Nagaon: Beneficiaries wait in a queue to receive COVID-19 vaccine dose, at a centre in Nagaon district of Assam, Aug. 18, 2021. (PTI Photo) Coronavirus India Live updates: The Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday said that Zydus Cadila has received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for its ZyCoV-D vaccine. The is the world’s first and India’s indigenously developed DNA-based vaccine for Covid-19 and it will be administered to people above 12 years and above.
Earlier in the day, Johnson & Johnson had submitted an application to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to conduct a study of its Covid-19 vaccine for adolescents aged between 12 to 17 years in India, news agency ANI reported. This comes as Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said a Covid-19 vaccine for children could be launched “very soon”.
Breakthrough infections of coronavirus cases comprise a very high proportion of the Delta variant, news agency PTI reported quoting INSACOG, a genome sequencing government consortium of laboratories. The continuing Covid-19 outbreaks across India are attributable to the Delta variant, a susceptible population and reduced vaccine effectiveness in blocking transmission, the INSACOG added. However, vaccination continues to be very effective in reducing severe disease and death, and public health measures to reduce transmission and inoculation remain critical, the INSACOG stressed in its latest bulletin dated August 16.
Maharashtra reported 4,365 new coronavirus cases and 105 deaths on Friday, while 6,384 patients recovered from the viral infection, a health department official said. The state's infection tally thus rose to 64,15,935, while the death toll reached 1,35,672. Nandurbar district in north Maharashtra did not record a single active Covid-19 case for the fifth day in a row.
As many as 6,384 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, taking the recovery count to 62,21,305. There are 55,454 active cases in Maharashtra. The state's Covid-19 recovery rate stands at 96.97 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.11 per cent. (PTI)
Kerala reported 20,224 Covid-19 cases and 99 deaths on Friday, taking the total caseload to 37,86,797 and the toll to 19,345. Thrissur reported the highest number of cases (2,795), followed by Ernakulam 2,707, Kozhikode 2,705, Malappuram 2,611 and Palakkad 1,528.
"Among those who were found infected today, 137 reached the state from outside while 19,205 contracted the disease through their contacts. The sources of infection of 785 are yet to be traced. 97 health workers are also among the infected," health minister Veena George said in a release.
She said 1,19,385 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 3,00,73,530. The Test Positivity Rate stood at 16.94. 17,142 persons recuperated from the disease, taking the total cured in the state to 35,84,634. Currently there are 1,82,285 persons under treatment in the state. There are 4,91,871 persons under observation in Kerala, out of which 26,952 are in isolation wards of various hospitals. There are 414 wards in 74 local self government bodies of the state where the weekly infection population ration (WIPR) was above eight per cent. (PTI)
ZyCov-D has been tested in phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials involving over 28,000 participants in all. A thousand of these participants were of ages between 12 and 18 years.
According to trial data so far, the vaccine has been able to bring down symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in those who received doses by nearly 67 per cent compared with those who did not get a vaccine. This is based on 79 to 90 RT-PCR confirmed cases of Covid-19 from those vaccinated in the phase 3 trials, Zydus Cadila managing director Dr Sharvil Patel said.
Two doses of the vaccine seem to be enough to prevent people from developing severe symptoms of Covid-19 and to prevent death, while three doses keep even moderate symptoms at bay, according to trial data. Read More
ZyCov-D is a “plasmid DNA” vaccine — or a vaccine that uses a genetically engineered, non-replicating version of a type of DNA molecule known as a ‘plasmid’. The plasmids in this case are coded with the instructions to make the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. Vaccination gives the code to cells in the recipient’s body, so they can begin making the spiky outer layer of the virus. The immune system is expected to recognize this as a threat and develop antibodies in response. Read More
Zydus Cadila on Friday received approval for Emergency Use Authorization from DCGI for ZyCoV-D.
Delhi government's policy to make the city "self-reliant" in production of medical oxygen to tackle any Covid-19 crisis as seen during the second wave or any other medical emergency in future, has been notified, officials said on Friday. The Medical Oxygen Production Promotion Policy of Delhi 2021 was approved by the Delhi Cabinet on August 3.
"The ongoing Covid-19 crisis fuelled by a new 2021 strain of the virus has put an enormous pressure on existing healthcare infrastructure, including medical logistics, in the NCT of Delhi," reads the gazette notification dated August 19. A large number of Covid patients need continuous oxygen support at hospitals and at homes. This sudden increased demand coupled with negligible oxygen production in the state has necessitated dependence on resources outside Delhi, it said. (PTI)
Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka has been witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases and fatalities for nearly a fortnight, with the district continuing to outnumber the figures being reported from Bengaluru Urban which has otherwise been recording the highest numbers in the state.
While Dakshina Kannada reported 3,553 new cases and 52 deaths since August 10, Bengaluru Urban reported 3,374 and 40, respectively, during the same period. The Indian Express spoke to the district administration and the health officials in charge of Covid-19 management to pinpoint the reasons behind the shift in trend. Read More
An expert panel of India’s central drug authority has recommended granting emergency use authorisation to Zydus Cadila’s three-dose COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D, sources said.
The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) deliberated on the application given by Zydus Cadila on Thursday and recommended granting emergency use authorisation to its three-dose coronavirus vaccine.
