Tag: COVID-19 vaccine

India records 862 COVID-19 cases, lowest single-day spike in 196 days

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With 862 new COVID-19 cases, India recorded the lowest single-day tally in 196 days. The country now has a total of 4,46,44,938 COVID-19 cases. The country had earlier reported 796 COVID-19 cases on April 11.

Meanwhile, active caseload declined to 22,549, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The active cases comprise 0.05 percent of the total infections.

The number of deaths due to the infection climbed to 5,28,980 with three fatalities reported across the country in the last 24 hours. Of these three deaths, two deaths were reconciled by Kerala and one was reported in Delhi.

So far, 4,40,93,409 people have recovered from the COVID-19 infection. With this, the national COVID-19 recovery rate has mounted to 98.76 percent, the ministry said.

Moreover, the daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.35 percent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.02 percent, the ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, 219.56 crore doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

#AmritMahotsav#Unite2FightCorona#LargestVaccineDrive

➡️ India’s Cumulative #COVID19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 219.56 Cr (2,19,56,65,598).

➡️ Over 4.12 Cr 1st dose vaccines administered for age group 12-14 years.https://t.co/qRCgL9Nq5U pic.twitter.com/epErNctNrz

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) October 25, 2022

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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AstraZeneca-Oxford nasal vaccine for COVID-19 performs poorly in clinical trials

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine to be administered as a nasal spray has seen disappointing results during its first clinical trials. Due to poor performance, the scientists may be looking to scrap the nasal spray and change the drug to be delivered through other systems like nebulisers. The results of the trial were published in the journal eBioMedicine.

“The nasal spray did not perform as well in this study as we had hoped. The delivery of vaccines to the nose and lungs remains a promising approach, but this study suggests there are likely to be challenged in making nasal sprays a reliable option,” explained Dr Sandy Douglas, the chief investigator for the clinical trial.

The trial involved 30 individuals not previously vaccinated against COVID-19 and 12 more individuals who had taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. While the nasal spray had no safety concerns, the scientists found that there was a lack of strong systemic response in the body as well as a “weak and inconsistent” immune response. The scientists also found that the number of antibodies after two doses was lower than comparative levels in individuals who received the normal vaccines. But in most cases, there was barely any detectable antibody level.

“Reactogenicity (safety response) was acceptable at all doses but immunogenicity (immune response) was insufficient to warrant further development of the current formulation/device combination,” the scientists noted.

Scientists have been looking to develop a nasal vaccine against COVID-19 as they would be far easier to administer and can possibly stop the spread of the virus completely due to their administration route. Apart from the AstraZeneca formulation, there are at least 10 other nasal vaccines that are currently in various pre-published trials. One among these is Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International’s iNCOVACC, which received restricted approval from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in adults last month.

ALSO READ: Australian scientists retrofit diesel engines to run on 90% hydrogen; why it could be revolutionary

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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Over 150 million Indians took COVID-19 booster dose in 75-day special drive

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Over 150 million Indians took COVID-19 precautionary doses during the Centre’s 75-day special drive to provide free booster doses to adults. The drive, which began on July 15 and culminated on September 27, saw a jump of over six times in booster shots when compared with the preceding 75 days, i.e. from May 1 to July 14.

“India is celebrating 75 years of independence. On the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Kaal, it has been decided that from July 15, 2022, till the next 75 days, citizens above 18 years of age will be given booster doses free of cost,” Union Minister Anurag Thakur had briefed media on July 13.

The total number of recipients stood at 152,837,344, out of which 130,661,641 were in the age group of 18 to 59 years, and 22,175,703 were above 60 years of age.

In the 75 days preceding the drive, a total of 23,067,285 people took the booster shot. In the 18 to 59 years age group, there were 6,802,521 recipients, and 16,264,764 recipients were over 60 years of age.

The data shows there is an over 20 times increase in the beneficiaries in the age group of 18 to 59 years.

