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<ul><li><keyword id="6355882" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Israel" source="Orion">Israel</keyword> reports two cases of a <keyword id="10466854" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-Covid-19-variant" source="Orion">new COVID-19 variant</keyword> on Wednesday.</li><li>The new variant identified is not worrisome as other variants, says the Health Ministry.</li><li>This new variant is the combination of two sub-variants of the Omicron strain — dubbed BA.1 and BA.2.</li></ul>Israel’s health ministry, on Wednesday, announced that it had detected two cases of a new COVID-19 variant. However, the new variant identified is not worrisome as other variants. The health ministry further informed that this new variant is the combination of two sub-variants of the Omicron strain — dubbed BA.1 and BA.2. This variant was reported in two passengers at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport while doing the PCR test. “ This variant is still unknown around the world,” said the ministry in a statement. Israel’s pandemic response chief Salman Zarka said, “The phenomenon of combined variants is well known. At this stage, we are not worried about it leading to serious cases.” “Israel will also not lift more COVID-19 restrictions amid rising infections in several locations around the world,” the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Thursday. Following a consultation meeting with health officials, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz decided that the mask mandate will not be lifted, but the measure will be reviewed again in April. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Symptoms of this new variant" comment="subhead" text="Symptoms of this new variant">Symptoms of this new variant</cmsannotation> Talking about the symptoms of the new variant, the ministry said the two cases suffered mild symptoms only and didn't require any special medical response. These symptoms were seen — <ol><li>Fever </li><li>Headache </li><li>Muscle dystrophy</li></ol><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="From where did this variant originate?" comment="subhead" text="From where did this variant originate?">From where did this variant originate?</cmsannotation> The ministry has not conducted the research yet, so it is still unknown where this variant came from. Israel has so far inoculated four million COVID-19 doses out of the population of 9.2 million people. The country also recorded 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 infection and 8,244 deaths to date. The Israeli government has administered three COVID-19 vaccines to its people and will start the fourth vaccine dose to people over 60 years and health workers. Last month, Israel also announced that unvaccinated tourists would now be allowed to enter as the country eased down the COVID restrictions. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that the country was seeing a ‘consistent decline in morbidity data, hence decided to reopen the border. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/paytm-may-face-tough-times-ahead-stock-brokers-recommend-to-stay-away-from-the-stock/articleshow/90283463.cms">Paytm may face ‘tough times ahead’, stock brokers recommend to stay away from the stock</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/top-10-richest-people-in-india-in-2021-22-as-per-hurun-list/slidelist/90282882.cms">Top 10 richest people in India as per Hurun List</a>

Israel detects new COVID-19 variant — All you need to know about it

New York, Drugmakers Pfizer and <keyword id="3124139" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BioNTech">BioNTech</keyword> have said that their <keyword id="8904563" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-vaccine">Covid-19 vaccine</keyword> has been found in laboratory studies to work against <keyword id="2987267" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-variants">new variants</keyword> first identified in the UK and South Africa. The results were published on the preprint server bioRxiv and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. "While these findings do not indicate the need for a new vaccine to address the emerging <keyword id="112799" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="variants">variants</keyword>, the companies are prepared to respond if a variant of SARS-CoV-2 demonstrates evidence of escaping immunity by the Covid-19 vaccine," Pfizer and BioNTech said in a statement on Wednesday. To study the effect of these mutations, three engineered viruses with key mutations were tested against the panel of human sera from 20 participants in the previously reported Phase 3 trial who had been immunized with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The sera from individuals vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine neutralised all the SARS-CoV-2 strains tested, showed the study. Neutralisation against the virus with the three key mutations present in the South African variant was slightly lower when compared to neutralisation of virus containing the other mutations that were evaluated, the results showed. However, the the two companies believe the small differences in viral neutralisation observed in these studies are unlikely to lead to a significant reduction in the effectiveness of the vaccine. "Pfizer and BioNTech are encouraged by these early in vitro study findings and are currently evaluating the full set of mutations in the spike protein of the South African variant," the two companies said, adding that the flexibility of BioNTech's proprietary mRNA vaccine platform is well suited to develop new vaccine variants if required. Earlier this week, <keyword id="4912868" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="moderna">Moderna</keyword> said that its two-dose regimen of the Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be protective against emerging strains detected to date Moderna said it is also working on a Covid-19 booster shot to protect against a new variant first identified in South Africa. A study carried by bioRxiv also showed that <keyword id="9485939" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="covaxin">Covaxin</keyword>, the Covid vaccine developed by <keyword id="149108" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Biotech">Bharat Biotech</keyword> in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, effectively neutralises UK variants of SARS-CoV-2 reducing the possibility of mutant virus escape. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/indian-grooming-startup-bombay-shaving-company-gets-45-crore-investment-from-dettol-maker-reckitt-benckiser/articleshow/80491558.cms">Indian grooming startup Bombay Shaving Company gets ₹45 crore investment from Dettol maker Reckitt Benckiser</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/india-needs-to-add-massive-amount-of-solar-and-wind-power-capacity-this-year-to-meet-its-first-target/articleshow/80496138.cms">India needs to add massive amount of solar and wind power capacity this year to meet its first target</a>

