Cbad luck has become so much The virus as an obstacle in our fight against COVID. First, it was pandemic fatigue that turned people away from masks and social distancing protocols, then it was vaccine hesitation, now it’s both. The milder Omicron version and sub-version, as well as a two-dose fortification, and possibly a booster dose, of the COVID vaccine appears to have led people to believe that COVID is behind them. But if there is one thing the virus has taught us – and brutally in Delta’s case – it is not to be taken lightly.
In fact, India is again seeing a rise in the number of Covid cases as the country registered a 45 per cent increase in new cases in a single day with 17,073 fresh infections on June 27. In the week ending June 26, India recorded 100,000 new cases and 100 deaths. , the highest in three months. Kerala and Maharashtra, which are leading the surge, have over 20,000 active cases each. Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu remain other states of concern. Delhi is witnessing a steady rise, with daily cases crossing the 1,000-mark since June 14. The capital also had a high positivity rate of 7.8 per cent on June 27.
Dr Randeep Guleria, Head of AIIMS, categorically says, “COVID is still very much around and non-adherence to COVID-appropriate behavior as well as low intake of booster doses have contributed to the spread. We need to return to the use of masks, adopting one as a second skin. ,
Experts worry that there is unrestricted spread of the virus, and the possibility that it could cause a more contagious, and possibly fatal, mutation. Of the five major types of COVID so far – alpha, beta, gamma, delta and Omicron, Omicron has resulted in the least severe infection and symptoms, but has also been the most prevalent. Dr Rakesh Mishra of the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, Bengaluru says, “One of the reasons we may have more subpopulations of Omicron is the way it has spread and continues to spread, giving it the opportunity to mutate.” get the opportunity.”
IIn fact, the latest sub-variants of Omicron—BA.4 and BA.5—are already being attributed to the current spike. First seen in South Africa in April and linked to the country’s subsequent Covid wave, they have been detected in dozens of countries and account for about 25 percent of all cases in the US. In India, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases- 49 of the two types. According to the estimates of NCDC or National Center for Disease Control, BA.4 and BA.5 in the first week of May accounted for around 1 per cent of new Covid cases in India, accounting for 22 per cent of new cases in the week ending June. 1 1
While the disease they cause is mild, the subtypes have unique mutations, including changes in its spike protein labeled L452R and F486V, which make it more contagious and overcoming immune responses from previous infections and vaccines. are capable of. And that’s where the new concern lies—how effective are the current numbers of vaccines against the new forms and if booster doses really help. Dr NK Arora, head of the Covid-19 working group at the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), is clear in his advice: “Apart from wearing masks and social distancing, we need to take booster shots, which build immunity and reduce the risk of serious disease.”
booster debate
Less than five percent of adults in India have taken a booster dose so far. Aside from the confusion about which booster to take, many people are wondering whether it is worth taking. Dr Pavitra Venkatagopalan, Director of the COVID Task Force, Rotary Club of Madras Next Gen, cannot understand this. “If People Don’t Think Twice Before Getting The Chickenpox Vaccine, Why Should There Be Concerns Over COVID Shots?” she asks. LNJP medical director Suresh Kumar insisted. “Boosters are essential to replenish your immunity against COVID-19,” he says. Dr. T. Chandrashekhar, an internal medicine specialist at Fortis Hospital, Vashi, Mumbai, says that for comorbidities or the elderly, it is necessary to take a booster.
Many of the doubts seem to stem from studies indicating that vaccines are largely ineffective against newer Omicron subpopulations. A new study from Harvard Medical School claims that BA.4 and BA.5 both evade antibody responses in those who have been infected and who have been fully vaccinated and amplified. The study found that neutralizing antibody levels were lower by a factor of 21 against BA.1, 7 against BA.2, 14.1 against BA.2.12.1 and BA.4 or BA.5. However, it noted that vaccines still provide protection against severe COVID-19 and death. Studies have shown that even those with hybrid immunity—as a result of vaccination and previous infection with Omicron—produce anti-bodies that struggle to inhibit Ba.4 and Ba.5. On June 28, its Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, recommended that the US update its boosters by the end of the year to specifically target Omicron. Omicron is not only dominating globally, but it seems to be evolving to evade immunity from vaccines that previous variants did not have. Pfizer and Moderna are working on Omicron-targeted vaccines. However, the likelihood of such a vaccine being available globally in sufficient quantities remains questionable and by the time such a vaccine reaches the public, COVID may re-mutate.
So far, India has not allowed mixing and matching of vaccines, a reason that has frightened many, as studies suggest a “heterogeneous” (a booster shot that uses a vaccine different from the one previously taken). does) governance appears to be more effective. ,
A 2022 study from CMC Vellore found that a CovaShield booster after two-dose Covaxin vaccination elicited the highest antibody response compared to a CovaShield booster followed by two CovaShield shots. Covishield is given as a booster (3rd dose) to people who have been vaccinated with two doses of Covaxin, when antibodies have increased sixfold. However, the antibody response is not as high as for a Covaxin booster in people who have taken two doses of CovaShield. However, Dr Rohan Aurangabadwala, Pulmonologist, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai says, “The main thing is the need for vaccination. Waiting for a different vaccine as a booster should not deter one from protecting oneself from the present. ,
However, many people are wasting their time before mix-and-match options are available. Pune-based engineer Anurag Bhatia says he hopes one of the mRNA vaccines for boosters is available because he has read about their efficacy online. Their wait may be over earlier this month when the Kovid-19 vaccine, the protein sub-unit of vaccine maker Biological E, was approved by the DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India) to become the country’s first heterologous booster in adults. According to the studies, after a booster dose of Corbevax, neutralizing antibodies against Omicron were found in 91 percent of those receiving CovaShield and 75 percent of those receiving Covaxin. But despite the approval, the vaccine is awaiting approval from the NTAGI, the final body that evaluates data on vaccines.
Doctors say vaccines are essential to keep death and serious COVID complications away. Dr Sushila Kataria, an internal medicine specialist in Medanta, Gurugram, says, “It seems that COVID is no longer harmful.” “Many people are not considering the long COVID symptoms – fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness – that can last for months.” The current surge may not be claiming lives, but it may leave behind the burden of long Covid. Experts hope it won’t leave a new, even deadly, version of the concern.