With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

India Covid-19 scenario

With 283 new cases, the number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has increased to 2525, according to latest data from the Union Health Ministry. The total number of deaths due to Covid are 5,30,772. The national recovery rate is 98.8%. The case fatality rate is 1.19%. Over 220.64 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered so far… (Source: Mid-day, March 3, 2023).

Pfizer seeks authorization for its bivalent vaccine as booster for children below 5 years of age

Pfizer-BioNTech are seeking emergency use authorization for their updated Covid-19 vaccine for use as a booster dose for children aged 6 months to 4 years in the United States. The booster dose would be administered after a minimum gap of 2 months following completion of the primary vaccination. Currently, the bivalent vaccine is authorized for use as the third dose in the three-dose primary series of vaccination in this age group… (Source: Pfizer, March 1, 2023).

People in Hong Kong now allowed to be without masks

After nearly 3 years, people in Hong Kong are no longer required to wear masks. From 1st of March, masks are not mandatory either indoors, outdoors, on public transport or in schools. Failure to adhere to this rule earlier incurred a fine of 5000 Hong Kong dollars ($635) … (Source: NBC News, March 2, 2023).

Vaccination reduces odds of hospitalization in celiac disease patients with Covid-19 

Celiac disease patients who have Covid-19 are at greater risk of hospitalization compared to those who do not have celiac disease. Covid-19 vaccination was seen to reduce the risk for hospital admission. The unvaccinated patients were also more likely to need intensive care. Hence, celiac disease patients must be encouraged to take the Covid-19 vaccine… (Source: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Feb. 16, 2023).

High PA-1 levels indicative of severe Covid-19

Findings of a single-center study of inpatients with Covid-19 suggest plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) as a biomarker for severe Covid-19. The levels were significantly raised in patients on ventilator including those who died compared to those who survived the infection… (Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, February 2023)

US FDA authorizes an OTC Flu and Covid-19 diagnostic test  

The US FDA has granted emergency use authorization for an OTC test that can differentiate between three respiratory infections: SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and influenza B. The test can be done at home using nasal swabs and yields results in around 30 minutes… (Source: US FDA, Feb. 24, 2023).