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will work against UK and South Africa's variants, says study

Geneva [Switzerland], August 19 (ANI): World Health Organization (WHO) designated <keyword id="18456567" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-variant-ba-2-86" source="Orion">COVID-19 variant BA.2.86</keyword> as a 'variant under monitoring' due to the large number of mutations it carries. The WHO said on Friday that they are tracking 3 variants of interest and 7 variants under monitoring at the moment. "WHO continues to call for better surveillance, sequencing, and reporting of #COVID19 as this virus continues to circulate and evolve," the WHO said in a tweet. Who further stated that it needed more data to understand this COVID19 variant and the extent of its spread, but the number of mutations warrants attention. Recently, the latest variant, EG.5 (also known as Eris), has grabbed the attention of public health experts around the world and is becoming a dominant strain in countries including the United States and Britain. The variant is causing about 17 per cent of the new Covid-19 cases in the country compared to 16 per cent for the next most common lineage, XBB.1.16, according to the latest estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CNN reported. The new variant is a spinoff of the XBB recombinant strain of the Omicron family. According to the WHO, all viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, change over time. Most changes have little to no impact on the virus's properties. However, some changes may affect the virus's properties, such as how easily it spreads, the associated disease severity, or the performance of vaccines, therapeutic medicines, diagnostic tools, or other public health and social measures. In June 2020, the WHO Virus Evolution Working Group was established with a specific focus on SARS-CoV-2 variants, their phenotype and their impact on countermeasures. This later became the Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution. In late 2020, the emergence of variants that posed an increased risk to global public health prompted WHO to characterize some as variants of interest (VOIs) and variants of concern (VOCs) to prioritize global monitoring and research and to inform and adjust the COVID-19 response. From May 2021 onwards, WHO began assigning simple, easy-to-say labels for key variants. Considerable progress has been made in establishing and strengthening a global system to detect signals of potential VOIs or VOCs and rapidly assess the risk posed by SARS-CoV-2 variants to public health. It remains critical that these systems are maintained, and data are shared, according to good principles and in a timely fashion, as SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate at high levels around the world. While monitoring the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 globally, it also remains essential to monitor their spread in animal populations and chronically infected individuals, which are crucial aspects of the global strategy to reduce the occurrence of mutations that have negative public health implications. In March 2023, WHO updated its tracking system and working definitions for variants of concern, variants of interest and variants under monitoring, as per WHO. (ANI)

