Tag: icmr

COVID-19: Delta variant can infect vaccinated, unvaccinated people, says ICMR study

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

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The Delta variant of COVID-19 has the potential to infect both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, said a study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research in Chennai. The study added that the mortality in the vaccinated group due to the Delta variant is lower than the unvaccinated group.

In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18, Dr Gagandeep Kang, a noted clinical scientist, had said that COVID-19 vaccines are working against the Delta variant and people should not rush for booster shots. The microbiologist and virologist said the third dose does help but it does not guarantee protection.

Dr Kang said, “The third dose does not guarantee protection but it does help. Booster doses may add a little bit of benefit in reducing disease but it may not be the best use of doses. We shouldn’t panic and run for booster shots.”

Also read: A pandemic beyond COVID-19

She also backed the ICMR studies that showed the mixing of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines is better than two doses of Covaxin.

On August 11, India’s drug regulator has given approval for a study to be conducted by the CMC, Vellore, on mixing of Covaxin and Covishield, official sources had said. An expert panel of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on July 29 had recommended granting permission for conducting the study. The trial will involve 300 healthy volunteers.

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Covishield, Covaxin combination brings better immunogenicity than 2 doses of same vaccine: ICMR study

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

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Sunday said that mixing and matching of Covaxin and Covishield elicited better immunogenicity than two doses of the same vaccine.

The study also found that immunisation with combination of Covishield and Covaxin was safe and the adverse effects were also found to be similar when compared to the same dose regimen. The study titled ‘Serendipitous COVID-19 Vaccine-Mix in Uttar Pradesh, India: Safety and Immunogenicity Assessment of a Heterologous Regime’ has been uploaded on medRxiv, a preprint server and is yet to be peer-reviewed.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which reports the effects of heterologous prime-boost vaccination with an adenovirus vectored vaccine followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine,” the researchers said. The immunisation program against COVID-19 in India started with two vaccines–adenovirus vector platform-based vaccine Covishield and inactivated whole virion BBV152 -Covaxin–and homologous prime-boost approach was followed. However, 18 individuals, under the national program, in Siddarthnagar, Uttar Pradesh inadvertently received Covishield as the first jab and Covaxin as the second.

The nationwide vaccination programme at this time had entered in its fourth month of its existence and the event of mixed dosing raised considerable anxiety in public domain with the potential to contributing to vaccine hesitancy. The study was conducted against this backdrop.

So, including these 18 individuals who had received one dose of Covishield and second dose of Covaxin, 40 recipients of two doses of Covishield and 40 recipients of two doses of Covaxin, were recruited in the study. The study duration was from May to June 2021. “We compared the safety and immunogenicity profile of them (18 individuals) against that of those receiving either Covishield or Covaxin. Lower and similar adverse events following immunisation in all three groups underlined the safety of the combination vaccine-regime.

“Immunogenicity profile against Alpha, Beta and Delta variants in the heterologous group was superior and IgG antibody and neutralising antibody response of the participants was also significantly higher compared to that in the homologous groups,” the study stated. “The findings suggest that immunisation with a combination of an adenovirus vector platform-based vaccine followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine was not only safe but also elicited better immunogenicity,” it said.

The reactogenicity analysis was carried out based on solicited local and systemic AEFIs reported in the three groups within seven days of immunisation. None of the participants enrolled in the study had any serious AEFI within 30 minutes of immunisation with the first or second dose. The most common local AEFI reported after first and second dose was pain at injection site.

No other local AEFI such as erythema, induration, pruritis or pustule formation was recorded by any of the participants. Most commonly reported systemic AEFI were pyrexia and malaise. No other systemic AEFIs like urticaria, nausea, vomiting, arthralgia or cough was reported. The pyrexia was of low to moderate grade and was managed by administration of paracetamol and subsided in all participants within three to four days post-vaccination, according to the study.

“Despite the high median age of the participants of the heterologous group (62 years) in our study, the reactogenicity profile demonstrated that mixing of the two vaccines based on different platforms is safe,” the study said. The study demonstrates that immunisation with a heterologous combination of an adenovirus vector platform-based vaccine followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine is safe and elicits better immunogenicity than two doses of homologous vaccination, using the same vaccines.

