Coronavirus Live Updates: Govt clears nasal vaccine for booster dose, to be available first in private hospitals

Govt of India approves Nasal vaccine. It will be used as a heterologous booster & will be available first in private hospitals. It will be included in Covid-19 vaccination program from today: Official Sources

The country is fully prepared to deal with the coronavirus situation, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday. He also expressed confidence that the country will achieve universal healthcare coverage.According to the minister, medicines have become more affordable and the out-of-pocket expenditure for medicines has come down.

Death toll stands at 5,30,690 with nine more fatalities.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has advised people to avoid public gatherings such as wedding ceremonies, political or social meetings as well as international travel amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases in some countries, including China.In an advisory issued on Thursday, the IMA also appealed to people to go for vaccination against the viral disease, including taking the precaution dose, and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour such as using masks at public places and following social-distancing norms.

Allaying fears about BF.7 variant of coronavirus, a prominent scientist on Friday said it is a sub-variant of Omicron strain and that India need not worry too much about its severity on the population. Rakesh Mishra, Director, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), Bangalore, however cautioned that wearing face masks and avoiding unnecessary crowds is always advisable. China has been witnessing an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases as the neighbouring country has not passed through different waves of the infection that India had faced, he further said.

Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a virtual meeting with State health ministers on the Covid-19 situation and preparedness at 3 pm today, according to sources. Mandaviya made a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday on India's preparedness to curb the spread of the viral infection.He said the situation is being constantly monitored. The minister also said while there are no direct flights between China and India, people from the neighbouring country arrive here via other routes.The focus is to ensure that no new variant of the virus enters the country, he said, adding that at the same time, there is no impediment to travelling.

China has requisitioned medical supplies production across the country as millions struggle to obtain basic drugs and testing kits in the face of a surge in Covid-19 cases.Pharmacies in major cities have been stripped bare in the wake of the Chinese government's sudden decision to lift years of lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing. To address nationwide shortages, more than a dozen Chinese pharmaceutical firms have been tapped by officials to help "secure supplies" of key drugs -- a euphemism for requisitioning. At least 11 of 42 test kit makers whose products are licensed by China's medical regulators have had part of their production seized by the government or received orders from the state, local reports said.

Elderly patients lined the wards of hospitals in major cities in China Thursday as the country battled a wave of Covid cases. The virus is surging across the vast Asian nation in an outbreak authorities say is impossible to track after the end of mandatory mass testing. And with cases soaring, Washington called on Beijing to share its Covid outbreak data, saying China's caseload impacts the world.

Speaking on Covid-19 preparedness of Karnataka, amid fear of a possible fourth outbreak in the country, state health minister K Sudhakar Rao on Thursday said an emergency meeting has been called under the chairmanship of chief minister Basavraj Bommai to discuss the state's preparedness. Saying the Karnataka government will be adhering to the instructions of the Central advisoty in this regard, he said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting with all health officials and technical committee members. Based on their directions, our government will also follow all their recommendations and guidelines."

Amid the reported spurt in Covid-19 cases in China and some other countries, the health department in Agra has started screening visitors at the Taj Mahal and other monuments in the district. All visitors will have to undergo primary health screening and check-up, authorities have now said. On Thursday, samples of 200 tourists, including foreigners, were collected for lab testing at the east and west gates of the Taj Mahal. Chief medical officer of Agra district, Dr Arun Kumar Srivastava, said, “Thousands visit Taj Mahal every day. To prevent the spread of Covid-19, two teams have been deployed at the entry gates of the monument to screen tourists. Those with high body temperature or other Covid-19 symptoms will undergo onthe-spot antigen testing. ”

Urging China to share information on its Covid outbreak, he said, "We want to see China get this outbreak (of Covid19) under control...It's also important for all countries including China to vaccinate their people, make testing and treatment available and share info with the world about what they are experiencing."

China reported no new Covid-19 deaths for December 22, compared with zero the previous day, the National Health Commission said on Friday. The country reported 3,761 new symptomatic Covid-19 infections on Dec. 22 , compared with 3,030 a day earlier. Excluding imported infections, China reported 3,696 new local cases, up from 2,966 a day earlier. Severe cases rose by 42 across China on Wednesday, versus an increase of 45 the previous day. China does not provide absolute figures of severe cases.

All international travellers arriving in India will have to undergo thermal screening at the airports from Saturday. If any passenger is found to be symptomatic for Covid-19, she or he will be immediately isolated and taken to a designated medical facility as per the health protocol, the health ministry said in its latest guidelines on Thursday. China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, the US, and France are witnessing a sustained increase in Covid-19infections.The guidelines says all travellers should preferably be vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule ofvaccination against Covid-19 in their respective countries. During travel, the guidelines mandate, in-flight announcement about precautionary measures should be followed (use of masks and physical distancing).

BF. 7, the variant currently driving China’s Covid surge, is apparently a known irritant that has been in circulation for nearly two years, albeit sparsely and without causing much damage. According to data released by the Scripps Research Institute, 91 countries have had a variant matching the genetic make-up and mutation profile of BF. 7 since February 2021. It was finally named BF. 7 (also BA. 5. 2. 1. 7) and added to the BA. 5 Omicron lineage in May 2022, said an INSACOG scientist. Virologists, epidemiologists and infectious diseases experts TOI spoke to said they couldn’t make sense of the renewed alarm over BF. 7 given the fact that the variant’s prevalence in sequenced samples had remained 0. 5% worldwide. The variant has been seen in only 47,881 sequenced patient samples worldwide since it was identified on February 26 last year, an INSACOG official said.

In view of the spurt in coronavirus cases globally and to prevent a fresh outbreak of the disease, AIIMS and other hospitals in the city have issued an advisory for their employees to reinforce Covid-appropriate behaviour. They have also been asked to encourage patients and their attendants to follow suit.Dr Sanjeev Lalwani, AIIMS medical superintendent, issued an office memorandum stating that preventive measures, such as using masks and washing of hands with soap or sanitiser, should be taken. It added that gatherings of five or more people at any place in the offices or canteens should be avoided and strict disinfection protocols should be followed as per guidelines.