Coronavirus Latest News Updates: S Jaishankar meets UN Secretary-General; discusses vaccine solutions to curb virus

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Pune mayor seeks permission to buy vaccine doses directly from SII

Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol has written a letter to Union health minister Harsh Vardhan asking for permission for the local civic body to buy vaccine doses directly from the city-based Serum Institute of India (SII).

The SII which produces Covishield vaccine against coronavirus has its plant on the outskirts of the city.

He and officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation met SII officials and also wrote to them seeking at least 25 lakh doses for the Pune city, Mohol told reporters.

‘We are also planning to float a global tender for vaccines. Since the SII is located in Pune, I wrote to the SII and had a couple of meetings with PMC commissioner Vikram Kumar and their officials. The SII is ready to cooperate but they asked us to get permission from the Union health ministry," he said.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

S Jaishankar meets UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday held a comprehensive in-person meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and discussed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and underlined the need for the importance of finding urgent and effective global vaccine solutions.

In his first face-to-face interaction with the UN chief since India entered the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member in January this year, Jaishankar also deliberated on regional challenges in India’s neighbourhood and said that countering terrorism and radicalisation remain priorities for the entire region.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Tamil Nadu continues to see dip in fresh cases; fatalities go up

Tamil Nadu continued to record a dip in fresh COVID-19 cases, but registered an increase in fatalities on Tuesday, logging 34,285 infections and 468 deaths. The new cases took the caseload to 19.11 lakh, while the fatalities pushed the toll to 21,340.

The state has seen a decline in cases since May 21, when it recorded 36,814 cases. On Monday, it reported 34,867 infections. A total of 28,745 people were discharged on Tuesday, taking the overall number of recoveries to 15,83,504, leaving 3,06,652 active cases.

Chennai reported a further decline in infections with 4,041 people contracting the contagion, totaling 4,87,691 till date. The state capital had reported 4,985 cases on Monday. The metropolis also leads in the number of fatalities with 6,546 deaths.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Maharashtra minister cautions over lifting COVID-19 curbs

Maharashtra cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh on Tuesday cautioned against lifting coronavirus-induced curbs without completing vaccination of half the adult population in the state. He said lifting curbs without inoculating 50 per cent of the adult population against COVID-19 in Maharashtra, where lockdown-like restrictions are in place till June 1, may lead to a fresh wave of the infection.

Speaking to reporters, Shaikh said, It would be an invitation for (a fresh) coronavirus outbreak if lockdown is lifted without completing the inoculation of half the population in Mumbai and the state. The state cabinet is still mulling over how to introduce relaxations to provide some relief to traders and businesspersons. The state COVID-19 task force is going to discuss all the aspects at its review meetings. The state is mulling over giving priority to certain shops to operate…which services should be preferred over others… shops with air conditioning should be allowed or not among other issues, he said.

A final decision will be taken after a comprehensive assessment of the prevailing situation, the minister said.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Maharashtra records 24,136 new COVID-19 cases, 601 deaths

Maharashtra recorded 24,136 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the state’s infection tally to 56,26,155, while 601 fatalities pushed the death toll to 90,349, the state health department said.

Recoveries outnumbered fresh cases, as 36,176 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, taking the tally of recoveries to 52,18,768.

The state’s COVID-19 recovery rate stood at 92.76 percent, while the case fatality rate was 1.61 percent, the department said. There are 3,14,368 active cases in the state, it added. As many as 2,64,275 people were tested for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the number of tests done so far to 3,35,41,565.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

765 new COVID-19 cases in Nashik district, 65 deaths

The count of COVID-19 cases in the Nashik district of Maharashtra rose to 3,81,120 on Tuesday with addition of 765 new patients, officials said. The virus claimed 65 lives in the district during the day, which took the death toll to 4,479, they said.

Of the deaths, 38 were reported from the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) area, 24 from other parts of the district and three from Malegaon.

So far 303 people have died due to the viral infection in Malegaon, 1,908 in NMC limits and 2,169 in other parts of the district. Some patients who died in hospitals in Nashik hailed from outside the district but received treatment here. So far, 3,62,241 patients have recovered including 1,544 on Tuesday.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Himachal Pradesh records 60 more COVID-19 deaths, 1,999 new cases

Himachal Pradesh reported 1,999 new COVID-19 cases and 60 more fatalities on Tuesday, pushing the state’s infection tally to 1,82,982 and death toll to 2,873, an official said.