These findings have an important implication for the COVID-19 vaccination programme wherein heterologous immunisation will pave the way for induction of improved and better protection against the variant strains of SARS-CoV-2. Such mixed regimens will also help to overcome the challenges of shortfall of particular vaccines and remove hesitancy around vaccines in people’s mind that could have genesis in programmatic ‘errors’ especially in settings where multiple COVID-19 vaccines are being used, the study highlighted.

(With inputs from PTI)

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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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Only 44% of Kerala’s population shows antibodies for COVID-19, 79% in MP, reveals serosurvey

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

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Only 44 percent of Kerala’s population over the age of six years showed antibodies for COVID-19, revealed the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) latest state-level serosurvey conducted between June 14 and July 6.

It is the lowest compared to the national average of above 67 percent. Madhya Pradesh tops the list with 79 percent, followed by Rajasthan and Bihar with 76.2 percent and 75.9 percent respectively.

This means that a large population in Kerala is still vulnerable to infection. It also partially explains why the state continues to report a huge caseload. In the last two days, more than 22,000 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in Kerala, which accounted for more than half of the total cases across the country.

Amid a surge in the COVID-19 cases, the Kerala government has imposed a complete weekend lockdown in the state on July 31 and August 1. The Centre is also sending a six-member team to Kerala to aid the state’s fight against the deadly virus, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

News agency ANI quoted sources saying that Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written to the state on “super spreader events” observed there recently. Bhushan mentioned that COVID guidelines need to be followed properly, ANI added.

Kerala has been reporting a high number of cases for a long period, but the prevalence of the disease is low. This showed that Kerala was much better off in terms of detecting infections.

Serosurveys conducted earlier showed one in 26 infections were detected in the country, whereas in Kerala, it was one out of every five infections. Over 33 lakh infections have been detected in Kerala so far. But it means if one of every five infections were detected, the total number of infections in the state stood at 1.6 crore, which is roughly equal to 45 percent of its entire population of 3.6 crore.

Maharashtra comes next in terms of case count and has a lower disease prevalence. As per the serosurvey, close to 58 percent of the population in Maharashtra has been infected so far.

On a national scale, more than 3.1 crore people were tested positive for COVID-19. According to the data, a minimum of 80 crore people has been infected so far. This is in line with the serosurvey’s findings that suggest around 67 percent of the country’s population over the age of six has been infected.

This was the fourth national serosurvey that was conducted by the ICMR in 70 districts across India. The government has directed all state and UTs to conduct more serosurveys under the guidance of ICMR to gather more data on the spread and prevalence of COVID-19 at the district level. The Health Ministry said that it was crucial for formulating public health policies and response measures at a local level.

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

COVID-19 unlock: Several states reopen schools for classes 9-12

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

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There’s good news for homebound students and anxious parents.  Several states have tentatively allowed the reopening of schools, albeit with strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines, as the infection subsides.

The Gujarat government has allowed schools to reopen for classes 9-11 from July 26 with 50 percent seating capacity. Students who wish to attend offline classes are to submit a consent form signed by their parents. It is not mandatory for students to attend physical classes and online classes will continue. News agency ANI has tweeted on this.

Gujarat | Schools for classes 9th to 11th reopen from today, in accordance with COVID-19 protocols

“In offline classes, we are able to clear our doubts with more ease. It is more fun than online classes,” says a class 9 student in Gita Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/gijED4IAJ4

— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2021

It was only last week that the Gujarat government had decided to reopen physical classes for Class 12 students, colleges and technical institutions as there has been a drop in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state. The schools have been asked to follow all the standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to COVID-19 such as maintaining social distancing and wearing of masks.

Besides Gujarat, several other states have allowed schools to reopen with cases declining. However, the states have issued specific COVID-19 guidelines for the schools to follow.

Madhya Pradesh

The Madhya Pradesh government has allowed students of classes 11 and 12 to return to school. The schools are allowed to operate with 50 percent capacity. Classes 9 and 10 will reopen from August 5. Classes will be held only for two days for students of standards 11 and 12 . Class 11 students will come to school on Mondays and Thursdays while Class 12 students will attend on Tuesdays and Fridays. Classes 9 and 10 will function on Saturdays and Wednesday, respectively.