The Union Health Ministry had in July reduced the gap between the second and precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccine for all beneficiaries from nine to six months following a recommendation from the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).

On April 10 this year, India began administering precaution doses to all adults. The countrywide vaccination drive had rolled out on January 16, 2021, with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase. Vaccination of frontline workers started on February 2, 2021.

On March 1, 2021, vaccination began for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions. Vaccination for all people older than 45 years began on April 1, 2021, and a month later for all adults. Inoculation of those in the age group of 15-18 commenced on January 3, 2022, and those in the age group of 12-14 years from March 16.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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Another new COVID variant is spreading — Here’s what we know about Omicron BA.4.6

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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BA.4.6, a subvariant of the Omicron COVID variant which has been quickly gaining traction in the US, is now confirmed to be spreading in the UK. The latest briefing document on COVID variants from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) noted that during the week beginning August 14, BA.4.6 accounted for 3.3 percent of samples in the UK.

It has since grown to make up around 9 percent of sequenced cases. Similarly, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, BA.4.6 now accounts for more than 9 percent of recent cases across the US. The variant has also been identified in several other countries around the world.

So what do we know about BA.4.6, and should we be worried? Let’s take a look at the information we have so far.

BA.4.6 is a descendant of the BA.4 variant of Omicron. BA.4 was first detected in January 2022 in South Africa and has since spread around the world alongside the BA.5 variant.

ALSO READ | Vaccinated people infected by first Omicron subvariants have 4 times greater protection: Study

How it emerged?

It is not entirely clear how BA.4.6 has emerged, but it’s possible it could be a recombinant variant. Recombination happens when two different variants of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infect the same person, at the same time. While BA.4.6 will be similar to BA.4 in many ways, it carries a mutation to the spike protein, a protein on the surface of the virus which allows it to enter our cells.

This mutation, R346T, has been seen in other variants and is associated with immune evasion, meaning it helps the virus to escape antibodies acquired from vaccination and prior infection.

ALSO READ | COVID-19 fatality rate in New Zealand at historic high as country battles new wave

Severity, infectiousness and immune evasion Fortunately, Omicron infections generally cause less serious illness, and we’ve seen fewer deaths with Omicron than with earlier variants. We would expect this to apply to BA.4.6 too. Indeed, there have been no reports yet that this variant is causing more severe symptoms.

Is it more transmissible?

But we also know that Omicron subvariants tend to be more transmissible than previous variants. BA.4.6 appears to be even better at evading the immune system than BA.5, the currently dominant variant. Although this information is based on a preprint (a study that is yet to be peer-reviewed), other emerging data supports this.

ALSO READ | COVID-19 fatality rate in New Zealand at historic high as country battles new wave

According to the UKHSA’s briefing, early estimates suggest BA.4.6 has a 6.55 percent relative fitness advantage over BA.5 in England. This indicates that BA.4.6 replicates more quickly in the early stages of infection and has a higher growth rate than BA.5.

The relative fitness advantage of BA.4.6 is considerably smaller than that of BA.5 over BA.2, which was 45 percent to 55 percent.

ALSO READ | Omicron less likely to cause long COVID than previous variants: UK study

Are COVID vaccines less effective against new variant?

The University of Oxford has reported that people who had received three doses of Pfizer’s original COVID vaccine produce fewer antibodies in response to BA.4.6 than to BA.4 or BA.5. This is worrying because it suggests that COVID vaccines might be less effective against BA.4.6.

The capacity of BA.4.6 to evade immunity may, however, be addressed to a degree by the new bivalent boosters, which target Omicron specifically, alongside the original strain of SARS-CoV-2. Time will tell.

ALSO READ | Could you still be infectious after COVID isolation and should you wear a mask post recovery? Here’s what’s known

Meanwhile, one preprint study shows that BA.4.6 evades protection from Evusheld, an antibody therapy designed to protect people who are immuno-compromised and don’t respond as well to COVID vaccines.

