India Coronavirus Dispatch: Scientists say didn't back doubling vaccine gap

Immunity in Covid-recovered patients is long-lasting, two doses of Covishield work against Delta variant, and more-news relevant to India's fight against the pandemic

Over 62,000 fresh cases reported

India reported 62,224 fresh coronavirus infections on Wednesday, taking the cumulative caseload to 29.63 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 2,542 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 379,573. The active caseload is at 865,432, while the total recoveries have surged to 28.38 million. As many as 261.9 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 2.8 million were given on Tuesday. Read more

We didn’t back doubling of vaccine dosing gap: Scientists at top advisory group

The Modi government okayed doubling the interval between two shots of the Covishield vaccine without the agreement of the scientific group that it said recommended the change, said a report in Reuters that cited three members of the advisory body. The ministry of health announced a move to alter the interval from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks in May, at a time when Covid cases were soaring across the country and supplies of the vaccine were falling short. The ministry had said the extended gap was recommended by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), based on real-life evidence mainly from Britain. Yet the NTAGI scientists, classified by the Modi administration as three of the 14 "core members", said the advisory body did not have enough data to make such a recommendation, the report said. Read more

Immunity in Covid-recovered patients is long-lasting: Study

A new study has found that immunity in people who have recovered from Covid is long-lasting and even gets a 50-fold boost after vaccination, a report in ThePrint said. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that in Covid-recovered patients, antibodies against a protein that is known as receptor binding domain (RBD) of the novel coronavirus, and neutralising activity remain relatively stable from six to 12 months, without vaccination. The study also found that the mRNA vaccines can adequately protect against emerging mutations, the report said. Read more

Bengaluru lab pursuing research on bat viruses without adequate safety

The ministry of health has been engaged in a long conversation with the Department of Atomic Energy over the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bengaluru pursuing research on bat viruses without adequate safety protocols, a report in ThePrint said. The comes even as the world is debating the possibility of the novel coronavirus having leaked out of a lab in China's Wuhan. The safety levels at laboratories engaged in cutting-edge scientific research has become a matter of international concern since the pandemic emerged, the report said. Read more

Two doses of Covishield effective against Delta variant: UK analysis

A new scientific analysis has found that two shots of the Covishield vaccine are highly effective in preventing hospitalisation due to the Delta variant, a report in The Indian Express said. Importantly, it showed no deaths among those vaccinated. The analysis was published by Public Health England. Read more