WHO designates Covid's BA.2.86 as 'variant under monitoring'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> outbreaks are creating opportunities for new variants to emerge, an ex-CDC official said. </li><li>"That's what happened" with the Delta variant, Richard Besser said on NBC <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">News</keyword>' "Today" show. </li><li>The Delta variant is now responsible for more than 80% of US <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> cases. </li></ul>Sweeping COVID-19 outbreaks are creating opportunities for new variants of the coronavirus to emerge, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said Monday. "As long as there's widespread transmission of the virus, there's the opportunity for new variants to arise," ex-CDC acting director Richard Besser said during an interview <a href="https://www.today.com/video/most-of-covid-19-surge-is-from-unvaccinated-people-doctor-says-117751365654">on NBC News "Today" show</a> as he explained "that's what happened" with the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus. Besser added, ​​"Thankfully, it is covered by the current vaccines, but there is no guarantee that the next variant that emerges, it won't be one that the vaccines aren't effective for."Coronavirus cases, fueled by the Delta variant have been surging in the US and across the globe, largely among those who are unvaccinated. Read more: <a href="https://www.insider.com/cdc-internal-document-war-has-changed-delta-variant-infections-vaccine-2021-7?inline-read-more&amp;inline-read-moremore">Internal CDC document warns 'the war has changed' with the more infectious Delta variant</a>The Delta variant is now responsible for more than 80% of US coronavirus cases. "We can't give up on people who so far have not gotten vaccinated. We have to meet people where they are, address their concerns and help them roll up their sleeves to get that shot," Besser said. He noted, "Most of the transmission we're seeing is from unvaccinated people." CDC director Rochelle Walensky said last week that the coronavirus could be "just a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-coronavirus-strains-mutations-more-likely-with-more-spread-2020-12">few mutations</a> potentially away" from evolving into a variant that can evade existing COVID-19 vaccines. And according to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm?s_cid=mm7031e2_w">a recent CDC study</a>, vaccinated folks may transmit the Delta variant <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-fully-vaccinated-people-infected-can-transmit-covid-study-2021-7">just as easily as the unvaccinated</a>, though the chances of a vaccinated person contracting the virus are low.

'Widespread' COVID-19 outbreaks are presenting opportunities for new variants to emerge: former CDC official

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists are closely tracking a new <keyword id="11893194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus" source="Orion">coronavirus</keyword> <keyword id="12004893" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="variant" source="Orion">variant</keyword> called AY.4.2, a subtype of <keyword id="11894307" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="delta" source="Orion">Delta</keyword>.</li><li>Data showed it may be 10% more infectious than Delta, an expert said. Cases are low outside the <keyword id="11897975" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uk" source="Orion">UK</keyword>.</li></ul>Scientists worldwide are closely tracking a descendant of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-variant-covid-good-news-vaccines-still-work-pfizer-mandate-2021-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highly infectious Delta variant</a> that's spreading in the UK.England's public-health authority said in a report on <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1025827/Technical_Briefing_25.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday</a> that it was monitoring a subtype of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-variant-covid-vaccine-effectiveness-protection-pfizer-moderna-astrazeneca-2021-7?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Delta variant</a> called AY.4.2, which had infected more people recently. Francois Balloux, the director at the University College London Genetics Institute, <a href="https://twitter.com/BallouxFrancois/status/1450342073631191043" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted on Saturday</a> that data about AY.4.2 suggested it could be 10% more transmissible than the most common Delta variant in the UK, called AY.4."As such, it feels worthwhile keeping an eye on it," he said.As of September 27, 6% of UK sequenced tests were AY.4.2, Public Health England said in its report on Friday, adding that estimates could be imprecise because it was difficult to sequence the variant's mutations. Dr. Scott <keyword id="12344386" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gottlieb" source="Orion">Gottlieb</keyword>, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said the new variant wasn't an "immediate cause for concern," but he called for "urgent research" to work out whether it was more infectious or able to avoid the body's immune response."We should work to more quickly characterize these and other new variants. We have the tools," <a href="https://twitter.com/scottgottliebmd/status/1449803423906418691">he tweeted on Sunday</a>. He added that a coordinated, global response was required.Dr. Jeffrey Barrett, a medical genomics group leader at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, <a href="https://twitter.com/jcbarret/status/1450408485829718039" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted on Tuesday</a> that AY.4.2 was the only Delta descendant that was steadily increasing, which suggested a "consistent advantage" over Delta. Barrett cautioned that AY.4.2 was replacing Delta at a much slower rate than Delta had replaced the formerly dominant Alpha variant. The Delta variant is estimated to be about 60% more infectious than Alpha. The same pattern for AY.4.2 hasn't yet been seen in other countries.Balloux said in a statement on Tuesday that the variant was "rare" outside of the UK, with only three cases detected in the US so far. "In Denmark, the other country that besides the UK has excellent genomic surveillance in place, it reached a 2% frequency but has gone down since," he said.<h2>New mutations</h2>The virus that causes COVID-19 gets about two new mutations per month, and there are now 56 Delta descendants, showed <a href="https://outbreak.info/situation-reports?pango=B.1.617.2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scripps Research's Outbreak.info</a>, which includes data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before AY.4.2, PHE tended to group Delta and its descendants together.AY.4.2 has two new mutations in the part of the virus that attaches to human cells, which is called the spike protein. It's not yet clear how these mutations could affect the virus' behavior.Balloux said neither of these mutations had been found in other variants of concern.

Scientists are closely tracking a new variant spreading in the UK that could be 10% more infectious than Delta

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Nearly 20 white-tailed <keyword id="6368468" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="deer" source="Orion">deer</keyword> in New York were infected with Omicron this winter, <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.04.479189v1">research</a> suggests.</li><li>The virus seems widespread among US deer, raising concerns about the spillover of new variants.</li></ul>Vaughn Cooper sees white-tailed deer every day in his neighborhood outside Pittsburgh. The species is common in most US states. Pennsylvania alone has around <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/white-tailed-deer">1.5 million white-tailed deer</a> — about 30 per square mile — while the US has <a href="https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/wildlife/profiles/deer.html#:~:text=There%20are%20an%20estimated%2030,distributed%20throughout%20the%20continental%20US.">around 30 million</a> in total."My dog goes ripping after the deer every morning," Cooper, the director of the Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, told Insider.Interactions between humans and deer — or deer and other <keyword id="11897851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="animals" source="Orion">animals</keyword> — are a pressing concern among scientists, since the <keyword id="11893194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus" source="Orion">coronavirus</keyword> now appears widespread in the US white-tailed deer population.Researchers at Pennsylvania State University identified nearly 20 white-tailed deer in Staten Island, New York, that were infected with the <keyword id="12616995" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="omicron-variant" source="Orion">Omicron variant</keyword> between December 2021 and January 2022. Their <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.04.479189v1">findings</a>, which haven't been peer reviewed, mark the first report of Omicron spilling over to wild animals. A spillover event occurs when a highly-infected population passes the virus to another species that hasn't encountered it (or that a particular variant) before.The US Department of Agriculture has <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/one_health/downloads/qa-covid-white-tailed-deer-study.pdf">detected coronavirus infections</a> among white-tailed deer in 15 states, a USDA spokesperson <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/health/omicron-deer-staten-island-covid.html?action=click&amp;algo=bandit-all-surfaces_impression_cut_3_filter_new_arm_5_1&amp;alpha=0.05&amp;block=more_in_recirc&amp;fellback=false&amp;imp_id=259234325&amp;impression_id=37afb285-88f1-11ec-a163-7d7199a68375&amp;index=5&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;pool=more_in_pools%2Fhealth&amp;region=footer&amp;req_id=406921319&amp;surface=eos-more-in&amp;variant=0_bandit-all-surfaces_impression_cut_3_filter_new_arm_5_1">told The New York Times</a> on Monday. In <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/119/6/e2121644119">a study</a> published last year, Penn State researchers identified the coronavirus in about one-third of white-tailed deer sampled in Iowa between September 2020 and January 2021. Another research group <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04353-x">found the virus</a> in one-third of sampled deer in Ohio from January to March 2021. "We were not expecting to find this level of widespread infection," Suresh Kuchipudi, associate director of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Penn State, told Insider. "It was quite surprising, and also quite concerning."Scientists worry that deer could serve as a reservoir for the coronavirus, even after <keyword id="11893994" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19" source="Orion">COVID-19</keyword> becomes endemic in humans. In the worst-case scenario, the virus might evolve in deer to become better at evading vaccine protection, then spill over into