Vaccination is key. The emergence of BA.4.6 and other new variants is concerning. It shows the virus is still very much with us, and is mutating to find new ways to overcome our immune response from vaccination and previous infections. We know people who have had COVID previously can contract the virus again, and this has been particularly true of Omicron. In some cases, subsequent episodes can be worse.

But vaccination continues to offer good protection against severe disease, and is still the best weapon we have to fight COVID. The recent approval of bivalent boosters is good news. Beyond this, developing multivalent coronavirus vaccines that target multiple variants could provide even more durable protection.

ALSO READ | Delta or different variant may cause another COVID outbreak this summer, says study

A recent study showed that a multivalent coronavirus vaccine administered through the nose elicited a strong immune response against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, as well as two variants of concern, in mouse models.

Close monitoring of new variants including BA.4.6 is pressing, as they could lead to the next wave of COVID pandemic. For the public, it will pay to stay cautious, and comply with any public health measures in place to prevent the spread of what remains a very contagious virus.

(The writer is senior lecturer at Medical Microbiology at University of Westminster London)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India’s first intranasal COVID vaccine by Bharat Biotech gets DCGI approval

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Bharat Biotech’s intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday. This is India’s first intra-nasal COVID-19 vaccine Which will be used for primary immunization against COVID-19 in 18+ age group for restricted use in emergency situation.

Big Boost to India’s Fight Against COVID-19!

Bharat Biotech’s ChAd36-SARS-CoV-S COVID-19 (Chimpanzee Adenovirus Vectored) recombinant nasal vaccine approved by @CDSCO_INDIA_INF for primary immunization against COVID-19 in 18+ age group for restricted use in emergency situation.

— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) September 6, 2022

The DCGI had earlier given its nod to conduct clinical trials for BBIL’s (Bharat Biotech International Limited) intranasal vaccine as a booster dose. The drug regulator had also permitted the firm to conduct a phase-3 clinical trial to compare the immunogenicity and safety of BBV-154 (intranasal) with Covaxin.

Last week, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) recommended Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Bharat Biotech’s intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, sources said.

Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of the company, had said earlier that there was no single instance of side effect or adverse reaction reported so far.

Benefits of COVID-19 nasal vaccine

Speaking about the benefit of nasal injection, Ella was earlier quoted by news agency PTI as saying that any injectable vaccine only protects the lower level (of the body). That’s why people vaccinated with injectable vaccines may still get RT-PCR positive, whereas the nasal jab protects the whole body. Bharat Biotech also claimed that the “intranasal vaccine stimulates a broad immune response.”

As mentioned by Bharat Biotech, the nasal vaccine is:

• Likely to block both infection and transmission of COVID-19
• Non-invasive and needle-free
• Easy to administer as it does not require trained healthcare workers
• Eliminates needle-associated risks (injuries and infections)
• High compliance — ideally suits children and adults
• Scalable manufacturing — able to meet global demand

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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World’s first COVID-19 vaccine you can inhale approved in China — gives immunity ‘in just one breath’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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China became the first country to approve the inhaled version of CanSino’s adenovirus-vectored COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use as a booster dose. The “needle-free” vaccine, named Convidecia Air and made by Tianjin-based CanSino Biologics Inc, could appeal to vaccine-hesitant people.

The company added that the COVID-19 vaccine was approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration.

The vaccine is the new version of CanSino’s one-shot COVID-19 drug (named Convidecia) which has been used in China, Mexico, Pakistan, Malaysia and Hungary after being rolled out in February 2021.

It uses a modified cold-causing virus to expose the immune system to the coronavirus and is similar to those developed by AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson, Bloomberg reported.

ALSO READ | Pfizer COVID-19 shot appears effective for kids under 5, says USFDA

How does it work

The vaccine provides a “non-invasive option” that uses a nebuliser to change liquid into an aerosol for inhalation through the mouth.

