Global travellers may be particularly vulnerable to drug-resistant strains of bacteria, according to a recent study. The research, led by scientists at the Universities of Basel, Birmingham, Helsinki and Oslo and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, was published in The Lancet Microbe. The study monitored a group of European travellers to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic […]
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Mutations detected in COVID-19 variants in India
Indian researchers have identified more than 24,000 mutations in well in excess of 7,000 variants of COVID-19 circulating in India, IANS reports. Multiple countries have identified new variants of COVID-19, among them the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, and South Africa. The detection of new variants, many of which are considered to be more transmissible and […]
Active COVID-19 cases below 1.5 lakh
The number of active COVID-19 cases in India has fallen to below 1.5 lakh according to official figures. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday that active COVID-19 cases comprise just 1.34 percent of the total number of confirmed cases of the disease. In 21 states and union territories, no deaths […]
UN peacekeepers get vaccine boon from India
A spokesperson for United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed that the Secretary-General is “extremely grateful” after India granted UN peacekeepers 200,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses. Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced the gift during a meeting of the UN Security Council. India, Jaishankar said, has already supplied vaccines to 25 countries and anticipates […]
Vaccine nationalism controversy continues with UN outcry
The controversy over so-called ‘vaccine nationalism’ continues. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called out in harsh terms unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, at the expense of poorer nations. In remarks delivered to a high-level Security Council meeting, Guterres lambasted that the “progress on vaccinations has been wildly uneven and unfair. Just ten countries have administered […]
Where is India in its fight against COVID-19?
Amidst its ongoing fight against COVID-19, a considerable drop in cases in India has been observed over the past few months. However, while there is some cautious optimism, the emergence of new variants is cause for concern. India’s fight against COVID-19: Why are cases dropping? Each day, at the peak of its outbreak, the country […]
AstraZeneca medicine approved for kidney disease treatment
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an often neglected condition. Hope may be on the horizon as a medication has been approved in India produced by AstraZeneca. The medication, dapagliflozin, is an AstraZeneca-produced medication that has previously been approved for use in the treatment of diabetes. The drug has, however, shown to have a high degree […]
Indian COVID vaccinations at sixty lakh, setting another record
As of Monday, India has vaccinated more than sixty lakh people against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the novel coronavirus which causes COVID-19. The country’s immunisation programme, touted as the world’s largest by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, succeeded in inoculating 5,412,270 healthcare workers and 623,390 other frontline workers as of Monday evening. […]
Pfizer withdraws approval application in India
Drugmaker Pfizer has rescinded its emergency use authorisation application for its vaccine candidate against COVID-19. However, it intends to resubmit. The pharmaceutical giant sought emergency use authorisation for its vaccine in India last year but “has decided to withdraw its application at this time” according to a company spokesperson. Pfizer’s vaccine showed promising results in […]
Four million vaccinations against COVID-19 but concerns remain
India has carried out four million vaccinations against COVID-19. It achieved this milestone faster than any other country in the world, the Union Health Ministry claims. The country launched its vaccination drive on January 16th and accomplished the feat of four million vaccinations within eighteen days, according to official data. By comparison, Israel and the […]