COVID19 India LIVE update: Vaccination recommendation for all 'lactating women'

A Covid-recovered patient should wait for three months to get vaccinated against the virus, says the present government guidelines. However, there is no clarity whether the patient should take both doses or a single jab would do? Now,  researchers at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have found in a study that single dose of vaccine for those who have recovered from Covid-19 is enough. 

"We studied effect of vaccine on Covid recovered and non-infected people. Antibodies in recovered people developed in first week," Gyaneshwer Chaubey, Professor at BHU's Zoology Department told news agency ANI.

Read the full story here: Single dose of vaccine enough for Covid recovered? Here's what BHU researchers say

CoWIN website, used to book vaccination slots in India, does not collect any information about the COVID-19 infection history of patients, the Union Health Ministry clarified on Monday.

Read the full story: CoWIN does not collect information about Covid infection history: Health Ministry

Mucormycosis or black fungus has been detected in the brains of at least 15 per cent of patients admitted for the infection in Government Maharaja. Of the 368 Mucormycosis patients admitted in MYH, an initial study has shown that 55 of them have the infection in their brains, and this has been confirmed by CT (computerised tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans, said Dr Rakesh Gupta, head of department, neurosurgery, MYH.

Read the full story here: Black fungus found in brains of many patients in Indore hospital

WHO (World Health Organisation) sponsors May 31st as World No Tobacco Day in order to spread annual awareness and highlight the health risks associated with tobacco. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said that smokers have up to a 50 per cent higher risk of developing severe disease and death from Covid-19.

Read full story here: World No Tobacco Day: Smoking affects immunity, increases Covid risk: WHO

Amid growing hue and cry by some states over supply of Covid vaccines, the Centre is planning to tweak its strategy to ensure people are provided with jabs as early as possible to develop herd immunity. According to a report in The Indian Express, the government will review the impact of its recent decision to extend the Covishield doses' interval by collecting data from a Covid vaccine tracker platform that is yet to be launched. The platform will be launched shortly through which the government will collect data related to people who are being inoculated as per the new schedule.

Read the full story here: Covishield single jab, mixing doses: Centre mulls tweaking Covid vaccination strategy

The Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh on extended the Covid-induced cufew till June 10 in the state. News Agency ANI quoted the CM office, as saying, the curfew imposed in Andhra Pradesh has been extended till June 10. 

Read the full story here: Andhra Pradesh COVID-19 curfew extended till June 10

The Centre on Monday told Supreme Court that entire eligible population will be vaccinated by 2021-end. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta told a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, LN Rao and SR Bhat that the production from domestic vaccine producers - SII, Bharat Biotech and Reddy's Lab - will be enough to vaccinate all who are over 18 years of age.

Besides, the Centre is holding talks with firms like Pfizer for the supply of doses. He said that if the government succeeds, timeline of completing vaccination by year-end will change.

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This data is very promising and suggests mix and match schedules may give higher antibody levels than two doses of a single vaccine. While Australia’s drug regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), hasn’t yet approved a mix and match COVID-19 vaccination schedule, some countries are already doing this.

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US researchers have identified that a special type of antibody is produced in patients who've had Covid-19 as well as common colds, an advance that may be the starting point for broader-acting vaccines. The study, by a team from the Scripps Research Institute, found that the cross-reactive antibody is produced by a memory B cell -- an essential part of the immune system.

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India on Monday recorded 1,52,734 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 3,128 deaths due to the infection. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, the country saw a total of 2,38,022 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery to 2,56,92,342.

The total cases of COVID-19 in India have now mounted to 2,80,47,534, with 20,26,092 active cases, the data showed. The total death toll in the country is now at 3,29,100. A total of 21,31,54,129 people have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 in India.

An aircraft carrying the first shipment of 184 oxygen concentrators arrived from Ukraine to India on Monday, as the country battles the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.

"Thank Ukraine for first shipment of 184 oxygen concentrators that arrived early this morning," tweeted Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs.