The COVID-19 outbreak, since it originated in Wuhan, China towards the end of 2019, has spread globally since January of 2020. Since then, the disease has been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic. More than a year on since this declaration, the disease has spread across the globe, claiming more than […]
coronavirus
Pfizer vaccine talks ongoing with expert group
An expert government panel is in talks regarding the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine, Union Health Minister Mankush Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha on Friday. The Minister said “an expert group of the Indian government is still in talks with Pfizer over COVID vaccine supply.” United States State Department spokesperson Ned Price has announced that the […]
Black fungus deaths at 4,200 and counting
Mucormycosis, or ‘black fungus’, deaths tally at more than 4,200 – underscoring the scourge of a condition which has only exacerbated India’s COVID-19 woes. Black fungus, as my colleague Nicholas Parry reported in May, “is the result of exposure to mucor mould typically found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables…the condition affects […]
Medical oxygen shortages: Deaths comments spark firestorm
A minister’s claim that no deaths due to medical oxygen shortages have been reported by the states has sparked a firestorm, with criticism pouring in. Bharati Pravin Pawar, a minister of state in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told the Rajya Sabha that “health is a state subject. All states / UTs […]
Excess mortality statistics defended by Government
Excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic could be ten times higher than the official numbers, research claims – but the Government has defended its figures. A recent study carried out by the Center for Global Development estimated that excess mortality between January 2020 and June 2021 could be between three million and 4.7 million. This […]
Routine vaccinations took a hit in the pandemic: Jonathan Mosser explains why
The COVID-19 pandemic cost at least seventeen million children routine vaccinations, recent research from The Lancet shows. According to the research, “routine immunisation services faced stark challenges in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing the most widespread and largest global disruption in recent history.” Senior author and Assistant Professor from the Institute for Health Metrics […]
COVID orphans hit hard by pandemic
One child loses their caregiver to the pandemic every twelve seconds. This is according to a recent Lancet study which has spotlighted one of the most harrowing effects of the pandemic: ‘COVID orphans’. “Globally, from March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021,” the study states, “we estimate 1,134,000 children (95 percent credible interval 884,000–1,185,000) experienced […]
Antibodies in more than two-thirds of Indians
The fourth national serosurvey carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) indicates that more than two-thirds of India’s population have developed antibodies against COVID-19. Conducted between June and July of 2021, the survey’s findings found 67.6 percent of the country’s 1.3 billion people presented with antibodies. This marks a substantial increase from […]
COVID-19 and TB? Coronavirus patients more susceptible?
There is no evidence to indicate a rise in tuberculosis (TB) cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. However, they do suggest that COVID-19 patients may be more susceptible to contracting TB and, as such, surveillance efforts ought to be scaled up. “Due to the impact […]
COVID-19 vaccines effective against Delta variant: INSACOG co-chair
In an interview, INSACOG co-chair Dr N. K. Arora has said that COVID-19 vaccines are effective against the Delta variant. The Delta variant is a more transmissible strain of the novel coronavirus which emerged in India in October of last year. INSACOG refers to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). It comprises 28 laboratories under […]