India Coronavirus Dispatch: Covaxin 77.8% effective, says Bharat Biotech

Private hospitals roll out Sputnik V vaccine in Delhi, study finds 94% of cancer patients respond well to vaccines, and more-news relevant to India's fight against the pandemic

Over 44,000 fresh cases reported

India reported 44,111 fresh coronavirus infections on Saturday, taking the cumulative caseload to 30.5 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 738 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 401,050. The active caseload is at 495,533, while the total recoveries have surged to 29.6 million. As many as 344.6 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 43.9 million were given on Friday. Read more

Covaxin 77.8% effective against symptomatic Covid: Bharat Biotech

Pune-Based drugmaker Bharat Biotech says the final efficacy analysis of Covaxin shows it to be 77.8 per cent effective against symptomatic Covid-19, Business Standard has reported. The drugmaker evaluated 130 confirmed cases, with 24 observed in the vaccine group versus 106 in the placebo group. The firm claimed its vaccine is the first to report promising efficacy against asymptomatic infections based on qPCR testing that will help in reducing disease transmission. This paves the way for Covaxin to get the World Health Organisation's nod for its inclusion in the Emergency Use List of Covid-19 vaccines, the report said. Read more

What can side effects be for pregnant women post-vaccination?

The health ministry has said Covid vaccines are safe and provide protection to pregnant women like other individuals, an explainer in The Indian Express said. “Based on current knowledge, experts believe that Covid-19 vaccines are unlikely to pose a risk to the pregnant person or foetus,” the operational guidelines state. The usual mild side effects can be expected: mild fever, pain at the injection site, or feeling unwell for 1-3 days. However, the guidelines add, long-term adverse effects and the safety of vaccines for the foetus and child are not established yet, the report said. Read more

Study: 94% of cancer patients respond well to vaccines

In a new study, nearly all patients with cancer developed an adequate immune response to the Covid mRNA vaccines three to four weeks after receiving the second dose, a report in The Indian Express said. However, the fact that a small group of the patients showed no reponse, raised questions about how their protection against the virus will be addressed moving forward, the researchers said. The study, published in the journal Cancer Cell, studied 131 patients. Of these, 94% of patients developed antibodies to the coronavirus. Read more

Delhi: Private hospitals roll out Sputnik V vaccine

Private hospitals in Delhi-NCR started administering the Russian vaccine ‘Sputnik V’ earlier this week, a report in The Indian Express said. Among the hospitals that have rolled out the vaccine in the city include Apollo and Fortis hospitals. The central government has priced the vaccine at Rs 1,145 for a dose and needs pre-registration through the Cowin application. Read more