Health

A key member of the Maharashtra government’s Covid task force has accused the Union health ministry of delaying the vaccine rollout among the general public and “putting the lives of people at risk”. The remark comes as the state reported a fresh breakout of cases amid fears of a mutant strain of the coronavirus.

Dr Subhash Salunkhe, an adviser to the state government on Covid-19 told ET on Friday that there is an urgent need for vaccines to be given to the general population to prevent outbreaks like the one currently happening in several districts. The official stressed the urgent rollout of the vaccines as a mutation of the virus may render existing stockpiles useless.

“There are crores of vaccines lying idle with the companies that have manufactured them. Those who want to take the vaccines are not able to get it. We have a primary healthcare weapon that is the best equipped to fight it, yet we are not releasing it among the general population. This attitude of the ministry of health is not in the interest of the principle of public health. This is unacceptable,” said Salunkhe.

Salunkhe’s remarks come amid reports of a mutant strain being detected in Amravati and Akola. “We have suspicions that the virus may have mutated in Amravati though it needs to be confirmed by NIV. It again underscores the need for immediate vaccination for if the virus mutates like the one in South Africa then these vaccines would not be effective and would be useless,” said Salunkhe.

The senior health official said that he has made inquires with the Union health ministry and was told that vaccine rollout among the general population was being delayed because the ministry is developing an app to monitor the initial dosage and the booster dose and other technical issues related to the vaccine.

“The priority should be to have the vaccine rollout first that would save lives; here we have an absurdity of waiting to develop an app, while people are getting infected. Who would be responsible if people die? I would like to flag this issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to what is happening currently,” said Salunkhe.

KOCHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Kannur Medical College to deposit Rs 40.72 crore towards compensation for the 92 students who are yet to be compensated for the 2016-17 MBBS admissions that were cancelled for violating norms regarding NEET-based ranking and online, centralized admission system.

A bench comprising Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjiv Khanna ordered Kannur Medical College (KMC) to deposit Rs 15,72,89,020 with the admission supervisory committee (ASC) within one month along with full details of guardians or students and their bank accounts. The ASC should disburse and make payments to the guardians or students, the court directed. The order came while considering appeals filed by Lalitha RNath and 24 others challenging Kerala High Court’s order of May 29, 2020 staying KUHS’ decision to deny affiliation to KMC for MBBS and post-graduate courses for 2020-21.

The court also asked ASC to issue fresh notices to the remaining students, around 92, to examine their claims regarding actual amounts (in addition to government-approved fees) paid to KMC on the basis of materials produced by them and pass orders. The orders by ASC can be challenged before the high court, the SC said.

Further, the court ordered KMC to deposit Rs 25 crore with ASC and asked ASC to disburse the money on the basis of orders passed by it or by the high court.

KMC would be entitled to claim affiliation and admit students only after they have deposited Rs 15.72 crore and Rs 25 crore and upon satisfying all statutory conditions, the court said. If KMC fails to make the payments as ordered, the order passed by ASC and KUHS denying or rejecting KMC’s application for continuation of affiliation for 2020-21 and future academic years would continue, the Supreme Court’s order stated.

As KMC has not disputed the amount of Rs 15.72 crore, the students or guardians will be well within their rights to approach authorities for enforcement and payment if KMC fails to deposit the money as directed, the court said.

Two Canada-based researchers on Wednesday urged governments to delay administering the second dose of Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine, which they said had an efficacy of 92.6% after the first dose, as it was not significantly beneficial in the short term.

Danuta Skowronski and Gaston De Serres said their findings were derived from Pfizer’s documents submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

These findings were also similar to the first-dose efficacy of 92.1% reported for Moderna Inc’s mRNA-1273 vaccine, Skowronski and De Serres said in their letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

They cautioned that there may be uncertainty about the duration of protection with a single dose, but said that the administration of the second dose a month after the first provided “little added benefit in the short term”.

“Given the current vaccine shortage, postponement of the second dose is a matter of national security that, if ignored, will certainly result in thousands of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths this winter in the United States,” the authors warned.

In its response, Pfizer said that alternative dosing regimens of its vaccine had not been evaluated yet and the decision to do that resided with the health authorities.

“We at Pfizer believe that it is critical for health authorities to conduct surveillance on implemented alternative dosing schedules to ensure that vaccines provide the maximum possible protection,” the company added.

In Britain, authorities have said that data supported its decision to move to a 12-week dosing schedule for Pfizer’s COVID vaccine. Both Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have warned that they had no evidence to prove it.

However, the U.S. FDA and the European Medicines agency (EMA) have stuck by the interval tested in the trials.

EMA has said there should be a maximum interval of 42 days between the first and the second shot of the vaccine, while FDA mandates a gap of 21 days between the two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

BENGALURU: A team led by IISc researchers has developed a software tool that reveals the severity of lung infections in Covid-19 patients.

