Photo for representational purpose only

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 3

Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS, New Delhi, today struck a note of hope by saying that emergency use authorisation for a Covid vaccine in India could be expected by the end of this month or early January next year.

Candidate status

AstraZeneca-Oxford Will apply for emergency use in about two weeks

Bharat Biotech-ICMR Phase-3 trials underway

Zydus Cadila Phase-2 trials completed

Dr Reddy’s-Sputnik Phase-2, 3 trials underway

Biological E Ltd Early phase 1, 2 trials underway

SC seeks status report from Himachal Pradesh govt on covid care infra

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Himachal Pradesh Government to file a status report regarding facilities for treatment of Covid-19 patients in the state and the infrastructure available for it after it was told about lack of facilities in the state. tns

He said the pandemic wave was receding gradually, but there should be no laxity in Covid-appropriate behaviour for the next three months.

Citing phase 3 trials of Covishield (Serum Institute-Oxford University) vaccine and Covaxin (Bharat Biotech-ICMR’s indigenous vaccine), he said the advanced progress in trials and data on vaccine safety indicated that the Indian regulators might soon grant emergency use authorisation to an efficacious vaccine.

Post-Covid complications were now being reported more frequently, he said. “Literature shows 80 per cent of recovered patients will face post-Covid issues, including fatigue, body ache, inability to concentrate and dry cough. This usually resolves in six to eight weeks. But there are some who develop permanent damage. They have lung fibrosis, scarring of the lungs, breathlessness, stroke, cardiac damage and breathless on minimal activities,” Dr Guleria said.

“In some cases, Covid may cause permanent complications but in majority cases, people tend to recover in two months,” he added.