Morning assemblies and swimming in schools have been banned. The government has instructed schools to ensure COVID-19 tests on students and teachers. Teachers have been asked to get their shots and vaccination camps will be held in schools.

Odisha

The Odisha government announced the reopening of schools from July 16 and issued relevant guidelines. As per the government directive, no school in  containment zones can reopen. Students will attend schools after consultation with their parents and no student should be forced to attend.

Also, students, teachers and employees from containment zones are not allowed to attend school. For students who avail transportation facilities, only 50 percent occupancy in the vehicles will be allowed. Every bus has to be adequately sanitised before picking up and dropping students.

Andhra Pradesh

Though Andhra Pradesh is yet to announce its reopening of schools and colleges, an SOP has been drafted, titled ‘A period of educational crisis: Alternative initiatives – a prophetic model with reference to Andhra Pradesh,’ by Senior Professor of Education, former dean and faculty of Andhra University, Nimma Venkata Rao. He has suggested that classes be conducted thrice a week.

He has proposed that students of classes 1 and 2 attend school in the mornings, with other classes in the primary section being held in the afternoon. Classes 6 and 7 can operate in the morning while other classes can be held in the afternoon. To replace mid-day meals, dry rations can be delivered directly to homes of these students.

Haryana

The Haryana government allowed the opening of schools from July 16. Students of classes 9 to 12 are allowed to attend with the written consent of their parents. Classes will be held only from 9 am to 12 pm.  Only 12-14 students would be allowed to sit in one classroom.

Students would be divided into two parts, with the first 50 percent of students coming to class for the first three days and the balance 50 percent attending for the next three days. Students are not allowed to share stationery items and are to only sit in their earmarked bench.

Staff and teachers are to be fully vaccinated.

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh has allowed the opening of classes 10-12 from August 2. The students and teachers, including the school staff, need to be fully vaccinated in order to attend the offline classes.

Other states are expected to announce their own schedules for reopening schools in the coming weeks, barring Delhi, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

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

Explained: How sero survey works and what are its latest findings

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

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) conducted the fourth nationwide serological survey among adults and children in June (last 10 days) and July (first week) 2021. This was the first national survey where children (6-17) were included.

Nearly one-third of Indians (32.4 percent) did not have antibodies, which indicates that around 40 crore people can still get infected by the SARS-COV-2 virus.

The survey’s sample size was 28,975, including 8,691 children (6-17 years) and 7,252 healthcare workers across 70 districts and 21 states of India.

The first nationwide sero survey was conducted in May 2020, second in August 2020, third in December 2020 and January 2021.

ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said 10 villages or wards from each district; 40 individuals per village or ward, 400 individuals aged six or above per district; and 100 HCWs per district from district and sub-district hospitals were surveyed.

Goals

A sero survey is undertaken to provide data on the proportion of infected and asymptomatic people (existing and newer groups such as children in this latest survey) especially during a global pandemic such as COVID-19.

The sero survey has multiple uses and can ascertain the likely impact and spread of the infection based on its findings. It can pinpoint high-risk categories, herd immunity or infection and other behaviour in specific groups such as the vulnerable and the asymptomatic.

The sero survey can help develop customised care, cure and precautions for all such groups. It can also determine the duration of immunity of those who took vaccines or did not; and even those who recovered from the virus or got infected again.

Modus operandi

The sero survey tracks antibodies (called IgG antibodies) which start appearing 14 days into the infection.

Serological test collects blood samples to check antibodies while the RT-PCR and rapid antigen test (RAT) use nasal or oral swabs to check for the virus.

Findings – Adults

ICMR’s survey showed that 70 percent of the population over the age of six can be expected to have developed some sort of immunity against the disease.

About 32.4 percent did not have antibodies and the remaining 67.6 percent had antibodies.

COVID exposure (indicated by presence of antibodies) was higher in urban areas (69.6 percent) than in rural areas (66.7 percent).