According to the state health department, there are 23,053 active coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh.

As many as 3,067 patients have recuperated from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,57,031, the official said.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Moderna’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in India likely next year: sources

Moderna is expecting to launch a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in India next year and is in talks with Cipla among other Indian firms, while another US giant Pfizer is ready to offer 5 crore shots in 2021 itself but it wants significant regulatory relaxations including indemnification, sources said on Tuesday.

While Moderna has conveyed to Indian authorities that it does not have surplus vaccines to share in 2021, there are limited prospects of Johnson & Johnson exporting its jabs from the US to other countries in the near future, the sources privy to discussions added.

Two rounds of high-level meetings chaired by the Cabinet Secretary were held last week on the availability of vaccines in the global as well as domestic markets as it was felt that there is an urgent need to procure the jabs at a time the country is reeling under an unprecedented second wave of COVID-19 and a widening gap between supply and requirement.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Madhya Pradesh sees 2,422 new COVID-19 cases, 7,373 recoveries

Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday reported 2,422 fresh coronavirus positive cases and 68 fatalities, taking the tally to 7,69,696 and the toll to 7,686 while 7,373 patients were discharged, the state Health Department said.

Madhya Pradesh’s count of recoveries now stands at 7,13,376 and the number of active cases is 48,634, the department said.

With 648 new cases, Indore’s caseload went up to 1,46,722 while that of Bhopal rose to 1,18,808 with the addition of 529 cases. Indore and Bhopal each reported six COVID-19 fatalities, taking the toll to 1,318 and 916, respectively, officials said.

Indore is now left with 9,779 active cases while Bhopal has 8,519 such cases. With 71,416 new tests, the total number of samples tested so far for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh has crossed 94.54 lakh. In May so far, Madhya Pradesh recorded 2,06,369 cases including 2,070 fatalities.

-PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Gujarat sees 3,255 new cases, 44 deaths

Gujarat on Tuesday reported 3,255 new COVID-19 cases and 44 casualties that raised the tally to 7,94,912 and toll to 9,665, an official from the state health department said.

At 9,676, the day’s count of recoveries was nearly three times more than the new cases, taking the total number of patients who have recovered so far to 7,22,741, the official said. With this, the state’s recovery rate stands at 90.92 per cent, he said.

With 512 new infections, Ahmedabad reported the highest number new cases in the state, followed by Vadodara with 462 cases, Surat with 423, Rajkot with 213, Junagadh with 202 and Jamnagar 103 cases, the data released by the health department stated.

-PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

US will reach 50% of adults fully vaccinated, says White House

The White House says the United States on Tuesday will reach 50% of American adults fully vaccinated for COVID-19. President Joe Biden previously set a goal of having 70% of all adults receiving at least one dose of the vaccine by 4 July, reports AP. 

The White House has ramped up is vaccine distribution, and coronavirus case and deaths have dramatically fallen across the nation. There are currently three vaccines in use in the United States. The Biden administration has increased the number of inoculations it is exporting to other nations.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Karnataka logs 22,578 new cases,38,224 recoveries, 588 deaths

A total of over 20 lakh COVID-19 related recoveries have been recorded in Karnataka so far, as the state on Tuesday reported 38,224 new discharges, continuing to outnumber the fresh cases, which was at 22,758, the health department said on Tuesday.

The state logged 588 more deaths, taking the toll to 26,399, while the caseload stood at 24,72,973. Of the fresh cases reported today, 6,243 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 13,210 discharges and 350 deaths.

As of May 25 evening, cumulatively 24,72,973 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 26,399 deaths and 20,22,172 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin. Total number of active cases in the state stood at 4,24,381.

While the positivity rate for the day stood at 21.13 percent, case fatality rate (CFR) was at 2.58 percent.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

UP reports 163 more fatalities, 3,957 new cases

With 163 fresh COVID-19 deaths, the toll in Uttar Pradesh mounted to 19,519, while 3,957 new cases pushed the tally to 16,77,508 in the state on Tuesday, according to an official statement.

