Fourth wave in India, vaccine effectiveness — Top 10 Latest Updates on Covid-19 you should know!

Coronavirus Latest Updates: Statistics related to Covid-19 situation continue to show a declining trend in number of daily infections. However, a recent study by IIT Kanpur had suggested that the fourth Covid wave in India may start around June 22 and peak from mid to late August. The government on Thursday said that it respects such studies but the scientific worth of this report is yet to be confirmed. “It has been our endeavour to look at science of the pandemic, its epidemiology, trend and virology. All projections are based on data and assumptions and we have seen divergent estimates from time to time. They are sometimes so divergent that decisions based on just a set of projections will be very unsafe for the society. The government looks at these estimates with due respect because these are scientific works produced by eminent people,” NITI Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul said on Thursday.

FE Online brings you the latest, most definitive developments related to the Covid situation in India and around the globe. Here are the top 10 latest updates on Covid-19 that you should know:

1. The government of India has advised the students coming from Ukraine to get vaccinated immediately if not done so already. “We would like to ensure, through you (media), that all the students who are returning are fully vaccinated or get their vaccination,” Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Balram Bhargava said at a press conference on Thursday.

2. NITI Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul has said that any decision regarding the mixing and matching of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be taken based on science. He said that the studies are going on and they are being “constantly reviewed”. “As per the new information and science and knowledge, a decision would be guided on (by) that,” he said. Paul added that a decision on how and when to use the Corbevax vaccine will be based on scientific considerations.

3. Union Health Ministry has informed that unvaccinated individuals account for 92 per cent of Covid deaths in India so far this year. The government asserted that India is in a “vaccine-protected low coronavirus phase” right now. Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said that 97 per cent of adults in the country have been administered with the first dose of vaccine while 82 per cent are fully vaccinated. Giving some more statistics, Agarwal said that 74 per cent of youngsters between 15-18 years of age have also been administered their first dose of vaccine and 39 per cent have been given both doses, reported PTI. On the other hand, 2.03 crore precaution doses have been given to those aged 60 and above with comorbidities.

4. The Health Ministry has said that only a single state is having over 10,000 active cases and two states are having active cases between 5,000 to 10,000. Remaining states have less than 5,000 active cases. On the other hand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Mizoram accounts for 50% of active cases of the country.

5. A WHO panel has recommended the use of Merck & Co Inc’s COVID-19 antiviral pill, Molnupiravir, for high-risk patients, reported Reuters. The expert panel conditionally recommended the pill for people who are at high risk of hospitalisation, the unvaccinated, older people and those with chronic diseases.

6. India continues to report a steady decline in number of Covid cases across the country. A medical bulletin said that recoveries in Tamil Nadu on Thursday outnumbered infections with 778 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 34,08,373 leaving 3,950 active infections.

7. ICMR DG Dr. Balram Bhargava has said that the first dose is responsible for 98.9 % vaccine effectiveness and if both doses are given then it is 99.3 % effective, reported ANI. This continues to establish that vaccines have proven to be life savers.

8. On a global level, the Covid situation seems to be getting worse for Hong Kong. A record daily high of 56,827 new Covid cases were reported on Thursday, along with 144 deaths. According to a reuters report, a worsening outbreak overwhelms healthcare facilities and sees authorities scramble to contain cases in the Asian financial centre.

9. Most of the countries which have low vaccination rates are in Africa, as per AP report. According to the report, 13 countries in Africa have fully vaccinated less than 5% of their populations as of late February, revealed an officer for the World Health Organisation’s regional office for Africa. Other countries with extremely low vaccination rates include Yemen, Syria, Haiti and Papua New Guinea.

10. According to a study in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, Covid-related curbs on people’s movements may be linked to a sharp decline in cases of dengue fever in 2020, offering new insight into how it might be controlled. The study found nearly 750,000 fewer cases of dengue than were expected occurred globally in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began, reported Reuters.