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According to official sources, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization’s Covid working group has examined the data of Biological E’s Corbevax to allow it as a booster for those aged 18 and over completely vaccinated with Covishield or Covaxin. The NTAGI panel did not yet make a recommendation at their meeting on Wednesday. On June 4, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Corbevax as a precautionary dose for individuals 18 years of age and above. Corbevax, India’s first locally produced RBD protein subunit vaccine, is currently being administered to children between the ages of 12 and 14. According to an official source who spoke to the media agency, “The NTAGI panel reviewed the data of Biological E’s Corbevax as a booster for those aged 18 and above fully vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin,” In accordance with a 75-day special drive that started on July 15, everyone aged 18 and over is receiving free precautionary doses of the Covid vaccine at government immunisation centres. As part of the government’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence, the “COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava” programme is being undertaken with the intention of increasing the adoption of Covid precaution dosages. To date, the nation has administered more than 6 crore precautionary doses.

India’s COVID-19 immunisation coverage has surpassed 200.61 crore (92.71 crore second dose and 6.11 crore precaution dosage have been provided so far under National Vaccination Drive). There have been 26,04,797 doses given over the past 24 hours. The COVID-19 vaccine’s initial dosage has been given to more than 3.81 crore adolescents so far. 2,64,58,875 sessions have been used to accomplish this. In the past 24 hours, 18,517 patients have recovered, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 4,31,32,140. India now has a recovery rate of 98.47 percent. In the previous 24 hours, 20,557 new cases were reported. The number of active cases in India is presently 1,45,654. Currently, 0.33 percent of all positive cases in the nation are active cases. In the past 24 hours, 4,98,034 COVID-19 tests have been performed. In total, India has performed about 87.06 billion tests to date. Currently, the country’s weekly positivity rate is 4.64 percent, and its daily positivity rate is 4.13 percent.

According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government’s decision to provide free precaution doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to all adults over the age of 18 will increase immunisation rates in India and lead to a healthier nation. All citizens over the age of 18 will receive free precaution doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as part of the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” celebrations beginning on July 15 and lasting for 75 days, according to Union minister Anurag Thakur, who announced the initiative after the Union Cabinet approved it earlier in the day on Wednesday. Modi stated in a tweet, “Vaccination is an effective means to fight COVID-19. Today’s Cabinet decision will further India’s vaccination coverage and create a healthier nation.” According to an official source, less than 1% of the target population of 77.10 crore people between the ages of 18 and 59 have received the precautionary dose so far. On April 10, India started vaccinating all adults over the age of 18 with a precautionary dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Moderna Inc. announced on Monday that it was moving forward with two Omicron vaccine candidates for the fall, one of which was created to protect against the BA.1 variant and the other to protect against the BA.4 and BA.5. Updated vaccines are being developed by vaccine producers like Moderna and rival Pfizer Inc. to combat the quickly spreading Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which have recently expanded to the United States. Moderna claimed that a variety of market preferences for jabs against the subvariants informed its choice to develop the bivalent vaccines. The older 2020 variant and the more recent Omicron variants of the coronavirus are the two separate coronavirus variants that are targeted by bivalent vaccines. New clinical data for Moderna’s BA.1 variant-targeting mRNA-1273.214 vaccination revealed noticeably greater neutralising antibody responses against the fast-spreading BA.4 and BA.5 compared with the currently permitted booster, the firm says. The second booster candidate being researched by the company, mRNA 1273.222, is based on the BA.4/5 strain and is being created in compliance with current guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Although the company’s BA.1 subvariant-targeting booster has improved durability and antibody response, according to Jefferies analyst Michael Yee, the original Omicron variant has already moved in the United States, and the FDA is likely to approve future BA.4/5 boosters. Source: Reuters

The Darjeeling district administration has issued a warning on insect prevention after the acid fly or Nairobi fly infection has caused fear in a number of North Bengali communities. The insect primarily infects children and people with delicate skin. According to officials, the virus originally surfaced in Sikkim and has since spread. The virus has currently infected over 100 students at North Bengal University (NBU), Siliguri. Numerous students have left their hostels in a state of such anxiety and panic to return home. “We have issued an advisory on preventive measures such as wearing full sleeves, avoiding going outside in the evening, using mosquito nets, and using dim light inside houses,” said Darjeeling District Magistrate S Ponnambalam. Infected individuals should seek medical attention right away. According to the director of the Darjeeling District Hospital, the issue is merely a skin disease. In Darjeeling, there are now 3–4 cases, but none of them necessitate hospitalisation. People need to be cool and not panic because nothing seriously threatening would occur in this situation. In actuality, we are unsure whether the three to four patients who arrived coincidentally suffered an insect bite. I will however request a thorough explanation from my seniors. The District Magistrate declared, “Our goal right now is to control the infection and trace the breeding places. I request people not to panic.”