A new Covid virus combination has been discovered in two persons in Israel who had travelled abroad. According to a report in Israeli daily Haaretz, the virus is a combination of BA.1 (Omicron) and BA.2 variants. The report quoting the Israel health ministry as saying the patients exhibited symptoms that included fever, headaches and muscle aches. However, they did not need specialised medical care.The report quoted physician Salman Zarka noting that the two viruses tend to link up when both are contracted and if both are in the same cell in the body, they are said to generate a new virus as they multiply and exchange genetic material. Zarka had also reportedly said that the patients were a couple in their thirties who contracted the infection from their infant.Do people need to be concerned?Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, director and head, Pulmonology, Fortis Hospitals, Faridabad told indianexpress.com that there is nothing to worry about at present due to the new Covid variant. “The newer variant is a combination of milder variants that were extremely contagious but mildest in India. We simply need to follow the vaccination schedule. Nothing else is needed,” said Dr Jha.Adequate rest and recovery are advised at home with simple home-cooked, fresh food, and proper hydration.Dr Jha recommended*Covid vaccination*Flu vaccination*High protein diet*Covid-appropriate behaviour as precautionary measuresDr Shrey Srivastav, MD (Internal Medicine), Sharda Hospital mentioned that while people who are vaccinated need not panic, they should be careful while travelling, especially those going abroad. “People shouldn’t panic at this time if you are vaccinated. Wear masks in public places and gatherings where you don’t know the vaccination status of people around you. Get yourself booster doses for Covid vaccine,” said Dr Srivastav.He also emphasised that people who are immunocompromised, have pre-existing lung diseases, diabetes, kidney failure, liver diseases, cancer and are on chemotherapy, should continue to take extra precautions.The World Health Organization recommends that the most effective way to prevent infection from any virus is to get vaccinated and follow prevention measures: “Maintaining at least a 1-metre distance from others, wearing a well-fitted mask when keeping your distance is not possible, avoiding crowded and poorly ventilated places and settings, opening windows and doors to keep rooms well ventilated and cleaning your hands frequently.”📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!
A new virus combination was discovered in two persons who had returned from abroad and landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport, reported local media on Thursday.According to the report in the Israeli daily Haaretz, the virus is a combination of BA.1 (Omicron) and BA.2 variants.The patients had symptoms that included fever, headaches and muscle aches. However, they did not need specialised medical care, said the report quoting the Israel health ministry.The report also quoted physician Salman Zarka as saying that two viruses tend to link up when both are contracted and if both are in the same cell in the body. They are said to generate a new virus as they multiply and exchange genetic material.Zarka had also reportedly said that the patients were a couple in their thirties who contracted the infection from their infant.Meanwhile, the Union Health Secretary of India has written to six states — Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat — which account for most of the increase in new Covid-19 and seasonal flu cases.
India, on Monday recorded 89 new coronavirus infections, the lowest number of cases since March 27, 2020. The active cases declined to 2,035, according to data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.The Covid case tally stood at 4.46 crore (4,46,81,233) and death toll at 5,30,726. A fall of 84 cases was recorded in the active Covid-19 caseload in the last 24 hours.The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,48,472, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 percent.Delhi recorded no new cases of Covid-19 Monday for the first time since March 2020. According to data shared by the state health department, the number of active cases stands at just 10. No Covid-related fatality was reported on Monday. Delhi has logged only one death due to the infection (on January 9) this month.As many as 931 tests were conducted in the national capital the previous day, data shared by the state health department showed. The city reported just one new case on Sunday with a positivity rate of 0.05 per cent.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India today will hear a suo motu case related to the spread of Covid-19 in prisons across the country.The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Tuesday approved market authorisation to Covid-19 vaccine Covovax as a heterologous booster dose for adults who have been administered two doses of Covishield or Covaxin, official sources told PTI. The DCGI’s approval came following recommendation by the Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).“Prakash Kumar Singh, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Serum Institute of India (SII), had recently written to the DCGI for the approval of Covovax heterologous booster dose for those aged 18 years and above in view of the escalating Covid-19 pandemic situation in some countries,” an official source told PTI.(With inputs from PTI)
In the past 24 hours, India reported 114 fresh Covid-19 cases, with active cases declining to 2,119, as compared to 2,149 recorded a day earlier, the official website of the Union Ministry of Health showed on Monday.The country’s total Covid-19 tally was reported to be 4.46 crore (4,46,81,154), according to news agency PTI. No Covid-related deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, with the death toll staying at 5,30,726, the data updated on health ministry’s website at 8 am on Monday showed. The case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.The national Covid-19 recovery rate continued to stay at 98.80 per cent, PTI reported, with the number of people who have so far recuperated from the disease, surging to 4,41,48,309.According to the data, 74,320 tests to detect the virus were conducted on Sunday across the country.About 3,984 doses were administered in vaccination centers around the country on Sunday within the government’s nationwide vaccination drive against Covid-19. A total of 2,20,17,06,017 doses of vaccine against the virus have been administered in the country so far.Kerala currently lodges the most number of Covid-19 cases in the country, however, the number of active cases decreased to 1,303, as compared to 1,308 on Sunday. The tally of active cases in Karnataka and Maharashtra lies at 146 and 139, respectively, according to the website.As China and other countries witness a rise in the number of coronavirus cases, Union Health Ministry, on December 28, had said that the next 40 days would be crucial for India, as it might see a surge in infections in January. The government had asked states to step up their Covid-related measures and advised citizens to follow Covid-appropriate guidelines.
