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Glenmark to conduct phase III trials of nasal spray

Glenmark to conduct phase III trials of nasal spray it claims to be effective in treating COVID-19 (ANI)

Alpha vs Delta vs Delta Plus vs Lambda – Mutating virus puts spanner in pandemic recovery

Alpha, Delta, Delta Plus, Lambda, Epsilon – the chain of the ever-mutating coronavirus remains unbroken. The World Health Organization has warned the nations for the new unlock measures.

After ravaging India in the month of April and May, the Delta variant of the coronavirus has shut down Sydney and other key regions of Australia. South Korea is also planning a partial lockdown in its capital Seoul.

So, when does it end? Chances are never. As British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, we must learn to live with the virus.

This is easier said than done. Nations can’t remain under lockdown forever. The simple answer to this is quicker vaccination of as many people as possible.

Scientists world over are researching the efficacy of the present vaccines against the variants. At present just 10 to 11 per cent of the total world population is vaccinated against the coronavirus.

In India also, the vaccination rate has dipped significantly. In comparison with the first week of the new vaccine policy launch, the present rate of jabs per day is nearly half of what was administered between June 21 to June 27.

Sputnik V vaccination drive to be launched in Tamil Nadu from July 12

The city-based AGs Health Care, an outpatient centre to be approved by the Tamil Nadu government as a COVID-19 vaccination centre, is launching a Sputnik V vaccination drive from July 12.

The centre would vaccinate frontline workers (doctors, health care workers, mediapersons and police personnel), senior citizens, transgenders, specially challenged individuals, and people with co-morbidities, said director of AGs Health Care Dr Adityan Guhan said in a release on Friday. The slot for the vaccination needs to be booked through the CO-Win portal, he said. (PTI)

2 cases of Kappa variant of Covid-19 detected in Uttar Pradesh

Two cases of Kappa variant of COVID-19 have been detected in Uttar Pradesh, according to an official statement issued on Friday. Genome sequencing of 109 samples was done at King George’s medical college here in the past few days.

The Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 was found in 107 samples, while the Kappa variant was found in two samples, the statement issued after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s routine review meeting said. “Both the variants are not new for the state. The facility of genome sequencing is being increased in the state,” it added. (PTI)

ICMR issues new vaccination guidelines for breastfeeding mothers

Breastfeeding mothers should get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 without any hesitation: Dr Samiran Panda, Head, Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, ICMR

To Bump Up Vaccine Testing, Centre Readies 2 More Drug Labs at Pune, Hyderabad

At present, there are two vaccine-testing laboratories in the country — the Central Drug Laboratory at Kasauli and National Institute of Biologicals at Noida

To increase Covid-19 vaccine testing, the government has set up two additional labs from the PM Cares fund; each located in Hyderabad and Pune.

As the government scales up efforts to procure and produce more vaccines, the additional labs would help the government “to facilitate expedited testing and the pre-release certification of vaccines".

At present, there are two vaccine-testing laboratories in the country — the Central Drug Laboratory at Kasauli and the National Institute of Biologicals at Noida.

The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology has set up two vaccine testing facilities in its Autonomous Research Institutes National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, and National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, (NIAB) Hyderabad as Central Drug Laboratory (CDL), for batch testing and quality control of vaccines, a government release said.

The facilities are expected to test approximately 60 batches of vaccines per month, the government said, adding that they are “geared up to test existing COVID-19 vaccines and other newer COVID-19 vaccines as per the demand of the nation".

According to the government, this would expedite manufacturing and supply of vaccines, and also be logistically convenient as Pune and Hyderabad are vaccine manufacturing hubs.

Zydus Cadila had submitted its third phase trial results to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) last week. NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul

“Zydus Cadila has submitted its phase-3 trial results to the DCGI last week and scientific evidence is being probed and the process of exchange of information is actively going on,” he said.

In this trial, Paul said children were also included and “we are hoping that after all this data gets evaluated through scientific process then recommendations will be followed, and if there is enough evidence to support vaccination by this vaccine for children between 12-18 years then that will also be provided at that time depending upon the robustness of the data and scientific evidence”.

“We should wait for that process to be over and for a decision to be made by the scientific system in the DCGI,” he said.

Delta, Delta Plus, Kappa, Lambda: All Covid-19 Variants Explained

Aside from the Delta Plus variation, four new varieties have gained the attention of health experts

Two cases of the Kappa strain of Covid-19 have now been discovered in Uttar Pradesh, after two patients were identified with having the Delta plus strain in Deoria and Gorakhpur.

