Heena Sharma Blog

  The World Health Organization is opening a long-planned special session of member states to discuss ways to strengthen the global fight against pandemics like the coronavirus, just as the worrying new omicron variant has sparked immediate concerns worldwide. In the wake of diplomatic wrangling, a draft resolution at the special World Health Assembly stops short of calling for work toward specifically establishing a pandemic treaty" or legally binding instrument sought by some, which could beef up the international response when not if a new pandemic erupts. European Union member states and others had sought language calling for work toward a treaty, but the United States and a few other countries countered that the substance of any accord should be worked out first before any such document is given a name. A treaty would suggest a legally binding agreement that would require ratification and would likely incur domestic political haggling in some countries. Read More

  The World Health Organization (WHO) said that it has begun the shipment of COVID-19 medical supplies to North Korea through the Chinese port of Dalian, raising the possibility that the North might be easing its long-enforced tight border controls amid the global pandemic. North Korea has tightened border controls since the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, which has meant key materials and medical supplies could not be shipped to the North, Yonhap news agency reported. The North closed off a major shipping route linking Dalian to its western port of Nampo in July, as it heightened its anti-epidemic emergency status to the highest level. "To support DPR Korea (North Korea) with essential Covid-19 medical supplies, the WHO started the shipment through Dalian," the organization said in its weekly report that provides updates on situations about infections and preventive measures in the world. Read More

  The World Health Organisation has said that it is closely monitoring a new coronavirus "variant of interest" named Mu, warning that the new variant shows signs of possible resistance to vaccines. Mu - also known by its scientific name as B.1.621 - was first identified in Colombia in January 2021, and since then, there have been "sporadic reports" of cases and some larger outbreaks in South America and Europe, the UN health agency said in its weekly bulletin on the pandemic on Tuesday. The cases of the Mu variant have also been reported in the UK, Europe, the US and Hong Kong. The new 'variant of interest' is being closely monitored, the UN health agency said. Although the global prevalence of the Mu variant among sequenced COVID-19 cases is currently below 0.1%, its prevalence in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador (13%) has consistently increased, it said. The new variant was added to the WHO's watchlist on August 30 after it was detected in 39 cou...

  As India reels under a calamitous second wave of the coronavirus infection , more than two thirds of its states have extended lockdowns. Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, most of the country is either under lockdown or restrictions like a curfew. Here is a look at coronavirus-induced lockdown/curfew in different states Karnataka: Total lockdown imposed in the state Lockdown end-date: May 24 Activities that are prohibited throughout state: 1) Only the scheduled flights and trains will operate. 2) All public transport services, including the BMTC and metro trains in Bengaluru and KSRTC across the State, will remain shut 3) Taxis, auto rickshaws, cab services are prohibited, except hired during emergency situations 4) All educational institutions including schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed. However, online classes would be permitted 5) Restaurants, hotels will be closed. However, they are permitted to operate with limited kitchens for taking home d...

  The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against jumping to conclusions about a new coronavirus variant discovered in India, saying it had not yet classified it as worrying. A WHO spokeswoman said that it was not clear at this point to what extent the variant was responsible for the rapid increase in cases in India in recent months, DPA news agency reported. There are many factors that could have contributed to this, she said. For example, festivals and other events with many participants may have accelerated infections. The British coronavirus variant may also be affecting India's epidemiological situation. In India, more than 350,000 infections were reported within 24 hours on Monday, more than any country has reported in that timespan. With its 1.3 billion inhabitants, India has recorded a total of more than 17 million infections. Read More

  The second phase of India’s Covid-19 vaccination started on Monday and the Co-WIN portal also started a self-registration process for the 270 million people eligible for these shots. Under this phase, people above 60 years of age – and those over 45 years of age and with co-morbidities – are to be inoculated. The registration portal could be accessed at https://selfregistration.cowin.gov.in/ . The government has issued a list of 20 specified co-morbidities to determine the eligibility of people who can be administered a vaccine shot on priority. If someone is more than 45 years old and suffers from conditions like diabetes or has suffered a heart attack in the past year, they will be eligible to get a Covid-19 vaccine shot. Here’s the full list of specified co-morbidities: 1. Heart failure with hospital admission in the past one year. 2. Post cardiac transplant/ Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). 3. Significant left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVEF < 40%)....