The seroprevalence in healthcare workers, people who took one vaccine dose, and those who took both the doses was 85.2 percent, 81 percent and 89.8 percent, respectively. The seroprevalence was higher (69.2 percent) in women than in men (65.8 percent).

The age group of 45-60 had the highest seropositivity of 77.6 percent.

Of those surveyed, 62.2 percent were not vaccinated (including 10.5 percent of healthcare workers), while 13 percent were fully vaccinated and 24.8 percent had taken one dose.

Findings – Under 18

Young people handled COVID-19 better than adults but the antibody exposure in children is very similar to that in adults, as per the ICMR survey. Youngsters had lower ace receptors (to which virus attaches itself).

Though youngsters showed the lowest exposure to the coronavirus, more than 50 percent of the children in 6-17 years age group had antibodies. The seropositivity rate in 6-9 years was 57.2 percent; and 61.6 percent in the 10-17 years age group showed antibodies.

Dr Bhargava also said primary schools can be opened first and secondary schools later.

The fourth survey showed more people being exposed to COVID-19 vis-a-vis 25 percent in the third sero survey; 7.1 percent in the second and 0.7 percent in the first survey conducted by ICMR.

But Dr Bhargava advised that all social gatherings and non-essential travel (even after full vaccination) should be avoided.

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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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COVID-19: Remdesivir may be dropped from treatment protocol soon

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

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Remdesivir, the broad-spectrum antiviral medicine that has been used liberally in the COVID-19 treatment protocol, may soon be discontinued. The drug may be dropped from Standard of Care for COVID-19 patients as there is inconclusive evidence of its effectiveness in COVID-19 patients.

Ganga Ram Hospital Chairperson Dr D.S. Rana told news agency ANI on May 19 that Remdesivir may soon be discontinued as the drug’s effectiveness in COVID-19 treatment remains inconclusive at best.

“If we talk about other medicines which we use in COVID treatment, there is no such evidence regarding Remdesivir that works in COVID-19 treatment. Medicines that do not have any activity to work, will have to be discontinued,” Dr Rana told ANI.

“All the experimental medicines, be it plasma therapy or Remdesivir, all of them may be dropped soon as there is no such evidence of its functioning. Right now only three medicines are working,” Dr Rana added.

The use of convalescent plasma therapy was recently dropped by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) after recent trials had found no evidence that the therapy had any positive effects in reducing mortality or severity of symptoms in COVID-19 patients.

Remdesivir was given emergency use authorisation in over 50 countries to combat the Coronavirus pandemic. However, so far the evidence of its effectiveness has been weak. A study from last year in The British Medical Journal had noted that more trials were needed to judge the effectiveness of the drug in COVID-19 patients, as previous trials had their limitations.

“Right now, we all are examining and monitoring. Medical fraternity is trying to gather (sic) more information, by the time you gain full knowledge about this pandemic, I think it will be over,” Dr Rana said.

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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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Covishield first dose triggers ‘good levels’ of antibodies, says ICMR DG

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

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The Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Balram Bhargava, in the weekly media briefing on May 20 said “good levels” of antibodies are produced in the body after the first dose of Covishield vaccine unlike that of Covaxin.

The Covaxin vaccine triggers adequate immune response to fight the COVID-19 infections only after the second dose. Covaxin has been indigenously developed by ICMR in partnership with Bharat Biotech and the latter is manufacturing it.

Two months ago, a press release issued by ICMR stated, “Covaxin, developed by ICMR in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), has shown an interim vaccine efficacy of 81 percent in preventing Covid-19.”

Glad to share a very positive development from us 20/5/21 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/cA3ZZx8pdc

— suchitra ella (@SuchitraElla) May 20, 2021

Bhargava also said the decision to increase the gap between two doses of Covishield from six weeks to the current 16 weeks was based on observations and recommendations made by three committees – the COVID Working Group, National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) and the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

The government intends to conduct 25 lakh tests per day by May end and 45 lakh tests per day by June and the aim is to speed the pace of tests till the 5 percent positivity rate is achieved, informed Bhargava. This is only possible if more rapid antigen tests are conducted, home testing for COVID-19 is done and the affected are isolated to control the spread, he added.

