The study was conducted on 1,636 healthcare workers who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a press release from AIG Hospitals said.
Tag: Covid vaccination
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COVID vaccination: Registration for children aged 15-18 to begin from January 1, student ID card will be accepted too
By ANI
NEW DELHI: From January 1, children in the age group of 15-18 will be eligible to register on the CoWIN platform.
CoWIN platform chief Dr R S Sharma said: “We’ve added an additional (10th) ID card for registration – the student ID card because some might not have Aadhaar or other identity cards.”
Emphasizing precaution in view of the rise in cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on December 25 announced three major decisions in the fight against the disease including start of vaccination for children in 15-18 age group from coming January 3.
In his address to the nation, the Prime Minister said the government was following scientific advice in the vaccination drive against COVID-19. “Vaccination will start in the country for children aged between 15 to 18 years from January 3, 2022,” he said.
“The government has decided that precautionary dose of vaccine will be started for healthcare and frontline workers starting January 10, 2022. Citizens above 60 years facing co-morbidities, they will have the option of taking precaution dose on the advice of their doctor,” he added.
The Prime Minister said that 61 per cent of the adult population in the country had been given both doses of COVID-19 vaccine while 90 per cent of the adult population has go the first dose. India started the COVID vaccination drive on January 16 this year.
The Prime Minister said that the move to provide vaccination to children in the 15-18 age group is likely to aid in education normalization in schools and will reduce the worry of the parents with school-going children.
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PM announces booster shots for frontline workers, 60-plus population; vaccination also to begin for 15-18 age group
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced precautionary additional Covid19 vaccine doses for healthcare and frontline workers across India, saying that they may be at a higher risk of contracting infection in case there is a surge of infection, in the wake of threat from the Omicron variant.
In an address to the nation, he said the precaution dose will also be available for citizens above 60 years of age and with comorbidities on the advice of their doctor from January 10 next year as well.
The precaution dose denotes a third dose of the vaccine for the fully vaccinated but Modi refrained from using the term “booster dose”, as it is generally referred.
Administration of vaccine for this group of population, estimated to be around 3-4 crore in number, will begin on January 10.
He also announced that beginning January 3, adolescents aged 15-18 years will be eligible for Covid19 vaccination.
Additionally, people aged 60 and above with comorbidities will also be eligible for booster or additional shots of Covid19 vaccine, on their doctor’s advice, starting January 10.
The mega announcements by the PM come even though the country’s top advisory panel on immunization was yet to give its final recommendation on booster doses or vaccination for kids.
Amid Christmas and the coming new year festivities, Modi asked people to be alert and take all preventive measures but added that they should avoid panic as he reassured them about the health measures in place to deal with any exigencies.
Administration of nasal vaccine and world’s first DNA vaccine against Covid will soon start in India as well, he said The prime minister said global experience shows that following all preventive measures at a personal level is “big weapon” to fight Covid and so is vaccination.
This is time to be careful, while engaging in festivities, he said.
“I would urge all of you not to panic, be careful and alert. Remember to mask up and keep washing hands,” Modi said.
Noting that India started giving the vaccine to its citizens from January 16 this year, Modi said due to the people’s collective effort and will, India has crossed the “unprecedented” and very difficult milestone of having administered 141 crore vaccine doses.
“Today, more than 61 per cent of India’s adult population has received both doses of the vaccine. Similarly, about 90 per cent of the adult population has received single dose of the vaccine,” he said.
Underlining that he was sharing key decisions with the people of the country on the occasion of Christmas, Modi said that vaccination for children between the age of 15 years to 18 years, will start in the country on January 3, 2022.
This will reduce the worries of children going to schools and colleges and their parents, and boost the fight against the pandemic, Modi said, adding that the move is also likely to aid in normalisation of teaching in schools.
“We all have experienced that the corona warriors, healthcare and frontline workers made a huge contribution in keeping the country safe in this fight. They still spend a lot of his time in the service of oronavirus patients,” he said.
“Therefore, from the point of view of precaution, the government has decided that ‘precaution dose’ of vaccine will be administered to healthcare and frontline workers from January 10, Monday” Modi said.
This will strengthen the confidence of healthcare and frontline workers, he said.
Giving an overview of healthcare infrastructure in the nation, Modi said that as the virus is mutating, “our confidence to take on challenges is also multiplying”.