Benefits

“Convidecia Air™ is needle-free and can effectively induce comprehensive immune protection in response to SARS-CoV-2 after just one breath,” CanSino Biologics Inc said in its press release on Sunday.

The press release noted that according to the studies published in The Lancet, “Convidecia Air™ can induce strong humoral, cellular and mucosal immunity to achieve triple protection and effectively contain the infection and spread of the virus”.

ALSO READ | US CDC urges Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children aged 5 to 11 years

When will it be available in markets?

Cansino said it was uncertain when its vaccine would be available in the market as additional administrative approvals are still needed. It said the sales would depend on the COVID-19 situation at home and abroad, as well as China’s vaccination rate.

CanSino’s shares gain

With the landmark approval, CanSino’s shares went up to as much as 14.5 percent on Monday morning in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported.

“The approval will have a positive impact on the company’s performance if the vaccine is subsequently purchased and used by relevant government agencies,” CanSino was quoted by the report as saying.

ALSO READ | Biological E seeks emergency use authorisation for Corbevax as booster COVID-19 dose for adults

However, the company cautioned that it will face fierce competition from other vaccines in the country that have also received government approval or are in clinical trials.

China has seen a recent flare-up in COVID outbreaks. The southern tech hub of Shenzhen imposed a weekend lockdown in most parts of the city on Saturday, while the southwestern metropolis of Chengdu put its 21 million people under lockdown on Thursday.

Mainland China reported 1,848 new coronavirus cases for Sept. 3, including both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections, compared with 1,988 new cases a day earlier.

In India, Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech is expecting regulatory licences for its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate BBV-154 soon. Read all about its benefits here.

ALSO READ | Decision on nasal vaccine for children only after Phase 2, 3 trial on adults: Bharat Biotech CMD

(With inputs from Reuters)

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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Vaccinated people infected by first Omicron subvariants have 4 times greater protection: Study

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Vaccinated people who were infected by the first Omicron subvariants have four times greater protection than jabbed people who did not catch the COVID-19 infection, according to a study.

The research, published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, analysed the probability of vaccinated people becoming infected with the subvariant BA.5 currently in circulation.

The researchers in Portugal estimated the degree of protection conferred by infections with previous variants and used real-world data.

ALSO READ | Pfizer COVID-19 shot appears effective for kids under 5, says USFDA

“Vaccinated people who were infected by Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2 have a protection against infection with subvariant BA.5, in circulation since June, about four times greater than vaccinated people who were not infected at any time,” said Luis Graca, a professor at the University of Lisbon.

“Infections in 2020 and 2021 that occurred through infection with earlier variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus also confer protection against infection for the more recent Omicron variant. Although this protection is not as high as that of individuals infected with the BA.1 and BA.2 variants, at the beginning of 2022,” said Grace, co-leader of the study.

“These results are very important because the adapted vaccines that are in clinical development and evaluation are based on the BA.1 subvariant of the virus, which was a dominant variant in infections in January and February 2022,” the researchers said.

ALSO READ | US CDC urges Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children aged 5 to 11 years

“Until now, it was not known what degree of protection this subvariant provides against the strain that is currently in circulation,” they said. The researchers had access to the registry of COVID-19 cases at Portugal’s national level.

“We used the Portuguese national registry of COVID-19 cases to obtain information on all cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the population over 12 years of age residing in Portugal,” said Manuel Carmo Gomes, associate professor at the University of Lisbon.

“The virus variant of each infection was determined considering the date of infection and the dominant variant at that time. We considered the infections caused by the first variants of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 together,” Gomes said.

ALSO READ | From storage to transport, hurdles to getting COVID vaccine to North Koreans

The researchers then analysed the probability of a person that was previously infected to be reinfected with the current variant, which allowed them to calculate the percentage of protection provided by previous infections.

The study demonstrates that previous infection in vaccinated people continues to confer for the variants that are known for their ability to evade the immune response, such as the subvariant currently dominant, they added.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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WHO chief warns against rising COVID-19 transmission, hospitalisations and deaths

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday sounded a warning over surging COVID-19 cases, death and hospitalisation. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the risks for more intense transmission and hospitalisation will only increase in the coming months – not only for COVID-19, but for other diseases including influenza.

“We cannot live with mounting hospitalisations and deaths,” he said while urging people to take precautions against the viral infection: “…please get vaccinated if you are not, and if you need a booster, get one. Wear a mask when you can’t distance, and try to avoid crowds, especially indoors.”

“With colder weather approaching in the northern hemisphere and people spending more time indoors, the risks for more intense transmission and hospitalization will only increase in the coming months – not only for #COVID19, but for other diseases including influenza”-@DrTedros

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) August 17, 2022

“Learning to live with COVID-19 does not mean we pretend it’s not there. It means we use the tools we have to protect ourselves, and protect others,” Tedros said.

Learning to live with #COVID19 doesn’t mean we pretend it’s not there. It means we use all the tools we have to protect ourselves, and protect others. pic.twitter.com/Lu2Fs40ckV

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) August 17, 2022

COVID-19 deaths increase

The WHO chief said COVID-19 deaths reported globally over the past four weeks have increased by 35 percent.

ALSO READ | Delhi sees rise in COVID-19 cases, positivity rate at 20% but only 10% hospitalised took booster dose

“On COVID-19, over the past four weeks, reported deaths globally have increased by 35 percent. Just in the past week, 15,000 people around the world lost their lives to COVID-19. This is completely unacceptable, when we have all the tools to prevent infections and save live,” Tedros said.

WHO on dominant COVID-19 variant

He noted that the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus remains the dominant variant, with the BA.5 sub-variant representing more than 90 percent of sequences shared in the last month.

ALSO READ | UK first to approve Omicron COVID-19 shot with Moderna go-ahead

“However, the number of sequences shared per week has fallen by 90 percent since the beginning of this year, and the number of countries sharing sequences has dropped by 75 percent, making it so much harder to understand how the virus might be changing,” he said.

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UK first to approve Omicron COVID-19 shot with Moderna go-ahead

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Britain, the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine in late 2020, has now also given the first green light to a variant-adapted shot that targets both the original and Omicron version of the virus.

The UK medicines regulator (MHRA) gave the so-called bivalent vaccine made by US drug company Moderna conditional approval as a booster for adults on Monday.

Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is now expected to soon issue a recommendation on how the vaccine should be deployed in the country.

The MHRA’s decision was based on clinical trial data that showed the booster triggered “a strong immune response” against both Omicron (BA.1) and the original 2020 virus, it said.

Moderna in June said trial data showed that when given as a fourth dose, the variant-adapted shot raised virus-neutralizing antibodies by eight-fold against Omicron.

The MHRA also cited an exploratory analysis in which the shot was found to generate a “good immune response” against the currently dominant Omicron offshoots BA.4 and BA.5.

According to Moderna, trial data showed its variant-adapted booster-generated antibody levels against the subvariants which were 1.69 times higher than those given the original booster.

No serious safety concerns were identified with the new Moderna formulation, the MHRA added on Monday.

The UK government said last month that a vaccine booster programme would begin in “early autumn” and that shots would be offered to over 50s, individuals in clinical risk groups, frontline workers and care homes staff.

While existing COVID-19 vaccines continue to provide good protection against hospitalisation and death, vaccine effectiveness has taken a hit as the virus has evolved.

“The first generation of COVID-19 vaccines being used in the UK continue to provide important protection against the disease and save lives,” MHRA Chief Executive June Raine said in a statement.

“What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armoury to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve.”.

The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA), which oversees vaccine procurement among other responsibilities, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Further approvals

European Medicines Agency (EMA) officials expect COVID variant-adapted vaccines to be approved in the European Union by September, and have signalled the regulator is open to using shots targeting the older BA.1 variant this autumn, given those specifically targeting newer subvariants are further behind in clinical development.

