The Twists and turns of the Covid-19
Are we heading back to the Covid-19 disaster? Covid-19: Back to the basic…..
The new iNCOVACC, a two drop medication developed by Bharat Biotech, as a booster dose for the Covid-19 illness…….
By Dr N. K. Prasanna/ Dr S. K. Varshney
The surprising mysteries of Covid-19 are still not yet finished. The rapidly worsening China’s Covid situation has raised alarms across the globe. Three years back, China was considered to be the starting point for the inception and spread of viral infections the scariest pandemic the world has ever seen in the history. The story of the pandemics so far is the end is in sight” But, maybe it’s a new beginning.
China has once again become a source of worry. Countries including India increased their timely surveillance. The unstable turbulent situation in China needs to be closely monitored by global governments. The most crucial question at this time is whether the threat that is emerging in China is a localized issue or if it could have global repercussions.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director, WHO, had earlier conveyed optimism that the episode of the medical crisis may be resolved in the next year. Furthermore, the COVID Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) classification could be withdrawn by the United Nations
Covid-19 disaster: How prepared are we?
No matter whatever the situation is, everyone should be ready to handle the toughest situation. Preparation makes all the difference. It actually has the power to save the lives. Countries can come together to face this disastrous situation together. Disasters can be scary, but being ready is the only way to be less afraid! So, how dire is the ongoing situation in China witnessed right now? We have no idea. A few weeks ago, based on the current trajectory, China’s public health experts had anticipated that 800 million individuals might possibly catch the corona virus during the coming months. Some experts disagree with this estimate and think that China’s entire population may be in danger, and that risk is increasing faster than ever.
Made in India Nasal vaccine:
According to the information obtained, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has given emergency permission to use of iNCOVACC, a two drop medication developed by Bharat Biotech, as a booster dose for the Covid-19 illness which was available on the Cowin platform. The inclusion of intranasal Covid vaccine comes due to amid surge in Covid cases in China and other countries. This booster dose is referred to as “Five Arms.” After six months, those who have already received two doses of the Covaxin/Covishield vaccine can take this drop medicine vaccine as a booster dose, according to the current approval. It was developed by Bharat Biotech in partnership with Washington University in St. Louis, in the US. DCGI has given permission for People above the age of 18 are permitted to take this vaccine in our nation.
Vaccines made in China are also criticized for “less efficacious” than others which have been in use internationally. China largely avoided importing vaccines from Western countries because of its vaccine nationalism
What is R0 and How the Disease is transmitted:
The mathematical figure‘R0’ (pronounced “R-naught”) the reproduction number (r) represents the transmissibility of a disease which illustrates how quickly an infection is spreading. It is known as the basic reproduction number also known as the basic reproduction ratio or rate which is an epidemiological metric used to measure the transmissibility of infectious agents. When R0>1, it implies that the cases are increasing and that the disease will eventually become an epidemic. If R0=1, then the disease is endemic. If R0 is < 1 it can be noted that the infection is transmitted to fewer people
The R-value, in china (the average number of individuals, who can be infected by someone who is ill,) has increased gradually to 16, which is significantly greater than usual. According to NPR, the two fold increasing time may only be a matter of hours, which is a worrying sign, and a substantial increase in mortality is also anticipated. The omicron variant’s BF.7is thought to be responsible for the present increase in Covid-19 infections in China which is similar to the ones found in the US. But China is chocking to control it. The failure of China’s zero-Covid policy, is recognized as the fundamental reason for the sudden increase in cases
Over the past three years, the Chinese government has completely insulated their people from coronavirus by imposing strict restrictions, through quarantine and all. Their natural immunity, which they would have acquired from past infections, has been taken away by the Chinese regime. The most effective defense against Covid-19 is thought to be natural immunity.
Vaccines made in China are also criticized for “less efficacious” than others which have been in use internationally. China largely avoided importing vaccines from Western countries because of its vaccine nationalism. In addition to this general lack of natural immunity, and vaccine reluctance reportedly present in the nation may also be a contributing factor to the low immunity levels among Chinese people. These are just rumours, after all. One cannot totally rule out the likelihood that more recent, dangerous strains are in existence. This brings up yet another pandemic that China is experiencing: maybe misinformation and China’s information system is extremely controlled, secretive, opaque, and rhetoric is also one of the reason.
Dissemination of accurate information and tackling infodemics and misinformation is essentially important to face unprecedented challenges thrown by Covid -19 pandemic. Both in China and globally. Incorrect and misleading information can be impartially filtered across all available channels. There are still many things that are unknown. The entire globe should be extremely wary in view of this. High-level experts have been making predictions about when the pandemic will end. The China incident serves as a warning message that they could have started speculating a little earlier.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director, WHO, had earlier conveyed optimism that the episode of the medical crisis may be resolved in the next year. Furthermore, the COVID Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) classification could be withdrawn by the United Nations. This opinion is open for debate. It is necessary to give more time to the pandemic to end gradually. Governments, intergovernmental organizations, and the general public should not lose patience with the pandemic. We are aware that many lives are at risk. On a more immediate level, it’s critical to monitor the current situation in China. China must be willing to accept assistance, and other nations must always extend the same courtesy if requested.
Due to sudden surge-Center issues new guidelines:
As cases are coming to light in the countries of the world, the center is preparing new guidelines keeping in mind Christmas and New Year. As part of this, mock drills will be conducted in hospitals across the country from Tuesday. ‘The pandemic is not over yet. In this festive season, it is essential to create awareness for everyone to follow the Covid appropriate behavior. The R factor is 16 in China. It also mentions the reasons for the rise seen in China. It cited studies that attributed the situation to ineffective vaccines, low vaccination rates, lack of relevant immunity due to the zero-covid strategy and the one-time lifting of restrictions. Covid started from China, Korea and Brazil and spread to South Asia also arrived in India in 20 to 35 days. The Central Health Department has revealed that one should be vigilant about the latest situation.
(The authors are Senior Scientist at CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research, New Delhi/ Head, International Cooperation, Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi.)