Page 2 - Vaccination

Nothing to panic about, take precaution: Doctors on rise in Covid cases

Amid a gradual increase in Covid-19 cases in Delhi in recent days, some medical experts say the new XBB.1.16 variant could be driving the rise in cases but add there's no need to panic and people should follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get booster shots if they have not already. They also say this rise could be a result of more people getting themselves tested for Covid as a precaution when they actually get infected with the influenza virus and develop fever and related ailments. Over the past week, Delhi has seen a rise in daily Covid cases amid a sharp increase in H3N2 influenza cases in parts of the country, including the national capital. On Friday, Delhi recorded over 150 fresh Covid cases with a positivity rate of 6.66 per cent. A day before that, it logged 117 cases with a positivity rate of 4.95 per cent. The number of daily Covid cases has nearly doubled since Tuesday when 83 fresh Covid cases were reported with a positivity rate of 5.83 per cent and one fatality. T

Around 24 cr cattle, buffaloes covered under FMD vaccination drive

The government on Friday said around 24 crore cattle and buffaloes have now been covered under Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination drive. FMD is a major disease of livestock especially in cattle and buffaloes in India and causes huge economic loss to livestock owners due to a reduction in milk yield. "During the second round of the Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination drive, around 24 crore cattle and buffaloes in the country have now been covered out of a targeted population of 25.8 crore cattle (as per data furnished by states); reaching a near universal coverage of over 95 per cent which is well beyond the herd immunity level," an official statement said. The milestone has been achieved because of the relentless efforts of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), State/ UT Governments administration, and support of the livestock owners, it added. The programme is 100 per cent funded by the Centre which is centrally procuring vaccines against FMD and supplying t

PM Modi hails healthcare workers for their efforts to keep India healthy

On National Vaccination Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lauded all healthcare workers for their efforts towards keeping India healthy and reaffirmed the commitment to building a healthy country. His remarks came after a tweet by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who said that on National Vaccination Day, the entire nation salutes the hard work of frontline healthcare workers to ensure the vaccination of every child. Tagging his tweet, Modi said, "Compliments to all our healthcare workers for their efforts towards keeping India healthy. On National Vaccination Day we also recall India's strides in vaccinating people and reaffirm our commitment to building a healthy India." Also tagging a tweet by the V O Chidambaranar Port Authority which said that this fiscal year, the port has handed 36.03 million tonnes of cargo, Modi said, "Good! India's port sector is growing rapidly and contributing to economic progress." Responding to another tweet by the Ministry of Ports, ...

National Vaccination Day 2023: Know Importance of March 16, Theme, Quotes

National Vaccination Day celebrates Pulse Polio Immunization Programme launched in 1995 to fight a disease that has now been eradicated in the country

Vaccination of girls against cervical cancer can begin in 6 states in June

The government is likely to begin administering anti-cervical cancer vaccine in girls aged nine to 14 years in six states in June, official sources said on Sunday. In the first phase of the vaccination campaign, 2.55 crore girls are targeted to be administered the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, an official source told PTI. The Union Health Ministry has drawn a roadmap to roll out HPV vaccine in the universal immunisation programme and is likely to float a global tender in April for 16.02 crore doses to be procured by 2026, official sources said. The Serum Institute's made-in-India vaccine against cervical cancer, CERVAVAC, was launched last month. Prakash Kumar Singh, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Serum Institute of India (SII), has written a letter to the Health Ministry its first indigenous HPV vaccine will be available in the private market at an MRP of Rs 2,000 per dose, i

Govt launches U-WIN to digitise India's universal immunisation programme

Carrying vaccination cards of children and pregnant women, struggling to keep a tab on the next jab and other such hassles may soon become a thing of the past. After the success of the Co-WIN platform, the government has now replicated it to set up an electronic registry for routine vaccinations. Named U-WIN, the programme to digitise India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) has been launched in a pilot mode in two districts of each state and Union Territory. The platform will be used to register and vaccinate every pregnant woman, record her delivery outcome, register every newborn delivery, administer birth doses and all vaccination events thereafter, official sources told PTI. The platform that replicates Co-WIN, which has served as the "digital backbone" for India's COVID-19 vaccination programme, was launched on January 11 in 65 districts. The U-WIN is going to be the single source of information for immunisation services, updating vaccination status, delivery outcome, .