humans as a more lethal variant.But such a phenomenon would be unprecedented, Cooper said. Most people in the US have some protection against the virus from vaccines or natural infection, making it tough for a new variant to override our existing immune defenses."Could deer become a host that gives rise to successful lineages in humans? I still think it's unlikely," Cooper said, adding, "We're actually becoming a harder population to invade because the leading virus is so prevalent." <h2>A third animal could pass the virus between deer and humans</h2><div type="image" title="deer yard" height="2324" width="3500" msid="89441683" hostid="261"></div>Deer aren't the only animals that can contract coronavirus infections.Scientists have <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/animals.html">detected the virus</a> in cats, dogs, ferrets, mink, pigs, and rabbits. But they're paying close attention to white-tailed deer for a few reasons: In addition to being highly vulnerable to infection, white-tailed deer are abundant in the US and live in close proximity to humans."There's no evidence that there's anything special about deer biology that makes them a more worrisome host," Cooper said, adding, "The major thing is that they're everywhere. They are the classic example of changes in human and animal populations brought on by civilization that promotes spillover."For now, scientists don't know whether deer can spread the coronavirus to humans — they just know that the virus is quite good at infecting deer populations. The animals live in herds, making it easy for them to transmit the virus to one another through saliva or feces.For deer to infect humans directly, "you'd basically need to be a hunter," Cooper said. It's also possible that deer could pass the virus to humans through an intermediate host, such as a rodent or household pet. "Whenever you have an animal that is widely infected and virus is circulating, they always can be a source of infection in other susceptible animals — even sometimes humans, if the conditions are right," Kuchipudi said.<h2>One deer in Staten Island showed evidence of reinfection</h2><div type="image" title="white-tailed deer" height="1305" width="1497" msid="89441684" hostid="261"></div>One of the most urgent mysteries is whether the same deer can be infected with multiple coronavirus variants. In that case, scientists wouldn't hold much hope for the virus dying out in deer populations."If we do find that deer can be reinfected, that signals clearly for the continued circulation of the virus in these animals," Kuchipudi said.His <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.04.479189v1">preprint</a> identified a single deer in Staten Island with high levels of coronavirus antibodies, which was also infected with Omicron. The study "hint[s] at the possibility that animals that are previously exposed could be reinfected," Kuchipudi said, but for now, "it's just one animal."Even if the virus spilled over from deer to humans several years from now, Cooper said he's hopeful that genomic sampling and wastewater surveillance could detect it right away, before it "catches fire.""It's legitimate to be concerned about the possibility of this, but the great <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> is that surveillance is so strong, generally, that we will see this when it happens," he said.As far as historical patterns go, he added, it would be rare for a spillover variant to jump-start a new wave of the pandemic."I'm unaware of new lineages refueling an existing pandemic like this, except for flu," Cooper said. "Flu is clearly driven by continuing exchange back and forth between humans and pigs and fowl."But Kuchipudi cautioned that scientists still have more to learn about whether white-tailed deer are strong reservoirs for <keyword id="13132803" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mutations" source="Orion">mutations</keyword>."We still haven't quite grasped the extent of the problem," he said, adding, "We need to be cautious about concluding if it's likely or unlikely. The honest answer is we don't know yet."