  Following a 12-day visit to China to probe the origins of COVID-19 in Wuhan, a team of World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday dismissed the theory of a 'lab leak' of the virus. According to Washington Post, Peter Ben Embarek, the Danish WHO food safety expert leading the international team, said his group will not recommend further investigation into the theory that the virus accidentally leaked from labs conducting coronavirus research. Embarek told reporters that the judgment was based on "long, frank, open discussions with researchers and management" at institutions including the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). "They're the best ones to dismiss the claims and provide answers to all the questions," he said. "Our initial findings suggest that introduction through an intermediary host species is the most likely passway and one that will require more studies and more specific targeted research ... The findings suggest that a labora...

  Pfizer and BioNTech have agreed to supply their Covid-19 vaccine to the World Health Organization co-led COVAX vaccine access scheme, two sources familiar with the deal said, the latest in a series of shots to be included in the project aimed at lower-income countries. The deal is expected to be announced on Friday, according to the sources, who declined to be named due to the confidentiality of the agreement. Details on the size of the deal or the price per dose COVAX would pay were not immediately clear, but the sources said the allotment would likely be relatively small. One source said the reason for the limited volume was that the doses were primarily meant for healthcare workers in the countries that COVAX serves. BioNTech declined to comment while Pfizer did not respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for the WHO and the GAVI vaccine alliance, which co-leads the COVAX scheme, also declined to comment. Read More

  The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to approve several Covid-19 vaccines from Western and Chinese manufacturers in coming weeks and months, a document published on Wednesday shows, as it aims for rapid rollouts in poorer countries. COVAX , a global scheme co-led by the WHO, wants to deliver at least 2 billion Covid-19 doses across the world this year, with at least 1.3 billion going to poorer countries. But it has so far struggled to secure enough shots due to a shortage of funds, while wealthy nations have booked large volumes of vaccines for themselves. In the race to deploy shots, regulatory approvals are key to confirming the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, and to boosting output. But some poorer countries rely mostly on WHO authorisations as they have limited regulatory capacity. Read More

The World Health Organization says it has cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, meaning poorer countries may soon get access to the shot already available in Europe and North America. Every country that has a drug regulatory agency will have to issue its own approval for any COVID-19 vaccine , but countries with weak systems usually rely on WHO to vet the shots. The global body said late Thursday that the decision to issue its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine "opens the door for countries to expedite their own regulatory approval processes to import and administer the vaccine." The UN health agency said its review found the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which has already received clearance in the United States, Britain, the European Union and a dozen other countries, "met the must-have criteria for safety and efficacy set out by WHO." Read More  

  Bharat Biotech has claimed that amongst all the vaccine platforms such as an mRNA-based vaccine, DNA-based vaccine, vector-based vaccine, or live attenuated vaccines, etc., the inactivated vaccines being developed by it for Covid 19 are safest, and hence, the adverse reactions are lesser. In a series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for its trials, Bharat Biotech said BBV-152 is a whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Amongst all the vaccine platforms such as an mRNA-based vaccine, DNA-based vaccine, vector-based vaccine, or live attenuated vaccines, etc., the inactivated vaccines are safest, and hence, the adverse reactions are lesser. It said about 755 participants have been vaccinated in phase 1 & 2 clinical trials. No serious adverse events have been reported to be related to the vaccine in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. It said vaccination with BBV-152B may protect the participants only after 14-days post-second dose of vaccination. Hence, the particip...

  As we inch closer to the vaccine roll-out, the debate rages on about how to reach hundreds of millions of people in the most efficient way possible. It will be a gigantic task even though India has an established vaccination delivery system owing to its universal immunisation programmes. India has the world’s largest railways and road networks but a new, efficient method of transporting vaccines would be required, say Abhishek Chakravarty, an Assistant Professor of Law at Sai University in Chennai, and Abhijit Rajkhowa a mechanical engineer with interest in public policy. This is where a drone-based distribution system comes in. Many countries have used drones to deploy vaccines, since late 2018. There are instances of drone usage in emergency situations in India as well. The country's goal of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and a $5 trillion economy isn’t achievable by ignoring a revolutionary technology that can bolster the fight against the pandemic, the writers say. Read More

  Over 100,000 people in Saudi Arabia have signed up for the coronavirus vaccination on the opening day of vaccination registration, the Saudi Health Ministry said. "Up until now, 100,546 people have signed up through the application on... smartphones to receive the coronavirus vaccine," the ministry said in a statement. On Tuesday, the Saudi Ministry of Health announced the beginning of registration for the coronavirus vaccination. The vaccine will primarily be available to people over 65, those at risk of becoming infected as a result of their professional activities, or those with chronic diseases. At the end of last week, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority approved the registration and use of a vaccine against the new coronavirus produced by the American company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The first batches of the vaccine have already been received by the kingdom. Read More