“Our innovative spirit is also growing. The country today has 18 lakh isolation beds, 5 lakh oxygen supported beds, 1,40,000 ICU beds. If ICU and non-ICU beds are taken together, there are about 90,000 beds for children. Today the country has over 3,000 PSA oxygen plants functioning and four lakh oxygen cylinders have been provided across the country,” he said.
“States are being helped to prepare a buffer dose of necessary medicines. They are also being provided with adequate testing kits,” he said.
The decision, said the PM, had been taken by the government in the interest of people at large.
He cautioned people not to panic but to stay vigilant, citing conflicting data from several other countries which are seeing a fresh wave of Covid19 infection.
Modi also said that a nasal vaccine against Covid19 is on the cards in India, apart from world’s first DNA vaccine (ZyCov D by Zydus Cadila) against Covid19.
Lauding scientists and health workers, he said the seriousness of vaccine was identified very early and along with research on it, work was also focussed on approval process, supply chain, distribution, training, IT support system and certification.
Modi emphasised that India’s fight against the virus has from the very beginning been based on scientific principles, scientific consultation and scientific method.
Eleven-month vaccine campaign, the prime minister said, has brought relief and normalcy in the everyday lives of the countrymen.
Economic activities have been encouraging compared to many countries of the world, he said while noting that alertness remains of paramount importance.
He also cautioned against efforts to spread rumours, confusion and fear by some quarters.
Modi’s address came on a day officials said the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted emergency use authorisation to indigenously-developed Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children above 12 years with certain conditions.
It is the second vaccine to receive the regulator’s nod for use among those below 18 years after Zydus Cadila’s needle-free COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D.
The significant announcement on booster doses for healthcare and frontline workers comes amid growing clamour for the third shot of Covid19 vaccines for them as there is growing evidence of high breakthrough infections due to the Omicron variant.
More than two months after an expert panel endorsed Covaxin for kids, the Drug Controller General of India on Saturday approved the Covid19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech for the 12-17 age group in India.
#WATCH | Roll out of nasal vaccine and world’s first DNA COVID vaccine will start soon in our country: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/duvNp2zg2s
— ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2021
However, the country’s highest drug regulator has permitted the vaccine only for adolescents and not for kids under 12, as recommended by the subject expert committee on Covid19 in October.Earlier, the Hyderabad based vaccine maker had said that it had submitted data from clinical trials in the 2-18 years age group for Covaxin to the regulator which was thoroughly reviewed by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization and the subject expert committee.
“This represents one of the first approvals worldwide for Covid-19 vaccines for the 2-18 age group,” the company had said . “We now await further regulatory approvals from the CDSCO prior to product launch and market availability of Covaxin for Children.
Raches Ella, clinic lead of Covid vaccines at the company had also said in a tweet that Covaxin has been “reported to be safe and immunogenic” in a pediatric cohort and “the approval in children will help expedite the reopening of schools”.
Now, Covaxin has become the second vaccine, after Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV D, to be permitted for under 18 population group in India even though the country is yet to clearly spell out its policy on Covid vaccination for minors.
Approved for adolescents aged 12-17 years of age in August by the DCGI, along with adults, ZyCoV D however is still to be rolled out for any population group in the country.
Meanwhile, Officials in the CDSCO said that though the amount of Covaxin recommended for minors remains the same—0.5 ml—as it is for adults and will also be administered in two doses- 28 days apart- there will be slight difference in the approach.
“It has been discussed that for adolescents, vaccines can be supplied in pre-filled syringes—instead of vaccines being taken out of vials at the time of administration,” said an official.
This, officials said, was recommended in order to ensure that exactly the specified quantity of vaccines are administered in kids as the higher quantity may lead to adverse effects.
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Vaccines mandatory for using various facilities in Rajasthan from February 1
By PTI
JAIPUR: COVID-19 vaccination will be made mandatory for entering and using facilities at various places in Rajasthan from February 1 next year, officials said on Friday.
The decision was taken at a meeting in which Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held detailed discussions with divisional commissioners, district collectors, principals of medical colleges and health officials through video conferencing about the COVID situation in the state.
The Chief Minister also directed the officials to ensure strict compliance of various measures like wearing face mask and social distancing from the first week of January.
Earlier in the day, Gehlot held a COVID review meeting with senior officials and doctors.
After this, the Chief Minister called another meeting with divisional commissioners, collectors and other officials for discussion.
Expressing concern over the spread of Omicron variant to about 110 countries of the world, Gehlot said it is necessary for all people of the prescribed age group to get themselves vaccinated and there should be effective adherence to COVID protocols.