Omicron-infected deer put scientists on high alert for spillover of new variants to humans

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6380867" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="boris-johnson">Boris Johnson</keyword> says there is some evidence the UK's <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> variant may be more deadly.</li><li>The UK's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said the data showed it could have up to a 30% higher mortality rate among some age groups.</li><li>However, Vallance stressed that the evidence remained "uncertain".</li></ul>There is some evidence the new variant of the coronavirus first identified in the UK may be up to 30% more deadly than previous variants, the UK government has said.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a Downing Street press conference on Friday that it "now appears there is some evidence the new variant may be associated with a higher degree of mortality."Identification of the new variant, which scientists have found to have a faster transmission rate than other variants, has coincided with a surge of deaths in the UK.There were 1,401 recorded deaths of people who tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday in the UK.The UK government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance stressed that while he was "confident" that the new variant was more transmissible, the evidence remained "not yet strong" and "uncertain" that it was more deadly.However, he said the early signs that the new variant could be up to 30% more deadly.<h2>Watch Boris Johnson on the UK coronavirus variant</h2>Vallance said that whereas an average of 10 out of a 1,000 older people died of the old variant in the UK, this appears to have increased to 13 out of 1,000 people with the new variant.This was reiterated by another scientific adviser to the UK government, Professor Neil Ferguson, who <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/2021-01-22/new-covid-19-strain-may-be-more-lethal-robert-peston-learns">told ITV on Friday</a> that: "Four groups - Imperial, LSHTM, PHE and Exeter - have looked at the relationship between people testing positive for the variant vs old strains and the risk of death."That suggests a 1.3-fold increased risk of death. So for 60 year-olds, 13 in 1000 might die compared with 10 in 1000 for old strains."However, Ferguson stressed that there is currently only limited data available on the death rates for each variant."The big caveat is that we only know which strain people were infected with for about 8% of deaths," Ferguson told ITV.Vallance told the press conference there was no evidence that the UK variant was any more resistant to existing vaccines. However, he said he was more worried about the susceptibility of the South African and Brazilian variants to the vaccines.

Boris Johnson says the UK's coronavirus variant may have up to a 30% higher mortality rate

People should not delay taking <keyword id="8904563" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-vaccine">Covid-19 vaccine</keyword> as this will give virus an opportunity to develop new variants and some of them may reduce the efficacy of current vaccines, say <keyword id="6354525" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthcare">healthcare</keyword> experts. They believe that those not taking the vaccine are doing a great injustice to their near and dear ones. Government of India has announced that all individuals aged above 18 years would be eligible to get Covid-19 vaccination starting May 1. This must be considered as the end game for the deadly pandemic to be driven out of India but this would not be achieved if the young and the old hesitate to take vaccine, say the experts. Dr. Mervin Leo, Cluster COO, <keyword id="4137014" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gleneagles-Global-Hospitals">Gleneagles Global Hospitals</keyword> believes that Covid-19 virus still has many hosts left to replicate in, and it has more opportunity to randomly develop new variants. "Some of these variants may reduce the efficacy of the current vaccine, which is surely not a desirable scenario to be in. Hence, it is important people encourage each other to get vaccinated at the earliest and ensure the virus is driven out of our lives before it gets to us," he said. Healthcare facilities across Hyderabad are ramping up their capacity to vaccinate more population in the weeks ahead. They believe vaccination for all is the most definitive step in the fight against coronavirus. "Vaccination for all is about controlling the pandemic at a population level through reaching herd immunity, and the objective cannot be achieved unless each and every one joins the movement and get themselves vaccinated. Fight against coronavirus requires a community effort, and everybody must step forward in and get their vaccines, so that we can break the chain of transmission from one person to another," said Dr. Riyaz Khan, CEO, <keyword id="2734902" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Continental-Hospitals">Continental Hospitals</keyword>. "There needs to be emphasis to get a vaccine (Covishield/Covaxin) whichever is available at the earliest and easily. Both are effective. Now it is proven beyond doubt that even a single dose provides decent protection. Vaccines are highly effective in preventing hospitalisations and deaths.It is unnecessary for people to wait for a year to get vaccinated, and the longer we wait to observe any side-effects might only lead to developing of future virus mutants," said Dr. Aarathi Bellary, Consultant <keyword id="329004" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internal-Medicine">Internal Medicine</keyword>, SLG Hospitals. "RNA vaccines and adenovirus-based vaccines (technologies used to develop vaccines against Covid-19) are already in phase two human trials for other infectious diseases like <keyword id="6388288" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="influenza">influenza</keyword> and a different coronavirus called MERS. Scientists already have safety and immunogenicity data on similar vaccines, and it is time we trust in medical science and opt in to get vaccinated at the earliest," said Dr. Anusha Karra, Internal Medicine, Western Plains Hospital, Dodge City, USA. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/info-edge-shares-jump-by-2-5-as-markets-cheer-its-move-to-sell-750-crore-worth-shares-in-the-upcoming-zomato-ipo/articleshow/82285596.cms">Info Edge shares jump by 2.5% as markets cheer its move to sell ₹750 crore worth shares in the upcoming Zomato IPO</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-vaccine-phase-3-registration-on-cowin-and-aarogya-setu-not-working-for-18-on-28-april-morning/articleshow/82284828.cms">COVID-19 vaccine phase 3: Anxious Indians are complaining of CoWIN and Aarogya Setu registration being delayed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/zomato-ipo-the-food-delivery-unicorn-has-filed-drhp-for-a-1-1-billion-initial-public-offering/articleshow/82286611.cms">Zomato reveals its much-awaited IPO plan and it’s worth $1.1 billion</a>