  Nearly a quarter of the world's population may not have access to a Covid-19 vaccine until at least 2022, according to a study published in The BMJ on Wednesday which warns that vaccines will be as challenging to deliver as they were to develop. Another study in the same journal estimates that 3.7 billion adults worldwide are willing to have a Covid-19 vaccine, highlighting the importance of designing fair and equitable strategies to ensure that supply can meet demand, especially in low and middle income countries. These findings together suggest that the operational challenges of the global Covid-19 vaccination programme will be at least as difficult as the scientific challenges associated with their development. In the first study, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US analysed pre-orders for COVID-19 vaccines ahead of their regulatory approval that had been publicly announced by countries around the world. Read More  

  The overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 68.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.56 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Thursday, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 68,822,212 and 1,567,706, respectively.   The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 15,379,574 and 289,283, respectively, according to the CSSE. India comes in second place in terms of cases at 9,735,850, while the country's death toll soared to 141,360. The other countries with more than a million confirmed cases are Brazil (6,728,452), Russia (2,518,551), France (2,377,913), the UK (1,771,544), Italy (1,770,149), Spain (1,712,101), Argentina (1,475,222), Colombia (1,392,133), Germany (1,242,253), Mexico (1,193,255), Poland (1,088,346) and Iran (1,072,620), the CSSE figures showed. Re...

  Results of an interim analysis of the Phase III programme conducted by Oxford University with AZD1222, peer-reviewed and published in The Lancet on Wednesday demonstrated that the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and that it protects against severe disease and hospitalisation. The interim analysis for efficacy was based on 11,636 participants accruing 131 symptomatic infections from the Phase III UK and Brazil trials conducted by Oxford University. As announced on November 23, the primary efficacy endpoint of the programme statistical plan, based on the pooling of two dosing regimens, showed that the vaccine is 70.4 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 occurring more than 14 days after receiving two doses of the vaccine. A secondary efficacy endpoint of prevention of severe disease demonstrated no cases of severe infections or hospitalisations in the vaccine group. Read More        

  Scientists at MIT have designed a novel face mask that can not only filter out the SARS-CoV-2 virus , which causes COVID-19 , but also inactivate it using heat. The new mask incorporates a heated copper mesh and does not need to be decontaminated or thrown away after use, according to the researchers. As the person wearing the mask breathes in and out, air flows repeatedly across the mesh, and any viral particles in the air are slowed and inactivated by the mesh and high temperatures, the researchers said. Such a mask could be useful for healthcare professionals, as well as members of the public in situations where social distancing would be difficult to achieve, such as a crowded bus, they said. "This is a completely new mask concept in that it doesn't primarily block the virus. It actually lets the virus go through the mask, but slows and inactivates it," said Michael Strano, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US. Read More

  Scientists have found the likely order in which Covid-19 symptoms first appear, an advance that may help clinicians rule out other diseases, and help patients seek care promptly or decide sooner to self-isolate. According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, the likely order of symptoms in patients with Covid-19 is fever, followed by cough, muscle pain, and then nausea, and/or vomiting, and diarrhea. "This order is especially important to know when we have overlapping cycles of illnesses like the flu that coincide with infections of Covid-19," explained study co-author Peter Kuhn, a professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California (USC) in the US. With this new information, Kuhn said doctors can determine what steps to take to care for patients, and prevent their condition from worsening. Read More               

The government of India has cautioned against the use of N95 masks with valved respirators, claiming that there are higher chances of coronavirus spreading from asymptomatic people to uninfected persons through them. The Director-General of Health Services (DGHS) has also alluded to the inappropriate use of N95 masks with valved respirators by the public. "It is to bring to your knowledge that the use of valved respirator N95 masks is detrimental to the measures adopted for preventing the spread of coronavirus as they don't prevent the virus from escaping out of the mask," DGHS Rajiv Garg said. Can face masks prevent coronavirus? Can face masks help slow the spread of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes Covid-19? Yes, face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing, help slow the spread of the virus. Read More

The total number of coronavirus cases across the world has crossed the 10-million mark and the death toll has gone past 500,000. There currently are over 100 vaccines at various stages of development worldwide, including in India, Britain, China, the US, Russia and Israel. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the chief scientist at WHO, said nearly 2 billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine would be ready by the end of next year. But who would be the first to get a Covid-19 vaccine? Probably people in the country where the first effective vaccine is developed. Thus, there's pressure from governments on pharmaceutical companies and scientists to come up with a vaccine as soon as possible. Last week, WHO said UK-based AstraZeneca was leading the vaccine race while US-based pharmaceutical major Moderna was not far behind. Read More