Moderna Covid-19 vaccine appears safe, shows signs of working in older adults: Study

CHICAGO: Results from an early safety study of Moderna Incs coronavirus vaccine candidate in older adults showed that it produced virus-neutralizing antibodies at levels similar to those seen in younger adults, with side effects roughly on par with high-dose flu shots, researchers said on Tuesday. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offers a more complete picture of the vaccines safety in older adults, a group at increased risk of severe complications from Covid-19. ....read more

Hypertension - Too Many Guidelines Spoiling the Broth

Still confused about the ideal target BP in hypertension? Join us today on MEDtalks with Dr K K Aggarwal COVID edition at 7:00 PM as we discuss all about hypertension with Dr Soumitra Kumar. Just click on www.facebook.com/drkkaggarwal or https://perfecthealthmela.com/vevent/general-webinar.php

World COVID Meter 29th September: Acute manageable immunogenic thrombogenic inflammatory viral disease pandemic

Cases: 1M April 2, 2M April 15, 3M April 27, 4M May 8, 5M May 20, 6M May 30, 7M June 7, 8M June 15, 9M June 22, 10M June 29th, 11M July 4, 12M July 8, 13M July 13, 14M July 17, 15M July 23, 16M July 25, 17M July 29, 18M August 1, 19M August 6, 20M August 10, 21M August 16, 22M August 19, 23M August 21, 24M August 27, 25M August 30, 26M September 3, 27M September 7, 28M September 10, 29M September 14, 30M September 18, 31M September 21, 32M September 23 Ground Zero: Wuhan - in live animal market or cafeteria for animal pathogens: 10th January; Total cases are based on RT PCR, 67% sensitivity Coronavirus Cases: 33,546,651,Deaths: 1,006,337,Recovered: 24,876,169,ACTIVE CASES 7,664,145 ,Currently Infected Patients7,598,798 (99%) in Mild Condition....read more

Role of Povidone-iodine in COVID-19: Excerpts from Published Evidence

The SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is highly contagious. Human-to-human transmission of the disease is the primary route of spread and occurs through respiratory droplets expelled during coughing, sneezing and talking when a person is in close contact (within 1 m) with a person who has the infection. There is no cure for COVID-19 and till an actual vaccine is available, adherence to preventive measures (wearing face mask, hand washing, physical distancing), which protect against the infection, is critical. The mouth is also a portal of entry for the virus. Throat is a reservoir for the transmission of the virus, as the virus mainly replicates here, even in asymptomatic or presymptomatic persons, who become potential sources of infection. Gargling therefore is another important preventive measure to reduce the viral load in the throat of the infected patients. Although it will not eliminate the virus, it may reduce spread of the virus into the community. ....read more

Why do we put on Tilak on the forehead?

The Tilak is a mark of auspiciousness and invokes a feeling of respect in the wearer and others. It is recognized as a religious mark. Its form and color vary according to one’s caste, religious sect or the form of worship of the person in question. Tilak is applied on the forehead with sandal paste, sacred ash or kumkum, a red turmeric powder. In a wedding, a Kumkum tilak is applied on the forehead of both the bride and groom. In earlier times, the four castes (based on varna or color) – Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra – applied marks differently. The Brahmin applied a white chandan mark signifying purity, as his profession was of a priestly or academic nature. ....read more

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FAQ 12 A: Ct value over 24, does it indicate very low COVID 19 virus load and non infectiousness

Healthcare News Monitor

Government begins anti-dumping probe into pharma imports

newindianexpress

NEW DELHI: Indicating a spilling over of border tensions into the world of trade, India has begun a probe into the alleged dumping of a certain pharmaceutical raw material by Chinese companie. While the compound in question—Ceftriaxone Sodium Sterile—is just a drop in the vast ocean of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) imports, the probe comes at a time when domestic API companies are clamouring for the Centre to actively reduce India’s import dependency on Chinese APIs. Brokerage note that China accounts for most of the key raw materials India’s massive pharma factories consume, with dependency on our northern neighbour for key starting materials (KSM) stands at around 60-70 per cent. The primary reason for this is the price factor. Pharma sector sources point out that China’s economies of scale result in 20-30 per cent cheaper prices than competitors from other regions, including India.

What’s Teicoplanin? Antibiotic that’s ‘10-20 times more effective in treating Covid than HCQ’

ThePrint

New Delhi: Decades-old antibiotic, Teicoplanin, has shown potential in treating Covid-19 and can be ten to 20 times more effective than HCQ and other drugs being currently used. Teicoplanin belongs to a class of antibiotics called ‘glycopeptide’, which kills bacteria by preventing them from forming the bacterial protective wall that is needed for them to survive. The drug, administered in the form of injection, is mostly used to treat bacterial infections of skin and soft tissues, blood, heart, bones and lungs, including pneumonia.

Augnito: A tool that turns doctor’s voice into text

newindianexpress

HYDERABAD: The Covid-19 pandemic has changed how several sectors work, especially healthcare. Here’s tool that can convert speech into text can help doctors save time in writing reports and treat more patients. Augnito, the latest offering from Scribetech, is a medical speech recognition solution that enables doctors to complete reports by dictating rather than typing or clicking. Speaking to Express, the co-founder of Augnito, Rustom Lawyer, said: “Our product has the entire language of medicine and can produce text in any editor like MS Word. Designed specially for Radiology, Augnito produces quality reports with 99 percent accuracy.” This Artificial Intelligence-based is said to capture all accents and cover more than 50 specialities and sub-specialities. Will such a Voice User Interface take away the jobs of transcriptionists?

Hindu Rao doctors plan strike from next week over pending salaries

THE NEWS SCROLL

New Delhi, Sep 29 (PTI) Resident doctors at the civic body-run Hindu Rao Hospital plan to go on a strike from next week over their salaries not being paid for three months, one of their representatives said Tuesday. It is the largest municipal hospital in Delhi and has been declared as a dedicated COVID-19 facility. Many of its healthcare workers had contracted the infection earlier. "We have been doing the symbolic pen down from 9 AM to 12 noon for the last several days but no one is listening to us. Now, the plan is to go on strike from coming Monday, meaning only emergency services will be available," said Abhimanyu Sardana, the president of the Resident Doctors Association of the facility.