MUMBAI: Maharashtra on Sunday reported 11 Covid-19 cases, which took the tally to 81,36,935, while the death toll stood unchanged at 1,48,419, a health official said. The recovery count increased by 13 in the last 24 hours to touch 79,88,377, leaving the state with an active caseload of 139, he said. The recovery rate in the state is 98.17 per cent, while 8,61,02,847 coronavirus tests have been conducted so far, including 8,771 in the last 24 hours, as per state health department data. It also said, since December 24, a total of 8,471 of 3,92,698 international passengers who arrived at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur airports were subjected to RT-PCR tests to detect coronavirus, and 21 reports had returned positive. All the 21 samples have been sent for whole genome sequencing to find out the variant, he added. The 21 patients comprise four from Mumbai, three from Pune, one each from Navi Mumbai, Amravati and Sangli, while three are from Gujarat, two from Kerala and one each from Goa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Odisha and Telangana. Maharashtra coronavirus figures for the day: Fresh cases: 11; Fatality; 0; Active cases: 139; Tests; 8,771.
Pune: Maharashtra is still waiting for four lakh Covishield doses, as many as 15 days after it had ordered them from the Centre in the last week of December. Covid vaccines for government vaccination sites are dispatched by the central government once states place orders. There have been delays in delivery in the past, but officials said on Saturday the most recent hold-up is surprising, considering the Centre itself had called for wider vaccine coverage (especially of boosters) following Covid spikes in some countries. “We are in touch with our central counterparts. We’re yet to get the doses we need to increase booster coverage,” one state official said on Saturday. The Covishield resupply is critical as it has been the lead vaccine in almost all state districts. Many also continue to prefer it as their third dose, despite India’s mixed-dose approvals. Currently, the state has only 8.5 lakh Covaxin doses in stock and some 5,000 doses are being administered daily. “The third dose coverage is below 30% in the 60-plus age groups. It’s only 11% in the 18-59 group. We need these Covishield doses to improve these numbers,” the official said, adding Maharashtra has no stock of Corbevax either.One central official said vaccines are being dispatched to states as per demand. “There is no shortage of Covishield,” the official added. Earlier this week, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said that states can procure more doses to improve their booster Coverage. He had also said that permission has been given to the private sector to continue with their vaccination drives. But administrators of many private hospitals said they're no longer keen to participate, due to low response and the lack of an exchange policy which they fear could lead to wastage. “States such as Gujarat and Karnataka allowed unused vials from the private sector to be utilised by public sites. Maharashtra doesn’t have such a policy. So we’re stocking up only if there's demand,” said a representative of a leading private hospital in the city.On Saturday, just over 2,900 (2,981) doses were administered across the state, according to CoWIN data till 10pm.
