Last Updated : Sep 28, 2020 07:50 PM IST | Source: Moneycontrol.com

Coronavirus wrap September 28 | 'Teicoplanin' effective in treating COVID-19, say researchers; Centre launches online portal on vaccine

Globally, more than 3.2 crore infections and over 9.9 lakh deaths have been reported due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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India has recorded more than 60.7 lakh cases of the novel coronavirus and 95,542 deaths. Of these, more than 9.6 lakh are active cases while over 50.1 lakh have recovered.

Across the country, 7,09,394 samples were tested for the novel coronavirus on September 27, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.

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Maharashtra’s COVID-19 tally remains the highest among Indian states and Union territories, according to the Union health ministry's latest update.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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The health ministry updates its numbers a day after states release their data.

Globally, more than 3.2 crore infections and over 9.9 lakh deaths have been reported due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are all the latest updates:

>> Reports suggest that Maharashtra, the worst-affected state in India, is set to allow restaurants, bars, and eateries to re-open with certain restrictions in place.

>> Clinically approved drug "Teicoplanin" is a potential therapeutic option against COVID-19 and can be ten times more effective than several drugs being currently used, a Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, research has found.

>> As many as 76,768 police personnel, including paramilitary forces such as CRPF, CISF, BSF and NSG, have tested positive for COVID-19, while 401 succumbed to COVID-19, according to a report by the Bureau of Police Research and Development.

>> Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on September 28 launched an online portal which will have all the relevant data on research development, clinical trials, and other information regarding a COVID-19 vaccine.

>> The largest city in Brazil's Amazon has closed bars and river beaches to contain a fresh surge of coronavirus cases, a trend that may dash theories that Manaus was one of the world's first places to reach collective, or herd, immunity.

>> Singaporeans slowly returned to work as COVID-19 restrictions were eased further after the city-state saw a drop in the number of positive cases.
First Published on Sep 28, 2020 07:36 pm

tags #coronavirus #Current Affairs #India