He directed the district administration to make people aware about vaccinations and wearing face masks.
It was decided that vaccination will be made mandatory for entry and use of various facilities in the state from February 1.
The Chief Minister said people have become careless in adhering to COVID protocols because the number of daily cases were very less but the virus is again spreading.
“The district administration should make the public aware that they should get vaccination compulsorily, because this is the most effective way to prevent COVID infection. According to experts, the risk of infection and death is very low in those who get both doses of the vaccine,” he said.
Health Minister Parsadi Lal Meena said the system of screening should be strengthened at airports, railway stations and other places.
“Special vigil should be kept on the people coming in from abroad. Along with this, the testing system should also be strengthened,” he said.
Ayurveda Minister Subhash Garg, Minister of State for Home Rajendra Singh Yadav, Chief Secretary Niranjan Arya and other officials were also present in the meeting.
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Centre flags low Covid vaccination coverage in Tamil Nadu, 10 other states
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Nearly 61% of the adult population in India is now fully vaccinated against Covid but the top government authorities on Friday flagged the comparatively low vaccination coverage in 11 states, calling it a cause of “major concern.”
The states where the vaccination coverage against coronavirus is low in some of the most populous ones such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab and Odisha.
Nationally, 88% of the 18-plus population in India has now received at least one dose of vaccine but this percentage is lower than the national average in 11 states that also includes Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Puducherry and Jharkhand.
ALSO READ | Tamil Nadu doctors reportedly taking Covid vaccine booster doses in secret
The coverage of the full vaccination, on the other hand, at 39% is the lowest in Nagaland, followed by Punjab (40%), Manipur and Jharkhand (42%) and Meghalaya (44%).
Overall, nearly 141 crore doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in India which include 83.58 crore first doses and 58.38 crore second doses.
Senior health administrators, in a press briefing on Covid status and response in India on Friday, also said that in 19 states and UTs, the coverage of the first dose is 90 % or more.
In the wake of an impending Covid wave, fuelled by Omicron, the Centre has been urging states to ramp up vaccinations on a war footing.
ALSO READ | Hopeful sign? Analysis of Omicron in India shows that most cases are mild or asymptomatic
In a review meeting with states on health system preparedness on Thursday, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan had asked states to ensure 100% coverage of left out first and second dose eligible beneficiaries in an accelerated manner, while also giving special focus to be given to those districts where the first & second dose coverage is less than the national average.
States were also instructed to strengthen door-to-door vaccination campaigns especially in states where vaccination coverage is below the national average. Importantly, there was a specific message for states going in for elections in the near future: to exponentially ramp up vaccination, especially in the low coverage districts to protect the vulnerable population.
Pockets with low vaccination coverage and those with low Covid exposure may be more vulnerable to the new Omicron variant, the ministry has said, asking states to accord special attention to ramp up vaccination in these pockets.
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‘Vaccination still key to protect against getting severely ill’: WHO chief scientist on Omicron
By PTI
PUNE: WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Monday called for the expansion and strengthening of the COVID-19 vaccination programme across the world in view of the rising cases of Omicron variant.
Speaking virtually at one of the plenary sessions at the PANEX-21, organised at the Armed Forces Medical College here in Maharashtra, Dr Swaminathan said that the scope of vaccination needs to be expanded to ensure that vulnerable people are protected after administering two doses and that chances of deaths and hospitalisation are reduced.
She also said that discussions are taking place at the global level about having a “pandemic treaty”.
“With Delta, to some extent, we saw a drop in neutralising activity with regular vaccines. But with Omicron, we saw a further reduction. It means that Omicron can evade our immune responses and infect us but vaccination will still hope to protect against getting severely ill,” she said.
“We want to expand and strengthen the vaccination programme as much as possible around the world,” the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist said.
She said that discussions are taking place at the global level about having a “pandemic treaty” which binds all the countries on the lines of pacts related to arms and ammunition, automatic treaties, or use of biological weapons, which are not permitted due to global conventions and agreements.
Dr Swaminathan further said that in the early course of the pandemic, people at WHO started learning about treatments.
“Clinical trials were conducted and several countries, including China and Italy, where the first wave resulted in high mortality, and New York, the UK, and other countries also started producing data, and clinical trials took off. The WHO then decided to set up a solidarity trial platform. Within a few weeks, we could start trials in 30 countries and India was very much part of it,” she added.
Dr Swaminathan further said that India became a large contributor to the solidarity trials.