Amid increasing cases of Delta plus variant in India, other variants have become a topic of concern after India’s recent encounter with a deadly second wave. Aside from the Delta Plus variation, four new varieties have gained the attention of health experts. B.1.617.3, a relative of the Delta variant; B.11.318, which contains 14 mutations; Lambda, a variant discovered by Public Health England and classed as a variant of interest (VOI) by the World Health Organization; and Kappa or B.1.617.1 are among the variants.

Delta

The Delta variant, first discovered in India, has been attributed as the driver behind the country’s devastating second covid wave, which saw cases and deaths rise exponentially. According to a study, vaccines are also eight times less effective against the variant, as compared to the original strain found in Wuhan, China.

The variant is known to have extra transmissibility, as well as causing more severe symptoms in patients. Other countries are now also reporting increasing cases of the variant, including UK and Israel. According to a recent report, the Delta variant is reportedly responsible for over 90% of recent cases in Israel, which lifted restrictions in June, although around 57% of the population is vaccinated.

Delta Plus

The new Delta plus variant has been formed due to a mutation in the Delta or B.1.617.2 variant, first identified in India and one of the drivers of the deadly second wave. Some cases of the ‘Delta plus’ variant of Covid-19, considered highly infectious, have been reported in Maharashtra threatening to massively dent the state’s fight against the virus as experts warn that this variant may trigger a third wave of the pandemic in the state.

It has been detected in nine countries, including UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Japan, Nepal, China, and Russia, apart from India. Preliminary studies seem to suggest that apart from the usual dry cough, fever, tiredness, aches and pains, skin rashes, toes and fingers discoloration, sore throat, conjunctivitis, loss of taste and smell loss, diarrhea, and headache, chest pain, breathlessness, shortness of breath, and speech loss, Delta plus patients also exhibited stomach ache, nausea, appetite loss, vomiting, joint pains, hearing impairment, etc.

Kappa

According to experts, the Kappa variant, also known as B.1.167.1, is a double mutant strain of the virus that has raised red flags and prompted global gene surveillance to check for its prevalence and propagation. The double mutation is a distant lineage since it consists of two viral types. The E484Q mutation, which is identical to the E484K mutation identified in the fast-spreading Brazilian and South African variants of concern, is one of them. It also contains the L452R mutation, which allows the virus to evade our immune system’s natural defences.

Lambda

The Health Ministry on Friday said the Lambda variant of Covid-19 was still being explored, and had not entered India yet. He said for now, it was a ‘variant of interest’.

On June 14, the WHO designated it as a “Variant of Interest." In August 2020, the variation was discovered in Peru, and it has since spread to 29 nations, predominantly in Latin America.

The Lambda variation has also made its way to the United Kingdom, where it has been added to the list of variants under research by Public Health England. Because of its significant alterations, such as L452Q and F490S, the variant is worrying. There is currently no proof that the variant causes more severe diseases or renders immunizations ineffective, according to UK health officials.

B.11.318 and B.1.617.3

The B1.617.3 is a member of the B.1.617 lineage, which was first discovered in India. It’s a cousin of the Delta variety B.1.617.2, which was responsible for India’s fatal second wave.

So far, no health authority has classified the B.1.617.3 variation as a variant of interest or concern.

According to a report, the B.11.318 variant features the mutation E484K, which is identical to Kappa, and India has reported two genome sequences of this new variant so far.

Tripura confirms 90 of 151 RT-PCR samples sent for testing found positive for Delta plus
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Mexico enters 3rd wave of coronavirus, infections up 29%

Mexico is entering its third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, as infections rose by 29% compared to the previous week. But the country’s health department said Friday the growth is largely coming from infections among younger, less vulnerable people.

Case numbers are now as high as the beginning of the last surge in September; that wave peaked in January and steadily declined until June.

But at present only about 22% of the country’s hospital beds are occupied; hospital beds in many parts of the country were essentially filled to capacity during the last wave. (AP)

Delta Variant Can Shatter Vaccine Cover, Single Dose of Pfizer, AstraZeneca ‘Barely’ Give Protection: Study

If a person has taken two regular doses of Covishield or Covaxin, then a third dose of Sputnik V in the form of a booster will be good and helpful, a doctor suggested.

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Did ‘Double Mutant’ Delta Scare You? Brace for Lambda’s 7 Mutations

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