With inputs from Dr Monica Vasudev

India Covid-19 scenario

As per data from the Health Ministry, the active cases in the country are now 5026. More than 700 Covid-19 cases were recorded on Thursday. The recovery rate is 98.80%. The total number of deaths are 5,30,795. So far, 220,64,88,543 doses have been administered… (Source: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, March 17, 2023). 

XBB 1.16, the new variant driving the recent surge in cases

XBB 1.16, a new sublineage of the XBB variant of SARS-CoV-2 is presumed to be driving the recent increase in the number of infections in India particularly the states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Besides India, XBB1.16 has also been found in other countries including the United States, China, Singapore. So far 48 cases of XBB 1.16 variant have been detected in India; Singapore has 14 cases, while the US has 15… (Source: LiveMint, March 16, 2023).

FDA Advisory Committee proposes full approval for nirmatrelvir-ritonavir

The US FDA Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee has suggested approval of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) as treatment of Covid-19 patients at high risk of severe infection. Currently, Paxlovid has been authorized for emergency use in outpatient treatment of high risk Covid patients aged ≥12 years since December 2021... (Source: Medpage Today, March 16, 2023).

Pfizer bivalent booster now authorized for 6 months to 4 years age group 

The US FDA has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to Pfizer-BioNTech’s bivalent Covid-19 vaccine as a single booster dose in children aged 6 months to 4 years. The booster dose is to be administered after a minimum gap of 2 months after completing the primary vaccination with three doses of the monovalent Pfizer Covid vaccine. Children in this age group, who have received two doses of the monovalent Pfizer vaccine can now complete their primary vaccination series with the bivalent vaccine as the third dose … (Source: US FDA, March 14, 2023).

Study links urticaria to Covid-19 vaccination

A retrospective study from the University of Washington Allergy Clinics has found that Covid-19 vaccination may either cause delayed de novo urticaria or worsen existing urticaria. Twenty-two patients developed urticaria possibly due to Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccine. Of these, 16 patients had new-onset urticaria, while 6 had had earlier diagnosed chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) which worsened notably after vaccination … (Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Feb. 2023).

Risk factors for venous thromboembolism outpatients with Covid-19

A study from California involving nearly 400,000 Covid-19 outpatients has identified factors associated with increased risk of blood clots; however, the overall risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was low. These are age 55 years and older, male gender, BMI ≥30 kg/m2 and history of VTE or thrombophilia… (Source: JAMA Network Open, March 14, 2023).