India Coronavirus Dispatch: 10% of Keralites believed to have antibodies

Restrictions in light of Holi and other festivals, Bollywood stares at fresh financial woes amid surge in cases, and more-news relevant to India's fight against Covid-19

Drugmakers Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech told to boost Covid vaccine production

The central government has asked Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech to boost the manufacturing of their coronavirus vaccines, ThePrint reported. Officials said there is "enough vaccine available" to inoculate the beneficiary groups but this move was needed to ramp up the vaccination coverage. This comes on the heels of the government's decision to form an inter-ministerial panel to increase the production of Covid-19 vaccines. Read more here 

Over 10% of people in Kerala with Covid antibodies: Sero survey

The findings of a serosurvey carried out in Kerala last month show that an estimated 10.76 per cent of the state's population has already been exposed to the coronavirus and have developed antibodies, a report in ThePrint said. The survey also said police personnel were particularly exposed to the virus, with 15.3 per cent of them having developed antibodies. “The proportion of unidentified cases is much less in Kerala as compared to the national average. Kerala might have identified 1 out of 4 actual cases whereas the country as a whole might have identified and reported only 1 out of 30 actual cases. This shows the effort the state of Kerala is taking to identify the cases and declare the number transparently in public domain,” the survey conducted by the state health department said. Read more here 

Coronavirus variants of concern found in India: Govt

Coronavirus variants of concern and a novel variant have been found in India, according to the genome sequencing carried out by the Indian SARS-Cov-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), a group of 10 national laboratories, a report in The Quint said. "Though variants of concern and a new double mutant variant have been found in India, these have not been detected in numbers sufficient to either establish or direct relationship or explain the rapid increase in cases in some states. Genomic sequencing and epidemiological studies are continuing to further analyse the situation [sic]," the government said in a statement. Read more here

Holi amid coronavirus: What are the restrictions? 
 

Many state governments have imposed fresh curbs to contain the resurgence in coronavirus infections in light of Holi and other upcoming festivals, a report in The Quint said. The public has been asked to ‘maintain special vigilance and show due diligence.’ In Uttar Pradesh, no event or procession can be held without permission from administrative authorities. In Mumbai, the city's governing civic body has placed a blanket ban on public functions. Read more here 

Bollywood stares at fresh financial woes amid surge in cases

\There is a sense of anxiety creeping back into Bollywood with shoots getting disrupted amid a resurgence in coronavirus cases, a report in Hindustan Times said. Several actors including Aamir Khan and Kartik Aaryan have tested positive forcing shoots to be put on hold. Typically, a film with a big budget directly translates into a bigger scope for loss when a shooting schedule gets disrupted, the report said. Read more here