“Now the solidarity trials are in the second phase. The first phase was about drugs like Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir and other drugs. In the second phase, we are looking at the anti-inflammatory drugs,” she said.
The WHO has also set up a solidarity vaccine trial platform considering the need for proper testing of more vaccines that are being developed, the chief scientist added.
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Maharashtra: Drone used for transportation of COVID vaccines in remote village as part of trial
By PTI
PALGHAR: The district administration of Palghar in Maharashtra carried out an experiment, in which it used a drone to deliver COVID-19 vaccine doses in a remote village situated in a rugged terrain, its top official said.
The experiment, which was successfully carried out on Thursday, is probably the first of its kind in the state, district collector Dr Manik Gursal, who coordinated in the trial, said.
“As part of the exercise, a batch of 300 vaccines was transported from Jawhar to Zaap village. The task, which would have otherwise taken more than 40 minutes, was completed in just a little over nine minutes. The vaccines were delivered at the local public health centre,” the district administration said in a release issued on Friday.
The distance between the two points is around 20 kms, an official said.
District health officer Dr Dayanand Suryavanshi said this could become possible with the help of private entities that came forward to help.
“This will go a long way in the vaccination drive as the doses can now easily be sent to the doorsteps of those villagers, who find it difficult to reach the inoculation centres. To some extent, it will also help remove the misconceptions related to vaccination from the minds of people,” he said.
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Ahmedabad civic body offers Rs 60,000 smartphone to lure people for COVID-19 vaccination
By PTI
AHMEDABAD: In a bid to encourage citizens to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Ahmedabad civic body has come up with a lucky draw scheme, announcing that its winner, who has taken the second dose of vaccine, will get a smartphone worth Rs 60,000.
Those who take their second jabs of COVID-19 vaccine between December 1 and 7 will be eligible for the scheme and one winner will be later declared through the lucky draw, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The city civic body in Gujarat has from time to time come up with schemes to lure people eligible for vaccination to take their second dose of vaccine in order to achieve the target of 100 per cent inoculation.
The AMC had earlier distributed packets of one litre of edible oil to thousands of beneficiaries, especially from slums in the city.
So far, 78.7 lakh people have received vaccine doses in the city, including 47.7 lakh people who have taken the first dose and 31.0 lakh who have taken both the jabs, the AMC’s health department said.
Those who have not taken even a single dose of vaccine and those due for the second dose will be prohibited from entering public areas, like gardens, zoo and museums, as well as private residential and commercial areas, the AMC said.
With effect from Wednesday, the civic body has also restricted the entry of such people to the urban/community health centres and hospitals run by it, the civic body said.
The AMC has set up points at the entrances of all its health centres and hospitals to check the status of COVID-19 vaccination of visitors.
If a visitor (except a patient) is due for the vaccine dose, he/she will be given the shot at the centre before being allowed to enter the premises, it said.
Even patients, suffering from other illnesses, who are due for COVID-19 vaccination, will be counselled to take the jabs after recovery and their vaccination status will be recorded in their medical case papers, it added.
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MP: 10 per cent discount on country liquor for people taking second COVID vaccine jab in Mandsaur
By PTI
MANDSAUR: Liquor shops in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur city will offer a 10 per cent discount on country liquor to people who take the second jab of the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, an official said on Tuesday.
However, the move drew criticism from an MLA of the ruling BJP, who said it will encourage people to consume liquor.
The Madhya Pradesh government will organise a mega campaign on Wednesday to cover more population under its coronavirus vaccination programme.
A 10 per cent discount will be given on purchase of country liquor at three shops located at Sitamau Fatak, Bhuniakhedi and Old Bus Stand, Mandsaur’s district excise officer Anil Sachan said.
This discount will be given to people who take the second and final jab on Wednesday, he said.
The decision was taken to encourage people to take their second vaccine dose during the mega vaccination campaign, the official said.
If the experiment proves successful, it will be implemented in other parts of the district as well, he added.
However, BJP MLA from Mandsaur Yashpal Singh Sisodiya has opposed the decision, saying the move was not proper.
This is not a decision taken by the state government, and it will encourage people to consume liquor, he said in a tweet.
Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had expressed concern over people not turning up to take the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The state government has set a deadline of December-end to complete vaccination of all eligible people.
Earlier this month, district excise officer in neighbouring Khandwa district R P Kirar had ordered liquor shops to ask customers to verbally self-attest about receiving vaccination before serving them.