In contrast, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said it will seek the specific inclusion of the newer BA.4 and BA.5 offshoots of Omicron in any new shots used domestically.

Moderna, which signed a 1 billion pound ($1.2 billion) deal with the British government to build the country’s first mRNA vaccine facility earlier this year, on Monday said it expected further approvals for the adapted vaccine in Australia, Canada, and the EU in the coming weeks.

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech have also been testing versions of their mRNA vaccine modified to combat Omicron variants.

Meanwhile, Sanofi and partner GSK are working on a protein-based vaccine that targets the Beta subvariant, which dominated for some time last year.

($1 = 0.8270 pounds)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Antibodies that may lead to next-gen vaccines for all COVID-19 strains found

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Scientists have identified antibodies that are effective against many different SARS-CoV-2 variants, an advance that paves the way for next-generation vaccines which could protect from different COVID-19 strains. The antibodies identified in monkeys by a team at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, US, are also effective against other SARS viruses like SARS-CoV-1, the highly lethal virus that caused an outbreak in 2003.

The results show that certain animals are more able to make these types of “pan-SARS virus” antibodies than humans, giving scientists clues as to how to make better vaccines. The findings, published on Thursday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, reveal the antibody structures that produce this more comprehensive immune response.

The researchers found these neutralising antibodies recognise a viral region in the spike protein — which the virus uses to enter and infect the cells — that is relatively more conserved. This means that the region is present across many different SARS viruses, and is therefore less likely to mutate over time, they said.

ALSO READ | india has supplied over 723 lakh doses of Covid vaccine to 94 countries, two UN entities: Govt

The finding may help develop next-generation vaccines that can offer additional protection against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and other SARS-related viruses, according to the researchers.

“If we can design vaccines that elicit the similar broad responses that we have seen in this study, these treatments could enable broader protection against the virus and variants of concern,” said study senior author Raiees Andrabi, an investigator at The Scripps Research Institute.

The researchers immunised rhesus macaque monkeys with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Two shots were administered, resembling a similar strategy used with currently available vaccines in humans. However, unlike the vaccines, the macaques were shown to have a broad neutralising antibody response against the virus, including variants such as Omicron.

ALSO READ | Zydus Cadila’s COVID vaccine for kids ZyCoV-D to be rolled out soon; Centre negotiates pricing

The scientists found these antibodies recognise a conserved region on the edge of the site where the spike protein binds to host cells, called the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor binding site.

“This is different than the region where the majority of human antibodies target, which overlaps more with the ACE2 receptor binding site and is more variable to change,” they said.

“The antibody structures reveal an important area common to multiple SARS-related viruses,” said study co-senior author Ian Wilson. “This region to date has rarely been seen to be targeted by human antibodies and suggests additional strategies that can be used to coax our immune system into recognising this particular region of the virus,” Wilson said.

ALSO READ | Study says COVID mRNA vaccines safe during pregnancy — 10 key points

The researchers notes that the macaque’s gene coding for these broad neutralising antibodies — known as IGHV3-73 — is not the same in humans. “The dominant immune response in humans is related to the IGHV3-53 gene, which produces a potent but much narrower neutralising antibody response,” they said.

However, the scientists said this finding paves the way to rationally design and engineer vaccines or vaccine-adjuvant combinations that elicit more broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 and its many variants.

“According to our study, the macaques have an antibody gene that offers them more protection against SARS viruses,” said Dennis Burton, a co-senior author of the study.

“This observation teaches us that studying the effect of a vaccine in monkeys can only take us so far but also reveals a new target for our vaccine efforts that we might be able to exploit by advanced protein design strategies,” Burton added.

ALSO READ | Bharat Biotech expects approval for COVID-19 nasal vaccine this month — here are the benefits

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow