Covid update: India
- In the last 24 hours, 1,027 Covid-related deaths were reported in the country. This took the Covid-19 death toll to 1,72,085
- There are 13,65,704 active Covid-19 cases in the country currently
India registered over 1.84 lakh fresh Covid-19 cases in a span of 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry. Daily average Covid-19 cases across the country crossed 1.5 lakh last week.
With the country reporting 1,84,372 new infections, the total number of cases has gone up to 1,38,73,825.
In the last 24 hours, 1,027 Covid-related deaths were reported in the country. This took the Covid-19 death toll to 1,72,085.
In addition to this, 82,339 more people have recuperated from the infection, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,23,36,036.
There are 13,65,704 active Covid-19 cases in the country currently. India had breached the 12-lakh mark inactive tally for the first time on Monday.
Tests conducted so far
India has tested 26,06,18,866 samples for Covid-19 until now, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Among these, 14,11,758 samples were tested on Tuesday.
Covid vaccines in India: In a nutshell
The country has so far administered 11,11,79,578 anti-Covid jabs.
The Drugs Control General of India has permitted the emergency use of Covid vaccine Sputnik V with certain conditions, clearing the way for the third vaccine in addition to Covishield and Covaxin. Besides, the government on Tuesday also fast-tracked emergency approval for other jabs.
Here is what the vaccines are all about:
COVAXIN
Manufactured by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology, it uses an inactivated virus. It is developed by chemically treating novel coronavirus samples to make them incapable of reproduction.
Given as two doses four weeks apart, the therapeutic can be stored between 2-8 degrees Celsius. Preliminary data from its phase 3 trial shows the vaccine has an efficacy rate of 81%.
COVISHIELD
Co-developed by the University of Oxford and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and known as Covishield in India, the vaccine uses a viral vector, an engineered version of adenoviruses that infect chimpanzees to carry the gene responsible for the spike protein of the novel coronavirus.
It requires two doses given four weeks apart to produce the desired effects. The vaccine has an efficacy of 70% after the first dose. Global clinical trials of the vaccine showed that when people were given a half dose and then a full dose, effectiveness hit 90%. It can also be safely stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius.
SPUTNIK V
Sputnik V from Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute is the latest vaccine approved for emergency use in India. Sputnik V uses a cold-type virus vector. It is engineered to be harmless, as a carrier to deliver a small fragment of the coronavirus to the body. Safely exposing the body to a part of the virus’s genetic code in this way allows it to recognize the threat and learn to fight it off, without the risk of becoming ill.
Sputnik V has been shown to have 92% efficacy. It is given in two doses, three weeks apart. It can be stored at temperatures between 2-8 degrees Celsius.