Acceptance of Covid vaccines increased globally to 79.1% in 2022: Study

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines increased globally, from 75.2 per cent in 2021 to 79.1 per cent in 2022, according to a survey in 23 countries that represent more than 60 per cent of the world's population. The study underlines a wide variability among countries and the need for tailored communication strategies in addressing vaccine hesitancy. It was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Spain, and the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), US. However, vaccine acceptance decreased in eight countries and almost one in eight vaccinated respondents, particularly younger men and women, were hesitant about receiving a booster dose, the study said. The findings have been published in Nature Medicine. "The pandemic is not over, and authorities must urgently address vaccine hesitancy and resistance as part of their COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategy," says Jeffrey V Lazarus, Head of the Health Systems ...

Urban India leaves rural way behind as vaccinations surge 44% nationwide

This is despite the prevalence of a much larger population in the country's villages and a greater number of vaccination centres in these areas, compared to urban

Statsguru: Covid-19 fears return; vaccination rates still low in India

Around 50 per cent of people over 60 years of age are fully vaccinated. Vaccination is significantly lower for the rest of the country

States to conduct mock drills next week to review Covid preparedness

Specific focus on oxygen plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources; aim is to check whether the equipment is in running condition, or needs refurbishment

As Covid-19 cases fall, Indians drag feet to get their booster shots

Less than 30,000 booster doses daily in December, vaccine coverage flat for two months

Mask up, take the jab, Covid is not over yet, Centre cautions citizens

A new and highly transmissible BF.7 strain of the Omicron variant is behind a widespread surge of Covid infections in China

Covid vaccine-linked heart inflammation high in males after 2nd dose: Study

A meta-analysis of 23 studies, including 854 patients aged 12 to 20 years with mRNA vaccine-associated myopericarditis, has found that the incidence was higher in males after the second dose

With the flu season here, should you ask for an influenza vaccine?

Demand for flu vaccine weak in India; US facing worst season in a decade

State govts on overdrive to vaccinate as measles outbreaks spread

Outbreaks have been reported in several states including Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Haryana

Mumbai measles outbreak, missed vaccination: Here's all you need to know

According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, currently India has the highest number of cases in the world at 9,489

Removing vaccination mandate for incoming tourists correct move: Experts

With over 90% of population being vaccinated, it is okay at a policy level to relax the mandatory vaccination norm for entering India, they say

Govt scraps filling Air Suvidha form for international travellers

The requirement of random post-arrival testing of 2 per cent of arriving passengers too has been done away with in the new guideline

Biotech firm Bharat Serums & Vaccines working to reduce import dependence

Firm is develop recombinant products in hormones, eyes acquisitions in South East Asia

3-dose hepatitis B vaccine fully protects HIV positive adults: Study

Three doses of HEPLISAV-B vaccine provide full protection to adults with HIV, who were never immunised against hepatitis B virus (HBV) either through vaccination or infection, according to a study. In the research presented at the annual IDWeek conference held in Washington, US from October 19 to 23, the researchers from University of Cincinnati and Cornell University tested the three-dose course of HEPLISAV-B among 68 adults living with HIV at 38 sites in the US, South Africa, and Thailand. None of the participants had either received a previous HBV vaccination or had evidence of a previous HBV infection - all were on antiretroviral therapy to combat infection by retroviruses such as HIV. Retroviruses are a group of viruses that contain two single-strand linear RNA molecules per virion, or a viral particle, and reverse transcriptase (RNA to DNA). Following the initial dose of HEPLISAV-B vaccine 0.5 milliliter (mL) as an intramuscular injection, the study participants received ...