Called AnamNet, the software tool can ‘read’ chest CT scans of potential Covid-19 patients and estimate the damage caused to the lungs by scanning for specific abnormal features. It can provide automated assistance to doctors and therefore help in faster diagnosis and better management of Covid-19.

AnamNet was developed by researchers from the departments of computational and data science (CDS) and instrumentation and applied physics in collaboration with researchers from Oslo University Hospital and University of Agder in Norway. The study has been published in IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems journal.

The software employs deep learning and other image processing techniques. Researchers trained Anam-Net to look for abnormalities and classify areas of the lung scan as either infected or not. The tool can accurately judge the severity of the disease by comparing an infected area with a healthy area.

Naveen Paluru, first author and PhD student in the lab of Phaneendra Yalavarthy, associate professor, CDS, said: “It basically extracts features from the chest CT images and projects them onto a non-linear space [a mathematical representation], and then recreates the [segmented] image from this representation.”

The software is lightweight with a small memory footprint. The team has developed an app called CovSeg that can be run on a mobile phone and potentially be used by healthcare professionals. Paluru says that this feature is missing from currently available state-of-the-art technologies that require specialised hardware.

The software tool is available free to the public.

New Delhi: While conducting a daily press briefing on Covid-19 situation in the country, Health Ministry on Tuesday informed that four people in India have been found to be infected with the South African variant of Coronavirus, while one has been detected to have the Brazilian virant. All five people, the ministry said, have been quarantined along with their contacts. ALSO READ | South Africa Asks Serum Institute To Take Back 1 Million Doses Of AstraZeneca-Oxford Vaccine: Report

Speaking to reporters, Director-General of Indian Centre for Medical Research (ICMR) Dr. Balram Bhargava also said that currently there are 187 cases of UK variant in the country. 

However, no mortality has been reported so far in the cases who contracted the UK variant as well as those who are infected by the variants from South Africa and Brazil. The South African strain has been detected in one traveller from Angola, one from Tanzania and two from South Africa in January. 

All the infected travellers and their contacts have been tested and quarantined. “The ICMR-NIV is attempting to isolate and culture the SA variant strain from the samples of these four individual returnees,” Bhargava said.

Meanwhile the Union Health Ministry also said that it is in discussions with the Civil Aviation Ministry chalk out a strategy of curbing air traffic from these nations, just like it did following the detection of the UK variant.

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Bhargava further added that the South African variant has spread to as many as 44 countries and the National Institute of Virology, Pune is attempting to isolate and culture the variant. “The efficacy of vaccines on it will be known after the isolation and culture of the variant,” he said.

Brazilian variant also known as P.1 lineage, has been found in the first week of February in a person who returned from the South American country recently. The strain has spread to 15 countries, however, it has been successfully isolated and cultured at the NIV in India.

 

Sharing more details on the variants, Bhargava said that the SA and Brazilian variants are different from the UK and probably more potent than the former. 

New Delhi: A week after receiving one million doses of AstraZeneca Covid vaccines, South Africa has now asked the Serum Institute of India (SII) to take them back as the country said it will put on hold use of AstraZeneca shots in its vaccination drive, The Economic Times reported on Tuesday. ALSO READ | Mumbai Mayor Hints At Another Lockdown In The City As Covid Cases Surge

South Africa’s decision to halt the emergency use of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine due to a trial result which revealed that the jab provided only limited protection against mild and moderate cases of new variant of coronavirus found in the country. 

The trail result was based on data from a study by South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand and Oxford University in the UK. SII was scheduled to send another 5,00,000 doses of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to South Africa in the next few weeks. 

Meanwhile, the African country is yet to kick off its Covid vaccination drive and reports suggest that it will now go with Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, starting with healthcare workers.

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The development comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) approved SII’s Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use. Post WHO’s approval, the vaccine can be rolled out globally and participate in the COVAX programme that aims to bring vaccines to poorer countries.

Even Australia’s drug regulator on Tuesday approved Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, ending months of delay to give full approval.

As many as 10,97,32,752 cases of Coronavirus has been reported as of February 16 globally, according to worldometers.com. A total of 24,20,375 people have died of the virus so far. 

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By ANI

WASHINGTON: Did you know that the humidity created inside masks may help in combating respiratory diseases such as COVID-19? According to a team of researchers, this is yet another benefit of wearing masks regularly.

The findings of the study were published in the ‘Biophysical Journal’. The study, led by researchers in the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), found that face masks substantially increased the humidity in the air that the mask-wearer breathes in.

This higher level of humidity in inhaled air, the researchers suggested, could help explain why wearing masks has been linked to lower disease severity in people infected with SARS-CoV-2, because hydration of the respiratory tract is known to benefit the immune system.

“We found that face masks strongly increase the humidity in inhaled air and propose that the resulting hydration of the respiratory tract could be responsible for the documented finding that links lower COVID-19 disease severity to wearing a mask,” said the study’s lead author, Adriaan Bax, Ph.D., NIH Distinguished Investigator.

