Covid India Updates: Pneumonia vaccine protects against Coronavirus? Debunking harmful myths

Delay in giving second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by 12 weeks increases antibody response in older people by three-and-a-half times compared to those who receive it at a three-week interval, according to a study conducted in the UK. The finding comes days after the UK government reduced the gap between the two doses of COVID-19 vaccines to eight weeks, while India extended the interval between two doses of the Covishield preventive to 12-16 weeks, up from the previous maximum of eight weeks.

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Achieving herd immunity against the COVID-19 may be unrealistic due to the mutations of the virus that causes it, South African experts have said, as they called for long-term vaccination strategies amid uncertainty about current vaccine efficacy.

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Maharashtra recorded as many as 29,644 coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the tally of infections in the state to 55,27,092, the death toll increased to 86,618 with 555 new fatalities. As many as 44,493 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recovered patients to 50,70,801, The number of active cases stands at 3,67,121.

Maharashtra's recovery rate of COVID-19 cases is 91.74 per cent, while the fatality rate is 1.57 per cent.

Currently, 27,94,457 people are in home quarantine and 20,946 are in institutional quarantine.

Amid rise of mucormycosis (black fungus) infection, diabetic patients are advised to frequently monitor and control their blood sugar levels. Diabetic patients (those with uncontrolled diabetes), steroid usage and being Corona positive, a combination of these factors places one under risk of getting mucormycosis. Therefore, diabetic patients should regularly monitor and control their blood sugar levels.

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Delay in giving second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by 12 weeks increases antibody response in older people by three-and-a-half times compared to those who receive it at a three-week interval, according to a study conducted in the UK. The finding comes days after the UK government reduced the gap between the two doses of COVID-19 vaccines to eight weeks, while India extended the interval between two doses of the Covishield preventive to 12-16 weeks, up from the previous maximum of eight weeks.

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The memes are intended to remind people to take precautions amid the ongoing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. These funny memes feature dialogues of actors Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Ayushmann Khurrana and Kajol, and are humorous as well as informative. Click here for details

Delhi recorded as many as 3,009 fresh coronavirus cases on Friday, the lowest since April 1. With this, the tally of COVID-19 cases in the national capital has reached over 14.12 lakh, while the death toll mounted to 22,831. As many as 252 fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.

This is the lowest daily cases count since April 1 when 2,790 cases and nine deaths were recorded. The COVID-19 positivity rate in the national capital dipped to 4.76 per cent.

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White fungus is four times more dangerous than black fungus. It damages many parts of the body and spreads in the lungs. It also shows severe effects on the kidney, mouth, skin, and brain. Young children are also being affected by white fungus. How are symptoms of white fungus different from Black fungus? How can you detect the early signs? Who is more at risk? Know all the answers here. 

According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) head Dr Balram Bhargava, the immunity after the first dose of Covishield was found to be strong and that the three months gap will give the best results. Know more details here.

What is the Varanasi model to fight COVID 19. Watch PM Modi's live session.

Only 24 hours after recording less than 4,000 deaths, India on Friday once gain breached the grim milestone as daily fatalities due to Covid-19 rose to 4,209, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, even as new cases dropped to its lowest at 2,59,551 in exactly a month. India registered record deaths due to Covid on Wednesday with 4,529 deaths -- the highest number of fatalities from Covid infection in any country so far. It surpassed 4,468 deaths in the US on January 12, and earlier 4,211 in Brazil on April 6. These three are the worst-hit by the pademic.

Fresh Covid cases came down below the three lakh-mark for the first time on May 17 after touching record high of 4,14,188 on May 7. India's overall tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 2,60,31,991 with 30,27,925 active cases and 2,91,331 deaths so far.

There have been many myths doing the rounds about Covid and vaccines. people are confused if Pneumonia vaccines help in staying protected from the coronavirus. Debunking the myth, health experts reveal that Pneumonia vaccines are for specific organisms causing different infections. Therefore, administering a pneumonia vaccine does not give protection against Covid19.

India is already grappling with cases of Mucormycosis, commonly known as Black Fungus. Multiple cases and deaths related to it have been reported in different parts of the county. Now, a new hurdle stands in front of the medical fraternity as cases of White Fungus have been seen in Bihar. Medical experts say that 'white fungus' is more deadly than mucormycosis as it affects other organs of the body besides the lungs. Four patients have been diagnosed with 'white fungus' in Patna.

Know more about what is White Fungus? How is it more dangerous than Black Fungus?