As on November 23, a total of 8,12,79,730 anti-coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered in the state.
With an addition of 12 new cases, the COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 7,93,052 on Tuesday, while one more patient succumbed to the infection, a health department official said.
The death toll increased by one to reach 10,527, the official said.
The state’s recovery count increased to 7,82,435 after 12 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, he said.
There are now 90 active coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh.
With 53,493 swab samples examined during the day, the number of tests conducted in the state went up to 2,14,70,618, he said.
According to an official release, a total of 8,12,79,730 anti-coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered so far in the state, including 3,93,888 on Tuesday.
Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 7,93,052, new cases 12, death toll 10,527, recoveries 7,82,435, active cases 90, total tests 2,14,70,618.
Four fully-vaccinated Army officers, two of them participating in a course of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district, an official said on Tuesday.
“Four Army officers have tested positive for coronavirus in the last three days in Indore. They had received both doses of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine. They have no symptoms and their condition is fine,” said Dr Amit Malakar, nodal officer, COVID-19, Indore.
He said two of the infected officers are residents of the Army Cantonment located in nearby Mhow town and two others are enrolled for the IIM Indore’s Certificate Course in Business Management for Defence Officers (CCBMDO).
Meanwhile, the IIM administration has decided to stop the offline classes and will conduct them virtually.
“As a precautionary measure, we have decided to conduct online classes instead of offline for a batch of 60 participants of CCBMDO course after some of them tested positive for the pandemic, IIM Indore director Himanshu Rai said.
He, however, said that participants in the current batch of CCBMDO were not staying at the IIM campus.
A separate classroom was arranged on the campus for them, he added.
“Those who had come in contact with the participating Army officers during the study at the IIM campus have tested negative for coronavirus,” he said.
In another development, a 69-year-old fully vaccinated woman succumbed to the COVID-19 infection in Indore on Saturday, Malakar said, adding that she died at Mhow’s Military Hospital.
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Hold workplace Covid inoculation drives to improve coverage: Centre suggests states
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday suggested that states and union territories can organise workplace COVID-19 vaccination, targeting people due for their doses, and also provide badges to employees carrying messages to encourage their unvaccinated colleagues to get inoculated.
Besides these, the Union health ministry, as part of its strategies to nudge those who are to be vaccinated, also advised involving vaccinated influential figures and community leaders in districts or villages to motivate people to get anti-Covid shots.
“Trusted individuals/community leaders may be identified and appointed as ambassadors. They may be oriented about ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ to provide sound advice on the importance of taking both the doses of vaccine and completing the vaccination schedule,” Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter to additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries posted in health departments in states and union territories.
The processes and incentives for these ambassadors, include assigning referral codes on Co-WIN for each one of them.
Through these codes every person they get vaccinated will be added to their tally at COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) through Co-WIN, the letter said.
It said those who ensure full vaccination coverage will be recognised at the local level with certificates and will be felicitated at special gram sabhas or panchayat meetings.
“Individuals who have received their first dose should receive text and voice call messages in local languages or dialects, reminding them that they are due to receive the second dose of vaccine. These messages can be recorded in the voice of a local hero or ambassador,” the letter said.
To ensure that all eligible people are vaccinated at the earliest, the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 3 and this will continue till November 30, it said.
The ministry in its letter underlined that districts should identify all left-out beneficiaries and mobilise them to get vaccinated on a priority basis.
“Workplace vaccination should be organised for targeting people due for their doses. Clear signages should be displayed in an organisation for these vaccination sites. Further, employees at offices, organisations and other workplaces (private and government) may also be provided with badges having vaccination message,” it said.
The badges can have messages like ‘I am fully vaccinated, are you fully vaccinated too’ to encourage unvaccinated colleagues of employees to go for vaccination, Bhushan said in the letter.
Such innovative ideas or initiatives at the local level may further help in motivating people and mobilising the left out or dropped out beneficiaries, and help in ensuring that all adults are protected against the COVID-19 infection, the letter said.
The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 117 crore on Monday, the Union health ministry said.
More than 63 lakh (63,98,165) vaccine doses were administered to the beneficiaries till 7 pm on Monday, it said, adding that the daily vaccination tally is likely to increase with the compilation of the final reports by late night.
The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with the healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase.
The vaccination of the frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2.
The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 years and above with specified co-morbid conditions.
The country launched vaccination for all people aged above 45 years from April 1.
The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 years of age to be inoculated against the viral disease from May 1.