The fresh fatalities included nine deaths being reported from Lucknow and eight each from Jhansi and Saharanpur districts, the Uttar Pradesh government said in the statement. Of the new cases, Varanasi reported 254 cases followed by 219 cases in Saharanpur and 207 in Lucknow, it said.

In the past 24 hours, 10,441 Covid patients recovered from the disease and were discharged from health facilities. The total recoveries in the state stand at 15,88,161, according to the statement. Uttar Pradesh, at present, has 69,828 active cases, it said.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Mumbai reports 1,037 fresh cases and 1,427 recoveries

Mumbai recorded 1,037 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday that took its tally to 6,99,904, while 37 patients died of the infection and 1,427 recovered from it, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.

With the latest casualties, the city’s toll has risen to 14,708 and the count of recoveries has reached 6,55,425, the official said.

The recovery rate in the city stands at 94 per cent, while the doubling rate has improved to 345 days, he said, adding that the city is now left with 27,649 active cases.

As per the BMC’s report, at least 20,990 swab samples were tested during the day, taking the cumulative figure of testing to 61,14,937.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Assam revises night curfew timings in rural areas

The Assam government on Tuesday advanced the night curfew in rural areas to 2 pm from the current 6 pm to contain the surge of COVID-19 cases. The order was issued by Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah, who is also the Chairperson of the State Disaster Management Authority.

He directed that there shall be a total ban on the movement of individuals between 2 pm and 5 in the rural areas. The order issued on Tuesday will come into effect immediately and will remain in force in rural areas till 5 June.

All shops and commercial establishments will shut down at 2 pm on all days while all offices, both private and government, will do the same at 1 pm.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Bharat Biotech expects EUA from WHO for Covaxin by July- September

 Bharat Biotech on Tuesday said  it expects approval for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin from the World Health Organisation for Emergency Use Authorisation by July-September. The company said regulatory approvals for Covaxin are in process in more than 60 countries including the USA, Brazil and Hungary among others.  “Application for EUL has been submitted to WHO-Geneva, regulatory approvals are expected by July-September 2021,” it said in a release.  The city based vaccine maker said it has got EUA in 13 countries with more to follow.

Most countries recommend vaccinations against COVID-19. Unvaccinated travelers can travel with negative RT-PCR tests prior to travel, in the absence of any other country specific travel restrictions, Bharat Biotech said. 

Madhya Pradesh to float global tender to procure one cr vaccine doses

The Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to float a global tender for procuring one crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines which will be used to inoculate people in the age group of 18 to 44 years. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed the state Health Department to float a global tender for the procurement of Covaxin and Covishield after assessing their demand and requirement, Mishra told reporters after attending the meeting of the council of ministers.

Mishra said the CM has also decided to constitute five groups of ministers to look after various aspects related to the pandemic such as unlocking the “corona curfew”; vaccination; spreading awareness related to the pandemic among others.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Goa geared up to tackle COVID-19 third wave, says CM

The Goa government on Tuesday said the infrastructure required to tackle the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is ready, while a group of paediatricians is being trained to adhere to the treatment protocol prescribed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).Talking to reporters, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the infrastructure is ready and training will be completed between  5 and 10 June.  “A common standard operating procedure has been worked out for private and government hospitals to treat children infected with coronavirus, the chief minister said.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Kerala registers 29,803 new cases, 177 more fatalities

Kerala on Tuesday reported 29,803 new COVID-19 cases,  taking the total count to 23,65,565, while recoveries mounted to 21,32,071 with 33,397 recovering from the infection. The toll rose to 7,731 with 177 more deaths. Those who tested positive for the virus today included 94 health workers. Active cases stood at 2,55,406.

PTI

Process on to fix formula for MRP of oxygen concentrators, Centre tells Delhi HC

 The Centre Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that pricing authority NPPA has initiated the process to fix a formula to determine the MRP of oxygen concentrators, needed for COVID-19 treatment, as people were being charged exorbitantly. The process for fixing the formula for MRP is likely to be concluded and the court will be informed about the development on May 31, the Centre said. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh asked the Centre’s counsel to take instructions and file a report before 31 May.

Vaccination or cancellation: Delhi govt’s suggestion to Centre on class 12 board exams

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Tuesday reiterated his demand of “vaccination or cancellation” in his suggestions sent to the Central government on conducting class 12 board exams. Sisodia, also Delhi’s Education Minister, recommended the tabulation of results taking into account the marks students scored in class 10, class 11 and assessment during class 12 so far.