PUNE: It has been 15 days and Maharashtra is still waiting for four lakh Covishield doses it had ordered from the Centre in the last week of December. Covid vaccines for government vaccination sites are dispatched by the central government once states place orders. There have been delays in delivery in the past, but officials said on Saturday the most recent hold-up is surprising, considering the Centre itself had called for wider vaccine coverage (especially of boosters) following Covid spikes in some countries. "We are in touch with our central counterparts. We're yet to get the doses we need to increase booster coverage," one official said. The Covishield resupply is critical as it has been the lead vaccine in almost all state districts. Many continue to prefer it as their third dose as well, despite the mixed dose regimen. Currently, the state has only 8.5 lakh Covaxin doses in stock and some 5,000 doses are being administered daily. "The third dose coverage is below 30% in the 60-plus age groups. It's only 11% in the 18-59 group. We need these Covishield doses to improve these numbers," the official said, adding Maharashtra has no stock of Corbevax either. One central official said vaccines are being dispatched to states as per demand. "There is no shortage," the official added. Earlier this week, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said that states can procure more doses to improve their booster Coverage.
China on Saturday marked the first day of “chun yun”, the 40-day period of Lunar New Year travel known pre-pandemic as the world’s largest annual migration of people, bracing for a huge increase in travelers and the spread of Covid-19 infections.This Lunar New Year public holiday, which officially runs from Jan. 21, will be the first since 2020 without domestic travel restrictions. Over the last month China has seen the dramatic dismantling of its “zero-Covid” regime following historic protests against a policy that included frequent testing, restricted movement, mass lockdowns and heavy damage to the world’s No.2 economy. Investors are hoping that the reopening will eventually reinvigorate a $17-trillion economy suffering its lowest growth in nearly half a century.But the abrupt changes have exposed many of China’s 1.4 billion population to the virus for the first time, triggering a wave of infections that is overwhelming some hospitals, emptying pharmacy shelves of medicines and causing long lines to form at crematoriums. The Ministry of Transport said on Friday that it expects more than 2 billion passengers to take trips over the next 40 days, an increase of 99.5% year-on-year and reaching 70.3% of trip numbers in 2019.There was mixed reaction online to that news, with some comments hailing the freedom to return to hometowns and celebrate the Lunar New Year with family for the first time in years. Many others, however, said they would not travel this year, with worry of infecting elderly relatives a common theme.“I dare not go back to my hometown, for fear of bringing the poison back,” said one such comment on the Twitter-like Weibo.Also Read |BF.7 and BA.5.2: The Omicron sub-variants driving the China surgeThere are widespread concerns that the great migration of workers in cities to their hometowns will cause a surge in infections in smaller towns and rural areas that are less well-equipped with ICU beds and ventilators to deal with them. Authorities say they are boosting grassroots medical services, opening more rural fever clinics and instituting a “green channel” for high risk patients, especially elderly people with underlying health conditions, to be transferred from villages directly to higher level hospitals.“China’s rural areas are wide, the population is large, and the per capita medical resources are relatively insufficient,” National Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng said on Saturday.“It’s necessary to provide convenient services, accelerate vaccination for the elderly in rural areas and the construction of grassroots lines of defense.”INFECTION PEAK REACHEDSome analysts are now saying the current wave of infections may have already peaked. Ernan Cui, an analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics in Beijing, cited several online surveys as indicating that rural areas were already more widely exposed to Covid infections than initially thought, with an infection peak already reached in most regions, noting there was “not much difference between urban and rural areas.”On Sunday China will reopen its border with Hong Kong and will also end a requirement for travelers coming from abroad to quarantine. That effectively opens the door for many Chinese to travel abroad for the first time since borders slammed shut nearly three years ago, without fear of having to quarantine on their return.More than a dozen countries are now demanding Covid tests from travellers from China. The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that China’s Covid data underrepresents the number of hospitalizations and deaths from the disease. Chinese officials and state media have defended the handling of the outbreak, playing down the severity of the surge and denouncing foreign travel requirements for its residents.On Saturday in Hong Kong, people who had made appointments had to queue for about 90 minutes at a Centre for PCR tests needed for travel to countries including mainland China.Also Read |What is BF.7, the Omicron sub-variant driving the new surge in China?TREATMENT TO THE FOREFor much of the pandemic, China poured resources into a vast PCR testing program to track and trace Covid-19 cases, but the focus is now shifting to vaccines and treatment. In Shanghai, for example, the city government on Friday announced an end to free PCR tests for residents from Jan. 8.A circular published by four government ministries Saturday signaled a reallocation of financial resources to treatment, outlining a plan for public finances to subsidies 60% of treatment costs until March 31. Meanwhile, sources told Reuters that China is in talks with Pfizer Inc to secure a license that will allow domestic drugmakers to manufacture and distribute a generic version of the U.S. firm’s Covid antiviral drug Paxlovid in China.Many Chinese have been attempting to buy the drug abroad and have it shipped to China. On the vaccine front, China’s CanSino Biologics Inc announced it has begun trial production for its Covid mRNA booster vaccine, known as CS-2034. China has relied on nine domestically-developed vaccines approved for use, including inactivated vaccines, but none have been adapted to target the highly-transmissible Omicron variant and its offshoots currently in circulation.The overall vaccination rate in the country is above 90%, but the rate for adults who have had booster shots drops to 57.9%, and to 42.3% for people aged 80 and older, according to government data released last month. China reported three new Covid deaths in the mainland for Friday, bringing its official virus death toll since the pandemic began to 5,267, one of the lowest in the world. International health experts believe Beijing’s narrow definition of Covid deaths does not reflect a true toll, and some predict more than a million deaths this year.
