Covid India Updates: N95 or cotton mask, which offers maximum protection from coronavirus?

Amid the rising cases of coronavirus pandemic, Maharashtra recorded as many as 12,207 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 58,76,087. As many as 393 deaths were reported in the state today, taking the total tally of fatalities to 1,03,748 in Maharashtra.

As many as 11,449 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recovered patients to 56,08,753. The number of active cases stands at 1,60,693.

Terming the low Covid vaccination coverage among the healthcare and frontline workers, especially for the second dose, a cause of "serious concern", the Centre advised the states and Union territories on Thursday to sharpen their focus and prepare effective plans for expediting the second dose coverage among these priority groups.

At a high-level meeting chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan with the states to review the progress of vaccination, it was highlighted that while the national average for the first dose administration among the healthcare workers (HCWs) is 82 per cent, for the second dose, it is only 56 per cent, a statement issued by the health ministry said.

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An antibody test, done on 989 KGMU healthcare workers and about 500 plasma donors by the King George's Medical University (KGMU), has found that antibodies formed after vaccination were stronger and lasted longer, whereas those generated after infection fizzled out in less than four months.

The study further found that the desirable herd immunity which can break the chain of virus, can only be achieved by mass vaccination and not through natural course of transmission of infection.

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Keeping in mind the safety of children, the government has issued new guidelines for treatment of children who have tested positive for COVID 19. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Health & Family Welfare took to Twitter to share details of the same. 

he results of third phase trials of India's first indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin are expected to be released next month. Covaxin manufacturer Bharat Biotech said its service provider, IQVIA, has started final statistical analysis. Raches Ella, who leads the Covid-19 projects at Bharat Biotech, tweeted that after submitting efficacy and 2-months of safety to Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in July, it is expected to instantly reach pre-print server. Peer review will take another 2-4 months.

Ella made a series of tweets on the status of the long awaited results from third phase and this comes amid a raging debate on a recent pre-print study which said that while both Covaxin and Covishield showed a good immune response after two doses, Covishield produced more antibodies than Covaxin.

He termed phase 3 trials as the largest efficacy trial conducted in the developing world with sample size of 25,800.

"The last participant (participant #25,800) received the second dose in Mid March, add two months (based on CDSCO/FDA requirements for 2-months post-dose-2 safety follow-up), and we are in Mid May with sufficient data for quality checks and analysis," he wrote.

-- IANS

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the infection. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, the country saw a total of 1,51,367 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery to 2,76,55,493. The total cases of COVID-19 in India have now mounted to 2,91,83,121, with 11,67,952 active cases, the data showed. The total death toll in the country is now at 3,59,676. A total of 23,90,58,360 people have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 in India.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

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The government has come out with comprehensive guidelines for the management of COVID-19 among children in which Remdesivir has not been recommended and rational use of HRCT imaging has been suggested. The guidelines issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the health ministry also said that steroids are harmful in asymptomatic and mild cases of infection.

The DGHS recommended steroids only in hospitalised moderately severe and critically ill COVID-19 cases under strict supervision.

"Steroids should be used at the right time, in the right dose and for the right duration. Self-medication of steroids must be avoided," it said.

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The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 174.3 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.75 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Thursday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 174,311,218 and 3,754,914, respectively.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 33,413,999 and 598,760, respectively, according to the CSSE. In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 29,089,069 cases.

The other worst countries with over 3 million cases are Brazil (17,122,877), France (5,787,125), Turkey (5,306,690), Russia (5,096,657), the UK (4,551,687), Italy (4,237,790), Argentina (4,038,528), Germany (3,715,870), Spain (3,715,454) and Colombia (3,633,481), the CSSE figures showed.

In terms of deaths, Brazil comes second with 479,515 fatalities. Nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are India (353,528), Mexico (229,100), the UK (128,124), Italy (126,767), Russia (122,802) and France (110,364).

(IANS)

Even after you have got vaccinated, wearing masks is a necessity. People, however, are still confused about whether to wear a cotton mask or an N95 mask. Which one offers maximum protection? Health Department shares that a double layer cotton homemade mask is better than none, while N95 Mask offers maximum protection. One should wear masks when away from home and also at home when with outsiders.

While the number of Covid cases has decreased in the country, it is still important to maintain COVID Appropriate Behaviour an d not lower your guard!

• Wear Double Masks
• Wash Hands with Soap Often
• Keep Your Home Well Ventilated 
• Maintain #PhysicalDistancing