In a letter to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Sisodia said if experts suggest against giving Covishield or Covaxin jabs to class 12 students, the Centre government should procure Pfizer vaccine which has been approved for children above the age of 12 years.  “If Centre and state government get on the task together all class 12 students and teachers involved in the examination process can be vaccinated within three to four weeks,” he added. “If the government feels it’s not feasible to vaccinate students at present then I strongly advocate that the exams should be cancelled and results should be tabulated as per scores obtained in last three years by students — Class 10, 11 and 12.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

66% people above 45 years vaccinated against COVID-19 in J&K, say officials

A total of 66 percent people above 45 years have been administered COVID-19 vaccine so far in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday. This was conveyed by top J-K officials at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla to review the Covid management across all Union Territories. Jammu and Kashmir is among the leading regions in the country in vaccination of above 45 years age group having vaccinated 66 percent of its eligible population which is well above the national average of 32 percent, the officials said.

Four districts —Ganderbal, Jammu, Samba and Shopian — have achieved 100 percent coverage in this category, while the remaining districts continue with promising progress, they added. To accelerate the vaccination in the 18-45 age group, it was requested in the meeting that Jammu and Kashmir be provided with a sustained supply of vaccines in the coming months, the officials said.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Moderna says its vaccine strongly protects children in 12-17 age group

Moderna said Tuesday its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group in the US. 

The company studied more than 3,700 12- to 17-year-olds. Preliminary findings showed the vaccine triggered the same signs of immune protection in kids as it does in adults, and the same kind of temporary side effects such as sore arms, headache and fatigue. There were no COVID-19 diagnoses in those given two doses of the Moderna vaccine compared with four cases among kids given dummy shots. In a press release, the company also said the vaccine appeared 93% effective two weeks after the first dose.

AP

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Karnataka govt warns pvt hospitals of stringent action for holding back bodies until bills are cleared

The Karnataka government has warned of stringent action against private hospitals including cancelling the licence if they hold back bodies of those who succumb to coronavirus till the bills are cleared by the relatives. An order to this effect was passed by the Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, Jawaid Akhtar. According to the order, the government has taken a serious view of reports of hospitals holding back bodies of those who died of COVID-19 till the bills are cleared by the kin.

 The officer said under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Act, 2007, no hospital can refuse to hand over the body of the deceased to relatives after his/her passing away.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Mizoram logs 290 new COVID-19 cases

At least 290 people, including 65 children, have tested positive for novel coronavirus in Mizoram, pushing the state’s COVID-19 caseload to 10,622, an official said on Tuesday. The COVID-19 death toll in the state rose to 34 as a 35-year-old man from Aizawl succumbed to the infection on Monday night.

Of the 290 fresh cases, Aizawl district reported the highest cases at 211, followed by Lawngtlai district, which reported 30 cases, he said. The remaining cases were reported from Siaha, Lunglei, Champhai, Serchhip, Kolasib, and Khawzawl districts. The official said 159 patients have developed symptoms of COVID-19 and 131 are asymptomatic. Mizoram currently has 2,569 active COVID-19 cases, while 8,019 people have recovered from the infection.

-PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Countless lives lost due to Centre’s negligence, says Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday alleged that “countless” lives have been lost during the COVID-19 second wave due to the Centre’s “negligence”, and asserted the government must be held accountable so that those in power understand their responsibility towards the country.

Announcing the launch of a ‘Zimmedaar Kaun?’ (who is responsible) campaign through a Facebook post, the Congress general secretary said as part of this exercise she would ask questions of the government on behalf of the people over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Priyanka Gandhi, in her post in Hindi, said that when the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic struck the country and people struggled for hospital beds, oxygen, vaccines and medicines, they expected the government to make efforts to save lives using earlier preparations and available resources.

However, the government went into a “mute spectator” mode which led to a “painful” situation in the country, she alleged.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Jharkhand reports 33 more COVID fatalities, lowest in May

Jharkhand on Tuesday registered 33 deaths due to COVID-19, the lowest in a single day in May, pushing the toll to 4,871, a health department bulletin said. The state also recorded 1,394 new coronavirus cases, which took the tally to 3,31,811, it said.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the state has been successful in breaking the chain of the COVID-19 infection in cities and towns, and now the thrust is on rural areas. In urban areas, the spread of the disease has been arrested to a greater extent and the number of fresh cases has reduced drastically to around 2,000 from earlier 15,000-20,000 a day, the CM said.

-PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

MSN Lab initiates Phase III clinical trial of Molnupiravir capsules for COVID-19 treatment

Drug firm MSN Laboratories on Tuesday said it is initiating a phase III clinical trial of Molnupiravir capsules for the treatment of COVID-19 in India.The company said it has received its clinical trial approval on 19 May, 2021, from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to perform an efficacy and safety study on Molnupiravir capsules on mild to moderate COVID-19 patients. The company will start its clinical trials in more than 40 sites across the country and the first dosing is expected to begin soon, MSN Laboratories said in a regulatory filing.

The clinical trials will be performed on more than 2,400 subjects suffering from mild to moderate COVID-19, it added. Molnupiravir is an experimental drug having antiviral properties and is currently under clinical-stage study for COVID treatment.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Delhi records 1,658 new cases, 156 deaths; positivity rate now 2.14%

Delhi records 1,568 new coronavirus cases and 156 deaths, taking total cases reported so far to 14,19,986 and toll to 23,565. With 4,251 persons recuperating from the disease, the total number of recoveries surged to 13,74,682 and the National Capital has 21,739 active cases, according to the state government’s health bulletin. the positivity rate is 2.14 percent, with a slight dip from 2.52 percent on Monday.

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

MP’s COVID-19 positivity rate drops to 3.39% in over 10 days, claims govt

The COVID-19 positivity rate in Madhya Pradesh has dropped to 3.39 percent from 13.8 percent on May 13, according to the state government.  Talking to reporters on Tuesday, MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who is also the state government’s spokesperson, said the positivity rate in 11 districts of the state is less than one per cent, while the rate in four districts is above five percent.  “The positivity rate has come down to 3.39 percent in the state,” he said. On May 13, he had said the COVID-19 positivity rate in the state was 13.8 per cent. 
       

“On Tuesday, the total number of positive cases reported is 4,222 while the count of those who recovered is 7,873. The COVID-19 recovery rate in the state is 92.6 per cent,” Mishra said on Tuesday. On May 23, the recovery rate was 91.45 per cent, according to the minister.The positivity rate is less than one percent in 11 districts – Bhind, Alirajpur, Mandla, Jhabua, Agar, Dindori, Khandwa, Barwani, Singrauli, Kanti and Narsinghpur, while it is above five per cent in Indore, Bhopal, Sagar and Neemuch, Mishra said.  “Considering this, the corona curfew is gradually being relaxed in a number of districts in the state,” he said.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Odisha records 10,939 more cases, 33 deaths

Odisha’s COVID-19 caseload surged to 7,14,380 on Tuesday as 10,939 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said. The state also registered its highest single-day spike in fatalities at 33, pushing the coronavirus death toll to 2,549. As many as 6,178 new cases were reported in quarantine centres, while 4,761 infections were detected during contact tracing.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

As vaccine shortage soars, daily jabs plunge over 35% to 980 per mn adults, says Crisil report

As the vaccine mismanagement and the resultant shortage continue, the daily vaccination has come down to 980 per million people as of 23 Ma , down from 1,455 per million a week earlier and against the world average of 3,564 per million, according to a report.   The only saving grace is the continuing decline in the pandemic caseload, which has been trending downward for the second week in a row as daily cases declined 22 percent sequentially in the week ended May 23, which is faster than the 15 percent fall the week before, Crisil said in the report.

With the vaccine availability remaining a national bottleneck, the pace of vaccination has been steeply falling and as of 23 May, daily vaccinations have come down to a low of 980 per million people from 1,455 per million a week earlier, down over 35 percent. The world average is 3,564 per million, the report said.

Though Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi have vaccinated the highest proportion of their population among the respective groups, the pace of vaccination has declined further in May in these states.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

All proposals for Spuntik V from Indian states and companies being studied ‘very carefully’ says Russian official

Russia is getting requests from Indian states and companies for the supply of Sputnik V vaccines, said Russian Deputy Envoy Roman Babushkin, adding that “all proposals” are being studied “very carefully”. Speaking to ANI, the deputy envoy said that supplies of Sputnik V, the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus, are going on according to the “contract obligations and schedules”.