China on Saturday marked the first day of “chun yun”, the 40-day period of Lunar New Year travel known pre-pandemic as the world’s largest annual migration of people, bracing for a huge increase in travelers and the spread of Covid-19 infections.This Lunar New Year public holiday, which officially runs from Jan. 21, will be the first since 2020 without domestic travel restrictions. Over the last month China has seen the dramatic dismantling of its “zero-Covid” regime following historic protests against a policy that included frequent testing, restricted movement, mass lockdowns and heavy damage to the world’s No.2 economy. Investors are hoping that the reopening will eventually reinvigorate a $17-trillion economy suffering its lowest growth in nearly half a century.But the abrupt changes have exposed many of China’s 1.4 billion population to the virus for the first time, triggering a wave of infections that is overwhelming some hospitals, emptying pharmacy shelves of medicines and causing long lines to form at crematoriums. The Ministry of Transport said on Friday that it expects more than 2 billion passengers to take trips over the next 40 days, an increase of 99.5% year-on-year and reaching 70.3% of trip numbers in 2019.There was mixed reaction online to that news, with some comments hailing the freedom to return to hometowns and celebrate the Lunar New Year with family for the first time in years. Many others, however, said they would not travel this year, with worry of infecting elderly relatives a common theme.“I dare not go back to my hometown, for fear of bringing the poison back,” said one such comment on the Twitter-like Weibo.Also Read |BF.7 and BA.5.2: The Omicron sub-variants driving the China surgeThere are widespread concerns that the great migration of workers in cities to their hometowns will cause a surge in infections in smaller towns and rural areas that are less well-equipped with ICU beds and ventilators to deal with them. Authorities say they are boosting grassroots medical services, opening more rural fever clinics and instituting a “green channel” for high risk patients, especially elderly people with underlying health conditions, to be transferred from villages directly to higher level hospitals.“China’s rural areas are wide, the population is large, and the per capita medical resources are relatively insufficient,” National Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng said on Saturday.“It’s necessary to provide convenient services, accelerate vaccination for the elderly in rural areas and the construction of grassroots lines of defense.”INFECTION PEAK REACHEDSome analysts are now saying the current wave of infections may have already peaked. Ernan Cui, an analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics in Beijing, cited several online surveys as indicating that rural areas were already more widely exposed to Covid infections than initially thought, with an infection peak already reached in most regions, noting there was “not much difference between urban and rural areas.”On Sunday China will reopen its border with Hong Kong and will also end a requirement for travelers coming from abroad to quarantine. That effectively opens the door for many Chinese to travel abroad for the first time since borders slammed shut nearly three years ago, without fear of having to quarantine on their return.More than a dozen countries are now demanding Covid tests from travellers from China. The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that China’s Covid data underrepresents the number of hospitalizations and deaths from the disease. Chinese officials and state media have defended the handling of the outbreak, playing down the severity of the surge and denouncing foreign travel requirements for its residents.On Saturday in Hong Kong, people who had made appointments had to queue for about 90 minutes at a Centre for PCR tests needed for travel to countries including mainland China.Also Read |What is BF.7, the Omicron sub-variant driving the new surge in China?TREATMENT TO THE FOREFor much of the pandemic, China poured resources into a vast PCR testing program to track and trace Covid-19 cases, but the focus is now shifting to vaccines and treatment. In Shanghai, for example, the city government on Friday announced an end to free PCR tests for residents from Jan. 8.A circular published by four government ministries Saturday signaled a reallocation of financial resources to treatment, outlining a plan for public finances to subsidies 60% of treatment costs until March 31. Meanwhile, sources told Reuters that China is in talks with Pfizer Inc to secure a license that will allow domestic drugmakers to manufacture and distribute a generic version of the U.S. firm’s Covid antiviral drug Paxlovid in China.Many Chinese have been attempting to buy the drug abroad and have it