COVID-19

Study warns Diphtheria could become a major global threat

New Delhi: In a new health scare, a team of researchers from India, the UK and Russia, has found that Diphtheria, which is a relatively easily-preventable infection, has started to become resistant to several classes of antibiotics, and in future, it may even become immune to vaccination. In a report, the team has also suggested that there was a possibility of the disease once more becoming a major threat across the globe because of the impact of COVID-19 on vaccination schedules in different parts of the world, coupled with a rise in the number of infections. Diphtheria is a highly…
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Synthesis of agonist molecule by CSIR-IICT for COVAXIN

New Delhi: Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)’s constituent laboratories have been working relentlessly in partnership with industry to launch repurposed drugs through process development and conducting clinical trials. CSIR labs have also extensively contributed towards the launching of diagnostic kits including Feluda and Dry Swab Direct RT-PCR method for the screening of SARS-CoV-2. The indigenous vaccine for COVID-19, COVAXIN,developed by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech, is a highly purified, whole virion, inactivated SARS-CoV2. The vaccine is formulated with Algel-IMDG, which contains chemisorbed TLR7/8 agonist onto aluminium hydroxide gel to generate the requisite type of immune responses. Owing to the…
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AustralaSian COVID-19 Trial opens in India

New Delhi: AustralaSian COVID-19 Trial (ASCOT) has been expanded into India, with the first patients recruited last week to the first two sites, Christian Medical College and Hospital Ludhiana in Punjab and Sterling Multispecialty Hospital in Pune, Maharashtra. Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand, and some neighboring islands. ASCOT has partnered with the George Institute for Global Health to oversee the trial in India given its substantial experience operating clinical trials in the country with a presence in 21 states.George Institute for Global Health is an independent medical research institute headquartered in Australia with offices in China,…
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‘Crowd and Mask’ Monitoring System to prevent COVID-19

New Delhi : Innovators at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal have developed a unique ‘Crowd and Mask’ Monitoring System to prevent COVID-19 fromspread. This one-of-its-kind low cost Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled device is portable and easy to deploy across various locations, says a statement released by the institution. Wearing masks is among the primary precautions adopted to prevent COVID-19 from spread along with social distancing. With the Institute commencing the process of bringing students back to campus in phases, this AI-powered system will help to maintain a minimum of three feet of social distancing. In an initiative…
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“DBT-ILS excelled in S&T applications for improving tribal livelihood”

New Delhi: Minister of science & technology, earth sciences and health & family welfare; Dr. Harsh Vardhan has hailed the scientific contribution of the Institute of Life Science (ILS), Bhubaneshwar, an autonomous institute of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), on its 32nd Foundation Day. ‘DBT-ILS has excelled in application of science and technology for improving livelihoods of the tribal population’, said Dr Harsh Vardhan. He also praised the scientific achievements of the institute during COVID-19 pandemic, in his online address. “The institute has sequenced around 500 viral genomes and established 17 virus cultures that will enable furthering the research and development…
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Dr Harsh Vardhan unveils posters to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation

Dr Harsh Vardhan unveils posters to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation

New Delhi (India Science Wire): India has begun one of the world’s biggest COVID-19 vaccination programs. While countries across the globe are asking India for access to vaccines, there are incidences of misinformation-driven vaccination hesitancy in the country. To address this, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, launched Information, Education and Communication (IEC) posters prepared by the Health Ministry. Dr Harsh Vardhan said “Let us put a STOP to these falsehoods”. He appealed to people to seek the correct information from credible and authentic sources such as the Health Ministry, Press Information Bureau (PIB), Ministry of…
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Here is how COVID-19 vaccination introduction training programs are conducted?

Here is how COVID-19 vaccination introduction training programs are conducted?

New Delhi (India Science Wire): The COVID-19 vaccination programs are going on throughout the country. But how are these being conducted? How is the manpower trained for the whole program amidst the pandemic?  How are the authorities ensuring that the program is being thoroughly followed and implemented? These are some of the questions that one must be thinking so here is the behind the scenes story of the vaccination training program. The taining programs have been conducted both at the State level and District level. Training of the manpower involved in the program have been conducted virtually using platforms like…
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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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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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