Last Updated : Oct 15, 2020 08:40 PM IST | Source: Moneycontrol.com

Coronavirus wrap October 15 | Infection doubling time in India improves sharply; lockdown announced in Paris

Globally, there have been over 3.83 crore confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 10.88 lakh people have died so far.

Moneycontrol News

India has recorded more than 73 lakh cases of the novel coronavirus and 1.11 lakh deaths. Of these, more than 8.3 lakh are active cases while over 63.8 lakh have recovered.

Across the country, 11.3 lakh samples were tested for the novel coronavirus on October 14, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.

Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally remains the highest among Indian states and union territories.

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Globally, there have been over 3.83 crore confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 10.88 lakh people have died so far.

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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Here are all the latest updates:

>> The Ministry of Culture released Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for cultural functions and programmes on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19. Among other specific instructions, the SOPs state that in closed spaces, a maximum of 50 percent of the hall capacity will be allowed with a ceiling of 200 persons.

>> Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has tested positive for COVID-19, the party said. "Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav has tested positive for COVID-19, and is being monitored by doctors. As of now, there are no COVID symptoms in him," it said.

>> Apollo Hospitals said on October 15 that it was gearing up its network of pharmacies, clinics and hospitals to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to one million people per day. The hospital chain has said it is training 10,000 healthcare workers to be able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

>> The doubling time of the coronavirus infection has sharply improved from 25.5 days in mid-August to nearly 73 days now, the Health Ministry said.

>> World is experiencing one of the deepest recessions since the Great Depression due to COVID-19, World Bank President David Malpass said.

>> France imposed a curfew on Paris and other major cities, and other countries are taking similar steps as record caseloads fill hospitals and governments try to respond without lockdowns.
First Published on Oct 15, 2020 08:39 pm

tags #coronavirus #Current Affairs #India #world