Dr Bax added, “High levels of humidity have been shown to mitigate severity of the flu, and it may be applicable to the severity of COVID-19 through a similar mechanism.”

High levels of humidity can limit the spread of a virus to the lungs by promoting mucociliary clearance (MCC), a defense mechanism that removes mucus and potentially harmful particles within the mucus from the lungs.

High levels of humidity can also bolster the immune system by producing special proteins, called interferons, that fight against viruses, a process known as the interferon response. Low levels of humidity have been shown to impair both MCC and the interferon response, which may be one reason why people are likelier to get respiratory infections in cold weather.

The study tested four common types of masks: an N95 mask, a three-ply disposable surgical mask, a two-ply cotton-polyester mask, and a heavy cotton mask. The researchers measured the level of humidity by having a volunteer breathe into a sealed steel box. When the person wore no mask, the water vapor of the exhaled breath filled the box, leading to a rapid increase in humidity inside the box.

When the person wore a mask, the buildup of humidity inside the box greatly decreased, due to most of the water vapor remaining in the mask, becoming condensed, and being re-inhaled. To ensure no leakage, the masks were tightly fitted against the volunteer’s face using high-density foam rubber. Measurements were taken at three different air temperatures, ranging from about 46 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit.

The results showed that all four masks increased the level of humidity of inhaled air, but to varying degrees. At lower temperatures, the humidifying effects of all masks greatly increased. At all temperatures, the thick cotton mask led to the most increased level of humidity.

“The increased level of humidity is something most mask-wearers probably felt without being able to recognize, and without realizing that this humidity might actually be good for them,” Dr Bax said.

The researchers did not look at which masks are most effective against inhalation or transmission of the virus and defer to the CDC for guidance on choosing a mask. Earlier studies from Bax and his colleagues showed that any cloth mask can help block the thousands of saliva droplets that people release through simple speech droplets that, if released, can remain in the air for many minutes. While the current study did not examine respiratory droplets, it does offer more evidence as to why masks are essential to battling COVID-19.

“Even as more people nationwide begin to get vaccinated, we must remain vigilant about doing our part to prevent the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19,” said NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers.

“This research supports the importance of mask-wearing as a simple, yet effective, way to protect the people around us and to protect ourselves from respiratory infection, especially during these winter months when susceptibility to these viruses increases,” added Rodgers. 

Canberra: A new research by Australia’s Griffith University has found cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes and hypertension are the four main comorbidities leading to Covid-19 deaths.

After analysing global databases of 375,859 participants from 14 countries, researchers from the University found chronic kidney disease was statistically the most prominent comorbidity linked to death, reports Xinhua news agency.

They also found hypertension, obesity and diabetes were the most common underlying medical conditions in Covid-19 patients.

However, unlike the other two comorbidities, obesity did not increase the risk of mortality.

“Comorbidities are frequently cited as risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes, however, the degree to which specific comorbidities impact the disease is debatable,” said co-lead author Adam Taylor.

“This is a global study covering all comorbidities reported to be involved in the exacerbation of COVID-19 leading to death. It allows us to identify specific comorbidities that have higher risk in patients and identify COVID-19 high-risk groups.”

Lead author Professor Suresh Mahlingam said Covid-19 was associated with increased clot strength, so patients with hypertension and diabetes could have a higher risk of developing life-threatening thrombotic complications.

For Covid-19 patients with chronic kidney disease, the risk of mortality was higher in cases with the end-stage renal disease compared to chronic renal disease.

The researchers said further investigation is required to explain the higher prevalence of these comorbidities in infected patients.

Noida: At least four FIRs have now been lodged, with as many as 13 MBBS aspirants coming forward after being allegedly duped of Rs 15-45 lakh each by a gang on the pretext of providing them medical seats in Government Medical College in UP’s Banda. Police suspect the scam ran into crores.

The victims — most of whom failed to clear NEET — have alleged that the accused contacted them and fooled them into paying money for a medical seat in the Banda-based college through the “central pool quota”. Most of the students targeted were those who could not qualify the NEET exam last year or were appearing for the second time.

On the written and telephonic complaints from these victims based out of Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, Noida, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, police said that three main accused have been identified. “Sachin, Adarsh Singh and Pankaj Kumar Khateek are the main accused in the scam,” Sector 58 station officer Anil Kumar told TOI.

According to one of the FIRs lodged in the fraud, based on a complaint by Surendra Chauhan, her daughter who appeared for the NEET exam last year for the second time, was offered a seat in the college for Rs 30 lakh. Chauhan was asked to visit the college in January, where the accused took the money for his daughter’s seat. However, later, he was asked by the accused to forget about the money.

“When I called, the number of the accused was switched off. However, the accused subsequently made a WhatsApp call and claimed that we did not know about their reach into higher-ups and we should not complain or we will get killed,” he alleged. ACP-2 Rajnish Kumar told TOI that teams have been formed to arrest the accused.