India Coronavirus Dispatch: Daily fatalities inch close to 4,000

Maharashtra gets theatre artists to urge people to follow Covid protocol, what IP waiver for vaccines means, and more-news relevant to India's fight against Covid-19

Over 414,000 fresh cases reported

India reported 414,188 fresh coronavirus infections on Friday, taking the cumulative caseload to 21.4 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 3,915 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 234,083. The active caseload is at 3.6 million, while the total recoveries have surged to 17.6 million. As many as 165 million shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 2.3 million were given on Thursday. Read more here

AIIMS Rishikesh is trying to find out if Gayatri Mantra helps Covid patients

Researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh have been carrying out a clinical trial since February this year to see if chanting the Gayatri Mantra and doing pranayam can help in the treatment of Covid-19, a report in ThePrint said. Pranayam is a breathing exercise popular in Yoga, while the Gayatri Mantra is a religious hymn often chanted during meditation and Hindu religious ceremonies. The study is being funded by the Department of Science and Technology, which is part of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Read more here

Maharashtra brings on theatre artists to urge people to follow Covid protocol

The Maharashtra government is planning to employ theatre artists to spread the word on following Covid protocol, a report in ThePrint said. The theatre artists will be used to urge people to hold small weddings, celebrate festivals and religious events cautiously, and wear masks at all times. They will also address hesitancy in getting vaccinated. A budget of Rs 5 crore has been allocated for the project. The state tourism and cultural affairs department will implement the idea across the state's 36 districts in both cities and rural areas. Read here
 

EXPLAINED: What does the IP waiver for Covid vaccines mean?

The intellectual property (IP) waiver will open up the production of Covid vaccines that are currently in use on a larger scale in middle-income countries. Currently, vaccines such as those developed by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Novavax, and Johnson & Johnson are being mostly produced in high-income countries. Production by middle-income countries has been happening through licensing or technology transfer agreements. Some experts argue that a waiver will help in ramping up the production of vaccines globally. Most analysts expect the increased production to take at least a few months; it is likely the agreement will be targeted by the WTO’s next ministerial conference in end-November. Read here

EXPLAINED: How long should you wait between Covid vaccine doses?

The central health ministry recommends an interval of four-eight weeks between two shots of the Covishield vaccine, an explainer in The Indian Express said. An interval of four-six weeks is recommended for Covaxin. An interval is recommended as the first dose generally induces an immune response about three weeks later, but it can take up to eight weeks or longer for the antibodies to mature and become fully functional. Read here