India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is set to be the world’s largest, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nonetheless, concerns remain over the quick speed of the approval process. Modi’s remarks came in the wake of a national trial of India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme on Saturday, as well as in the wake of emergency use authorisation […]
COVID-19
“Disease X” brings grim tidings for 2021
Many of us were glad to see the end of 2020. The year has seen global upheaval as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, hope is on the horizon. Vaccines are rolling out or are about to be rolled out across the globe, sparking hopes for a brighter year in the form of 2021. […]
Experts question the emergency use authorization given to Bharat Biotech and AstraZeneca
After the latest decision to approve the vaccine jointly produced by UK-Swedish biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University as well as by Bharat Biotech for emergency use in India to immunise people against the COVID-19 virus; many experts’ question the foundation of these approvals and reasons why other candidates such as Sputnik V and Pfizer […]
Five COVID-19 cases from the UK arrive in India
Fears of a new strain of COVID-19 are abundant. The strain that originated in the UK has led to countries across the globe preventing all flights from the UK — effectively placing the nation in isolation. However, a flight to India that arrived Monday night held a number of individuals from the UK testing positive. […]
New COVID-19 strain not yet in India
The new variant of COVID-19 identified in the United Kingdom recently is not present in India. However, the Union Government is in talks with UK experts to discuss the new COVID-19 strain due to concerns that it appears to be a “super spreader.” “We have not detected this mutation,” said Dr Vinod K. Paul, a […]
Six months of mask-wearing in Maharashtra
Mask-wearing is among the simplest and most effective means to protect oneself and others from COVID-19. In Maharashtra, the practice ought to be followed for the next six months. On Sunday, the state’s chief minister Uddhav Thackeray urged the state’s citizens to wear face coverings in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 – […]
UK flights to India suspended
As a mutant strain of COVID-19 spreads there, UK flights to India are suspended until December 31st, as of 11.59 p.m. on December 22nd. The news of a new strain of the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – or, simply, coronavirus – in the UK has prompted multiple countries in […]
Mutant COVID-19 strain in UK: “No need to panic”, says Vardhan
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan has assured the Indian people there is “no need to panic” regarding the mutant COVID-19 strain that has emerged in the United Kingdom. The mutant COVID-19 strain prompted a wave of tighter restrictions in the country and has already been found beyond its borders. The […]
Cases of COVID at 75 million and counting
Globally, cases of COVID-19 surpassed the 75-million mark globally over the weekend. A Reuters analysis showed the grim milestone having been reached on Saturday. This comes on the heels of the single largest rise in cases of COVID-19 in a thirty-day period since the pandemic began. In that timeframe, 18.65 million new cases of COVID-19 […]
Infectious disease
India faces the challenge of a range of infectious diseases. While deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming increasingly prevalent, huge numbers of Indians continue to die annually due to infectious disease. This dual burden of disease has the potential to put a substantial amount of stress on an already underfunded and under resourced health […]