While the intent of the government to quickly protect people with comorbidities above the age of 45 years who are at greater risk of progressing to severe form of disease or even death is commendable, any insistence on documentary evidence for vaccination will be hugely counterproductive. Similarly, insisting on prior registration on the CoWIN platform … Continue reading Vaccinate all above 45 years to avoid vaccine inequities
Vaccine hesitancy
Covaxin has only 10% takers nationally; less than 1% uptake in 12 States, Union Territories
As on February 21, the uptake of Covaxin across India is just about 10%. Except Sikkim, where the percentage uptake of Covaxin compared with Covishield is 1%, the uptake in 12 States and Union Territories is far less than 1%. At 27%, Gujarat has reported the highest uptake of Covaxin. As on February 21, the … Continue reading Covaxin has only 10% takers nationally; less than 1% uptake in 12 States, Union Territories
Daily vaccination rate will soon increase exponentially, says task force member
The vaccination rate will increase exponentially in the next few weeks, says Dr. N.K. Arora, Head of the Operations Research Group of the COVID-19 Task Force. According to him, the number of vaccination sessions held each day has already increased from around 3,000 in the beginning to over 12,000 now. In the next few weeks, … Continue reading Daily vaccination rate will soon increase exponentially, says task force member
Glitches in CoWIN also responsible for low COVID-19 vaccine uptake
Clubbing the problems with CoWIN into one phrase — vaccine hesitancy — is a convenient way to abdicate responsibility and deflect the blame for low uptake on the community. Despite the dry run across the country, CoWIN platform is still a work in progress with improvements and upgrades being made each day based on the … Continue reading Glitches in CoWIN also responsible for low COVID-19 vaccine uptake
I would not take Covaxin without efficacy data: Gagandeep Kang
Serum's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin are examples of atmanirbhar (self-reliance) but have an element of non-Indian science — and at least to me that is fine, says Dr. Gagandeep Kang. Though Covaxin uses inactivated virus, neutralising antibodies against the spike protein are critical for reinfection. So if Covaxin is based on an old viral … Continue reading I would not take Covaxin without efficacy data: Gagandeep Kang
Measles cases continue to increase globally since 2016
There has been a 59% drop in measles cases between 2000 and 2018. Yet, since 2016, there has been a spike in the number of cases reported. There were over 3,53,000 cases last year while it has already crossed the 4,00,000 mark by mid-November this year. Even as the number of reported measles cases globally … Continue reading Measles cases continue to increase globally since 2016
Infants become susceptible to measles earlier than thought
In countries that have eliminated or nearly eliminated measles, maternal antibodies against the virus have been found to protect infants for only first three months after birth and not six months as is commonly believed. This leaves infants vulnerable to infection for about nine months before the first dose of measles vaccine can be given. … Continue reading Infants become susceptible to measles earlier than thought
What led to spread of measles for nearly a year in New York
Though measles vaccine coverage is high in the U.S., the reason why the two outbreaks in New York City and New York State lasted for almost a year boils down to gaps and disparities in vaccine coverage between communities. Nearly 20 years after being declared measles-free, on October 3, 2019, the United States escaped by … Continue reading What led to spread of measles for nearly a year in New York
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