Category:

Pandemic

EU regulator: Astra jab benefits outweigh risks

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it was investigating reports of 30 cases of unusual blood disorders out of 5 million recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine. In total, 45 million Covid shots have been delivered across the region.

The EU regulator will release its findings on Thursday but its head, Emer Cooke, said she saw no reason to change its recommendation of AstraZeneca — one of four vaccines that it has approved for use.

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Coronavirus variants likely evolved inside people with weak immune systems

If true, the idea has implications for vaccination programs, particularly in countries that have not yet begun to immunize their populations. People with compromised immune systems — such as cancer patients — should be among the first to be vaccinated, said Dr. Adam Lauring, a virus expert and infectious disease physician at the University of Michigan. The faster that group is protected, the lower the risk that their bodies turn into incubators for the world’s next supercharged mutant.

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Vaccine nationalism may hit WHO’s 2021 goal of 2 bn doses: Adar Poonawalla

Poonawalla’s comments highlight the continuing challenge of vaccine inequality that threatens to prolong the pandemic after richer nations raced to stockpile supplies. Few African nations received a single shipment of shots before March, while more than 20% of the population in countries including Israel, the U.K., Bahrain and the U.S have received at least one shot.

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Have to take quick and decisive steps to stop the second peak of coronavirus cases in the country: PM Modi

In a virtual interaction with state chief ministers over the pandemic situation and the ongoing vaccination drive, Modi said in states like Maharashtra, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh the number of COVID cases has seen a rise while nearly 70 districts in the country have have seen an increase in the positivity rate by over 150 per cent of late.

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