“Supplies of Sputnik V are going on according to the contract obligations and schedules. We are getting some more requests from other Indian companies and state governments and all proposals are being studied very carefully,” he added.

ANI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Delhi HC asks state govt to publicise COVID-19 helplines in newspapers on daily basis

The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the AAP government to give more publicity to COVID-19 helplines in newspapers on a daily basis so that people know where to go in case of a need. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said a corner or column on a page could be dedicated for these helplines in the newspapers and remarked that the government was lagging behind on this aspect.

In newspapers, one does not find these inserts on a daily basis. These things should be there in the papers every day. Fix a corner or column, may be on page 1 or page 3. Some column on a page should be dedicated to it daily so that people know where to go when they need it. People would be habituated. This is where you are lagging behind, the bench said. It added that helpline numbers don’t register in people’s mind immediately and they might forget so they should be publicised daily so that citizens know that even if they don’t need it today, they can find the helpline details at a particular place in the newspaper.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Mild COVID-19 induces lasting antibody protection, study finds

Months after recovering from mild cases of COVID-19, people still have immune cells which produce antibodies against the novel coronavirus, according to a study.  The researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, US, noted that such cells could persist for a lifetime, churning out antibodies all the while.

The study, published on Monday in the journal Nature, suggests that mild cases of COVID-19 leave those infected with lasting antibody protection and that repeated bouts of illness are likely to be uncommon. “Last fall, there were reports that antibodies wane quickly after infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, and mainstream media interpreted that to mean that immunity was not long-lived,” said senior author of the study Ali Ellebedy, an associate professor at Washington University School of Medicine. “But that’s a misinterpretation of the data. It’s normal for antibody levels to go down after acute infection, but they don’t go down to zero; they plateau,” Ellebedy said.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

BJP MLA requests Harsh Vardhan to set up high level panel to help Tamil Nadu fight COVID-19

All India BJP Mahila Morcha President and MLA, Vanathi Srinivasan, on Tuesday requested Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to constitute a high

level team to assess and assist the Tamil Nadu government in handling the pandemic. In a letter to the Union minister, a copy of which was released to the media, she said that Coimbatore district in the state was facing unprecedented increase in the infection with the coronavirus cases crossing 4,000, putting huge strain on the resources to combat the pandemic.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Ex-gratia plea for COVID patient’s death due to medical negligence: HC seeks Delhi govt, NDMA reply

The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Delhi government to respond to a plea seeking compensation for the parents and wife of a COVID-19 patient who died allegedly due to want of medical attention. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh also asked Delhi government’s Rao Tula Ram Hospital to respond to the plea which claimed that the victim’s condition was critical and his oxygen level was very low, still the doctor of the hospital did not recommend for admission and due to the medical practitioner’s negligence, the man died while waiting for an ambulance.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

Maharashtra to get 60,000 vials of medicine for mucormycosis from 1 June, says Rajesh Tope

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday said the state would get 60,000 vials of Amphotericin-B, the key drug for the treatment of mucormycosis patients, from 1 June onwards.  There are 2,245 patients of mucormycosis, also known as the black fungus, in Maharashtra, Tope told reporters after attending a review meeting on the mucormycosis and COVID-19 cases in the state. 

Tope said the state has floated a global tender for procuring Amphotericin-B vials for the treatment of mucormycosis. “The state would get 60,000 vials of the medicine from 1 June onwards. It will be an additional supply apart from the current allocation of the medicine by the Centre,” he said.

PTI

Coronavirus Latest News Updates

More than 1.77 cr COVID-19 vaccine doses available with states and UTs, claims health ministry

The Centre has so far provided, both through the free of cost category and through direct state procurement category, more than 21.89 crore vaccine doses (21,89,69,250) to states and Union Territories, said the Union health ministry. Of this, the total consumption,including wastages is 19,93,39,750 doses (as per data available at 8 am on Tuesday).

More than 1.77 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses (1,77,67,850) are still available with the states and UTs to be administered, the ministry said, adding that seven lakh vaccine doses are in the pipeline and will be received by them within the next three days.