Health & Fitness

Cold chain management for Covid-19 vaccination

Cold chain management for Covid-19 vaccination

New Delhi (India Science Wire): COVID-19 vaccination can be considered as a unique landmark in the history of vaccination campaigns in public health in terms of the scale of operations involved. It requires highly focused planning and implementation of various activities. There is particularly a need to ensure proper management of the cold chain and other logistics critical for the reach and quality of the campaign. Accordingly, the national operational guidelines prepared by the Government of India for the immunisation programme has drawn out a detailed plan of action to take care of this aspect. There are standard operating procedures…
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Affordable flow diverter stent in the offing

Affordable flow diverter stent in the offing

New Delhi (India Science Wire): In a boon to aneurysm patients at the risk of stroke in the brain, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram,  and National Aerospace Laboratories of CSIR (CSIR-NAL) have developed an indigenous flow diverter stent that is easily affordable than the imported ones. The braided design of kink-resistant stent, made of superelastic Nickel-Titanium alloy, can withstand twists and turns of complex artery system without losing grip or shape. The metal mesh is radio-opaque which means better visibility for accurate placing of the stent in the blood vessel. It works on the…
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Elaborate mechanism to ensure Corona vaccine programme succeeds

Elaborate mechanism to ensure Corona vaccine programme succeeds

New Delhi (India Science Wire): Considering that the highest level of political and administrative ownership, commitment, and support are needed to be sustained for the successful implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Central Government has established an elaborate governance mechanism covering all levels, from the national to State, district, and block levels. At the top is a “National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19” (NEGVAC) to fast-track policy decisions and timely implementations. It is constituted under the chairpersonship of Member (Health), NITI Aayog and Co-chairpersonship of Secretary (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare). The members include representatives from the…
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Co-WIN for planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination

Co-WIN for planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination

New Delhi (India Science Wire): As COVID-19’s largest vaccination drive begins, the vaccination monitoring and evaluation is going to be a huge task. To ensure smooth running of the vaccination programme, a dedicated web portal called Co-WIN (COVID -19 Vaccine Intelligence Network) has been launched recently. Co-WIN serves as an extension of the existing electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) module for it to be a comprehensive cloud-based IT solution for planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination in India. The Co-WIN system is an end to end solution that has utilities for the entire public health system from national…
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Nasal COVID-19 vaccine could soon be a reality

Nasal COVID-19 vaccine could soon be a reality

New Delhi (India Science Wire): In a significant development, Bharat Biotech has sought Drug Controller General India's (DCGI) approval to conduct nasal COVID-19 vaccine trials in India. The company has developed a new single-dose nasal COVID-19 vaccine in a partnership with Washington University in St Louis, USA. There are no intra-nasal COVID-19 vaccines under trial in India at the moment. “Nasal vaccine may be the best choice for India because it will be a single dose, easy to administer and super-efficient. You put one drop 0.1 ml in one nostril and 0.1 ml in the other one and you are…
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Jan Aushadi Kendras record sales of Rs 484 Crore this Financial Year

In the financial year 2020-2021 (upto 12th January 2021), sales worth Rs. 484 Cr were recorded at the 7064 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras across all districts of the country selling quality generic medicines. This figure which is 60% higher than the corresponding figures of the previous financial year, has led to savings of approx. Rs. 3000 Cr. to the citizens of this country. This was announced by the Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilisers, Shri Sadananda Gowda in Karnataka today. In the financial year 2019-2020, the Government of India grant for the Jan Aushadi Kendras was Rs 35.51…
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Novel coronavirus found in air samples: CCMB study

Novel coronavirus found in air samples: CCMB study

Airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus is possible under certain conditions, cautions a study undertaken by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). The research was conducted to determine the transmission pattern of the virus in various enclosures in hospitals to assess the risks posed to healthcare workers. Air samples were collected from hospitals in Hyderabad and Mohali for the study. Initially, the novel coronavirus was considered to be spreading mainly by contact and droplets. Hence, hand washing, wearing masks, and social distancing were the key measures suggested to contain disease transmission. However, a steady increase in the number…
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IIT-Indore scientists uncover a new approach to inhibit Zika virus replication

IIT-Indore scientists uncover a new approach to inhibit Zika virus replication

New Delhi (India Science Wire): Efforts to find an effective treatment for the Zika virus could get a boost with researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Indore (IIT-Indore) identifying some structures in the genetic makeup of the virus that could be used as targets for drugs.  The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the threat posed by emerging and re-emerging diseases to public health across the world. This has led to an increase in the focus of medical research on the development of effective drugs and vaccines against them. Zika is one such virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared it…
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Holding breath may increase risk of getting COVID-19 Infection

Holding breath may increase risk of getting COVID-19 Infection

New Delhi (India Science Wire): High demand for information on COVID pandemic, its toll on healthcare systems and lives, and the many unanswered questions about a virus that was discovered only in December 2019 have created the breeding ground for myths and fake news. ‘The ability to hold the breath for a minute is a sign of a COVID-free body’, is one such misinformation that went viral during the pandemic. A group of researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) has found that, on the contrary, holding breath may increase the chances of getting COVID-19 infection. They modelled the…
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Second COVID vaccination mock-drill across India on January 08

Second COVID vaccination mock-drill across India on January 08

New Delhi (India Science Wire): In the light of coronavirus vaccine roll-out, the central government is going to execute a mock drill on vaccine administration on January 08, 2021. These drills are aimed to ensure efficient planning and management for vaccine delivery in each district of all states and Union Territories. Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), as a simulation of actual execution, has planned another round of dry run or mock drill in all 700+ districts of all States/UTs, except Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, on 8th January 2021, to ensure efficient planning and management of world’s biggest…
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