According to government data, eight states have reported more than one lakh active cases, with nine states hovering in the 50,000 and above range. The states of Karnataka and West Bengal have more than 25 percent positivity rate.

Bharat Biotech in a tweet on May 20 had announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Chiron Behring in Gujarat will manufacture 200 million doses per annum. With its Hyderabad, Karnataka and now Gujarat plants operational, over one billion doses per annum will be shipped out by the year end.

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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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Explained: What is ICMR approved COVID-19 home testing kit Coviself and how to use it

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

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on May 19 approved a self-use home testing COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kit named Coviself developed by Pune-based molecular biology major Mylab Discovery Solutions Private Ltd.

The ICMR in its guidelines advised against indiscriminate use of the COVID-19 home testing kit and suggested only symptomatic individuals and the immediate contacts of laboratory-confirmed positive cases follow this test.

What is the home testing kit?

According to the company website, this Rapid Antigen Test kit for testing the COVID-19 virus at home can be used with samples from throat or nasal swabs and it gives results in 20 minutes.

Also read: Cipla launches RT-PCR test kit ‘ViraGen’ in India partnership with Ubio Biotech

The test kit comes with sterile nasal swabs, pre-filled buffer tubes for antigen extraction from the samples, a test card, a visual instructions leaflet, a QR code link to watch an instruction video, and a bio-hazard bag for disposing of the swab safely after testing.

Who should take the test and how to report the result?

The ICMR advisory said Mylab’s indigenously developed antigen test should be done only for the symptomatic individuals and people who have come in contact with lab-confirmed COVID patients. The users will have to download Mylab’s AI-powered mobile app for submitting the result to the ICMR directly.

According to the ICMR advisory, the individuals who test positive may be considered true positives and the symptomatic persons, testing negative, should go for the RT-PCR test, which is more precise than RAT.

Also read: ICMR advises against indiscriminate COVID-19 home testing using RAT kit

The users have also been advised to click a picture of the test device showing the result with the same mobile phone used for downloading the Mylab’s app so that the data can be captured in a secure server, connected with the ICMR COVID-19 testing portal.

The ICMR has assured to maintain full confidentiality about the identity of the patients.

How to use the home testing kit?

Mylab Solutions has issued detailed instructions on using the home testing kit.

Here are the steps to be followed while using the kit at home.

• After collecting the sample using a sterile nasal swab, swirl it five times in the extraction buffer. Hold it there for 10-15 seconds.
• Remove the swab by pressing its head gently against the wall of the extraction tube.
• Add two full drops of the extracted sample to the specimen well of the test card.
• Wait for 15-20 minutes and read the test results.
• On the test card, there is a quality control marker ‘C’ and detection marker ‘T’. If both the lines appear in colour, then the result is positive.
• If only the quality control line appears and the detection line is colourless, the report is negative.
• If the line ‘C’ doesn’t appear or if you have waited for more than 20 minutes, the result is invalid.

Also read: Govt issues guidelines on COVID-19 management in rural, peri-urban areas

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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 adds 2.76 lakh COVID-19 cases in 24 hours; death toll below 4000

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

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India’s daily COVID-19 tally continues to be below 4 lakh for the fourth straight day. The country has added 2,76,110 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total count to 2,57,72,400, as per data shared by the Union Health Ministry.

In a silver lining, fatalities’ count was below 4000 as 3,874 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll stood at 2,87,122, the data updated at 8 am showed. The active cases fell for the seventh straight day and the number stood at 31,29,878.

Recoveries continue to outnumber the daily tally. In the last 24 hours, 3,69,077 people were discharged from the hospital and the number of who have recuperated from the disease is 2,23,55,440. The recovery rate rose 86.75 percent, the data stated.

The vaccination count is also going down. In the last 24 hours, 11.66 lakh doses were administered taking the seven-day average for vaccination at 13.63 lakh, the lowest level since March 15.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 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. India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crores on May 4 and 2.50 crore on May 18.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 32,23,56,187 samples tested up to May 19 for COVID-19. Of these, 20,55,010 samples were tested on May 19.

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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