years — 59.1 per cent (NFHS-5) from 54.1 per cent (NFHS-4). In this group, too, the number was higher in rural areas (58.7 per cent) compared to urban India (54.1 per cent).

Among pregnant women aged 15-49 years, 52.2 per cent were found to be anaemic compared to 50.4 per cent in the previous survey. But in this group, there is a stark difference between urban areas (45.7 per cent) and rural India (54.3 per cent).

The prevalence of anaemia among men, the data show, was significantly lower compared to other groups: 25 per cent in the age group of 15-49 and 31.1 per cent in the age group of 15-16.

According to NFHS-5, the country also reported a marginal improvement in two key indicators of undernutrition among children under five years — stunting and wasting.

The WHO has defined stunting as impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.

The NFHS-5 data show that 35.5 per cent of children under five years are stunted (height-for-age) as compared to 38.8 per cent reported in NFHS-4. The latest data also reveal that the percentage of stunted children is higher in rural India (37.3 per cent) when compared to urban areas (30.1 per cent).

The Health Ministry’s fact sheet released Wednesday covers 14 states and Union Territories clubbed under phase-2 of NFHS-5. The phase-1 findings of 22 states and Union Territories were released in December last year.

In the phase-2 data on stunting among children, Rajasthan (31.8 per cent) showed a 7.3 percentage point decrease followed by Uttar Pradesh (39.7 per cent) with a 6.6 percentage point decrease. However, Uttarakhand (27 per cent) and Haryana (27.5 per cent) recorded a 6.5 percentage point increase, and Madhya Pradesh (35.7 per cent) a 6.3 percentage point increase.

According to WHO, wasting among children indicates recent and severe weight loss, although it can also persist for a long time — a child found “severely wasted” has an increased risk of death but treatment is possible.

The NFHS-5 reported wasting (weight-for-height) in 19.3 per cent children under five years as compared to 21 per cent in NFHS-4. The percentage of children in this category is slightly higher in rural areas (19.5 per cent) compared to urban India (18.5 per cent).

But the data also reveal a disturbing trend: 7.7 per cent of children under five years fall in the severely wasted (weight-for-height) category as compared to 7.5 per cent in NFHS-4.

The NFHS-5 raises another red flag among children under five years: 3.4 per cent are overweight (weight-for-height), as compared to 2.1 per cent reported in NFHS-4. According to WHO, being overweight signals a form of malnutrition that results from expending too few calories for the amount of food consumed — and increases the risk of non-communicable diseases later in life.

Even as this data was released Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed Poshan Abhyaan, his Government’s flagship programme to improve nutrition for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. One of the key targets under the initiative is to reduce the prevalence of anaemia among children aged 6-59 months by 9 per cent.

The Prime Minister said the initiative should be implemented in “mission mode” in each state. He also stressed on the role of Self-Help Groups and other local organisations in promoting awareness about children’s health and nutrition at the grassroot level.

The review was undertaken during a meeting of the 39th edition of PRAGATI, the ICT based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving the Central and state governments.

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