The recommendations have been sent to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for final approval. Read More
While acknowledging the utility of the booster dose of Covid-19 vaccines, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said that the Pune district administration will make it available only after the entire eligible population has been fully vaccinated with two doses. Pawar, who chaired the weekly Covid-19 review meeting at Pune’s council hall, said that the district administration has also decided to give priority to second dose vaccination for now. Read More
Breakthrough infections of coronavirus cases comprise a very high proportion of the Delta variant, the INSACOG, a genome sequencing government consortium of laboratories, has said.
The continuing Covid-19 outbreaks across India are attributable to the Delta variant, a susceptible population and reduced vaccine effectiveness in blocking transmission, the INSACOG added. However, vaccination continues to be very effective in reducing severe disease and death, and public health measures to reduce transmission and inoculation remain critical, the INSACOG stressed in its latest bulletin dated August 16. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday announced that the curbs on opening of shops and other establishments on Sundays will be lifted in view of improved coronavirus situation in the state. He directed the officials to consider doing away with the weekly closure of markets on Sundays and implement the previous system of closure. The decision was taken after Adityanath held a review meeting with officials concerned over the Covid-19 situation. (PTI)
The Meghalaya government has decided to lift restrictions on public transport services and sporting activities from next week, after a gap of almost three-and-a-half months, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on Friday. The state has also granted permission for reopening of cinema halls and public parks across the state, Tynsong said.
"All sporting activities can resume from Monday. Cinema halls can restart operations with one-third occupancy. Jackpot parlours and public parks have also been allowed to reopen. These activities, nonetheless, will be strictly subjected to the standard operating procedure (SOP), to be issued by the government," Tynsong said.
Private vehicles, too, have been granted permission to ply with one-third occupancy, he said. (PTI)
Weekend restrictions have now been relaxed in Noida and Ghaziabad in view of declining Covid-19 cases across the state. As per the latest government notification, markets will open on Saturdays and Sundays as well. However, the night curfew will continue to function in the districts, officials said.
As per orders, the movement of persons can take place between 6 am and 10 pm on all days of the week. Read More
No death due to COVID-19 was recorded in Delhi on Friday, while 57 fresh cases were reported with a positivity rate of 0.08 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. This is the eleventh time since the starting of the second wave of the pandemic in the national capital that zero fatality has been logged in a day.
On July 18, July 24, July 29, August 2, August 4, August 8, August 11 and August 12, August 13 and August 16 too, no death due to Covid-19 was recorded, according to official data. On March 2 this year, the city had reported zero death due to the virus. On that day, the number of single-day infections stood at 217 and the positivity rate was 0.33 per cent. The second wave swept the city during April-May period.
On Friday, 57 fresh cases as the positivity rate rose to 0.08 per cent, according to the latest bulletin. Twenty-five fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest since April 15 last year, and two deaths due to the disease were recorded on Thursday, while the positivity rate had stood at 0.04 per cent, according to the official figures. On Wednesday, the city had registered 36 cases and four fatalities, while the positivity rate had stood at 0.05 per cent. (PTI)
The Centre is fully ready to tackle a possible third wave of COVID-19 and a provision of Rs 23,123 has been made for this purpose, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Friday. He said special emphasis is being given to strengthening paediatric care amid apprehension that the third wave may affect children more than others.
Thakur, who is on a five-day 'Jan Ashirwaad Yatra' in his home state Himachal Pradesh, was speaking to reporters here. This is his maiden visit to the state since being sworn in as a Union Cabinet minister last month.
The government is likely to start vaccinating children against Covid-19 by next month, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a BJP Parliamentary Party meeting. Results of an ongoing research regarding the same is likely to arrive next month, he highlighted.
Earlier this month, the Centre had told the Delhi High Court that Covid-19 vaccines may be soon available for children between 12 and 18 years of age and a policy on vaccinating them would be formulated after acquiring approval.
Going by the 80 per cent coverage strategy, the government would have to plan for enough vaccines to cover 104 million children to effectively protect this cohort. The exercise would, therefore, require at least 208 million doses of a two-dose vaccine. In the case of a three-dose vaccine, the requirement for vaccines would be much higher.
Zydus Cadila, which is developing DNA vaccines, has concluded its trials for the 12-18 age group and subject to statutory provisions, the vaccine may be available in the near future, the Centre had said.
Also, the Drug Controller General of India has permitted Bharat Biotech, the maker of Covaxin, to conduct clinical vaccine trials for the 2-18 age group, the government had told Delhi HC.
Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine has been tested and approved in the European Union for use in adolescents aged 12-15. However, the expectation is to make use of India’s indigenous capacity to make Covaxin, which is still being tested in children, a senior government official had told Indian Express.
Johnson & Johnson on Friday submitted an application to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to conduct a study of its Covid-19 vaccine for adolescents aged between 12 to 17 years in India.
The active cases have declined to 3,63,605, the lowest in 150 days, and comprise 1.12 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, the ministry said. A reduction of 524 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that the Covid-19 situation is completely under control in the state with the recovery rate of being above 99 per cent. "For the last few weeks, the number of new Covid cases in the state has remained around 20. In the month of August, there has not been a single death due to COVID-19 across the state which is quite satisfactory," Gehlot tweeted. He said at present, there are only 153 active cases in the state and the recovery rate is more than 99 per cent.
"This shows the Covid pandemic is completely under control at present in the state. It is in our hands to keep the situation under control," he said. The chief minister said it is necessary to follow the Covid protocol so that the third wave of the pandemic does not come.