Delay in vaccination may lead to development of new COVID-19 variants, say healthcare experts

The <keyword id="1129131" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="scientific-community">scientific community</keyword> has stated that they had hinted to the Central government about the <keyword id="2987267" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-variants">new variants</keyword> of Covid-19 virus and also an increase in the cases in May this year. The community, however, did not make any prediction due to lack of data analysis. Dr. M. <keyword id="6541669" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="vidyasagar">Vidyasagar</keyword>, who is a professor at <keyword id="6354859" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IIt">IIT</keyword> (Hyderabad), stated that by March 13 this year Covid cases were showing an upward trend but as they did not have requisite data available so they did not make any prediction. Vidyasagar further stated that after they hinted, the government said the authorities made long- and medium-term plans to short-term plans. Based on the events of the past few weeks, however, those plans seem to have been inadequate, said Vidyasagar citing the current crisis of oxygen supply across the country. The IIT Kanpur study in April also stated that the daily cases in the second wave will increase by May 8. The Kanpur study also predicted a peak of 38 to 44 lakh active cases between May 14 and May 18. The scientists also stated in March that they had alerted the government about the new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus -- SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium, or INSACOG. The institution was set up by the government in December last year, specifically to detect genomic variants of the coronavirus. The institution examined 10 national laboratories across the country studying virus variants. The institution first detected B.1.617 as early as February. Ajay Parida, director of the state-run <keyword id="3748353" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="institute-of-life-sciences">Institute of Life Sciences</keyword> and a member of INSACOG, reportedly stated that they first detected B.1.617 in February and alerted the government. The <keyword id="83655" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-health-ministry">Union Health Ministry</keyword>'s <keyword id="6367874" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-centre-for-disease-control">National Centre for Disease Control</keyword> received the finding in March. The finding reportedly stated that the mutations, called E484Q and L452R, were of high concern. It stated E484Q mutant viruses escaping highly neutralising antibodies in cultures, and L452R mutation was responsible for both increased transmissibility and immune escape. The mutated versions of the virus could more easily enter a human cell and counter a person's immune response to it, according to the findings. The ministry put the findings in public domain in March stating that 'more problematic variants required following measures already underway'. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tata-power-says-it-has-no-such-decision-on-an-ipo-for-its-renewable-energy-business/articleshow/82365533.cms" style="">Tata Power says it has ‘no such decision’ on an IPO for its renewable energy business</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/gaming-startup-winzo-gives-complete-exit-to-hike-kavin-mittal-gets-four-times-return-on-investment/articleshow/82367340.cms" style="">Gaming startup WinZO gives complete exit to Hike – Kavin Mittal gets four times return on investment</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/adar-poonawalla-estimates-two-more-months-of-covid-19-vaccine-shortage-in-india/articleshow/82366770.cms">SII’s Adar Poonawalla estimates two more months of COVID-19 vaccine shortage in India — and the blame game is heating up</a>

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