shipped to China. On the vaccine front, China’s CanSino Biologics Inc announced it has begun trial production for its Covid mRNA booster vaccine, known as CS-2034. China has relied on nine domestically-developed vaccines approved for use, including inactivated vaccines, but none have been adapted to target the highly-transmissible Omicron variant and its offshoots currently in circulation.The overall vaccination rate in the country is above 90%, but the rate for adults who have had booster shots drops to 57.9%, and to 42.3% for people aged 80 and older, according to government data released last month. China reported three new Covid deaths in the mainland for Friday, bringing its official virus death toll since the pandemic began to 5,267, one of the lowest in the world. International health experts believe Beijing’s narrow definition of Covid deaths does not reflect a true toll, and some predict more than a million deaths this year.
PUNE: Eligible individuals in the 18-59 age bracket in Maharashtra would continue to get free booster vaccine against Covid-19 at government and civic-run vaccination sites across all districts even after the new allocation of doses from the Union government, senior health officials told TOI on Friday."Covid vaccine is actually free to anyone who wants it. This includes booster shots for people in 18-59 age group," state health secretary Sanjay Khandare said.Initially, the booster shot was chargeable for the individuals in the age group and available only at private vaccination sites.For the first time during July-September 2022, the nationwide 75-day-long 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' drive offered booster shots to the individuals in 18-59 age group, besides covering vaccination in other age brackets.Later, the Union government allowed states and union territories to extend the free offering beyond the drive until the allocated stocks were utilized."States who have the stock can still extend the vaccine doses free to cover the maximum population, including those eligible for a precautionary dose in 18-59 age bracket. But, there has been no decision regarding the inclusion of the free booster for 18-59 years at government sites at the Centre's level. But states can take a call depending on the ground situation," Dr NK Arora, chairman of the Covid-19 working group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) told TOI.The inclusion of free booster shots for 18-69 years at government sites could also help avert the wastage of doses as a huge chunk of the stock in the government supply chain is set to expire by February 2023, officials said.Maharashtra state immunization officer Dr Sachin Desai said Maharashtra had continued to offer booster shots to 18-59 years along with already included age groups even after the 75-day drive to date. "Besides, there have been no directives from the Centre to stop offering free booster shots to the 18-59 years after the 75-day drive. We will continue to offer free vaccination to every eligible person in the state, including free booster to 18-59 years, even after receipt of fresh allocation from the union government," Dr Desai said.Despite repeated attempts, Dr Veena Dhawan, joint commissioner (immunization), union health ministry, could not be contacted for her comment.
Eligible persons in the 18-59 age bracket in the state would continue to get free booster vaccine against Covid-19 at government- and civic-run vaccination sites in all districts even after the new allocation of doses from the Centre, senior health officials told TOI on Friday."Covid vaccine is actually free to anyone who wants it. This includes booster shots for people in the 18-59 age group," state health secretary Sanjay Khandare said.Initially, the booster shot was chargeable for people in the age bracket and available only at private Covid vaccination sites. For the first time during July-September 2022, the nationwide 75-day-long 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' drive offered booster shots to those in the 18-59 age group, besides covering vaccination in other age brackets. Later, the Centre let states and union territories extend the free offer until stocks lasted. "States that have the stock can still extend the vaccine doses free to cover the maximum population, including those eligible for a precautionary dose in the 18-59 age bracket. But, there has been no decision on inclusion of the free booster for 18-59 years at government sites at the Centre's level. But states can take a call depending on the ground situation," NK Arora, chairman of Covid-19 working group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation told TOI.State immunisation officer Dr Sachin Desai said Maharashtra continued to offer booster shots to 18-59 years with already included groups even after the 75-day drive to date. -Umesh Isalkar
