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What is the Delta Variant?

Variant of concern

The constant mutations in the Covid 19 virus have become the evident reality as several mutated viruses of Covid 19 are developing and spreading fastly across the world. The recent one in the list of the viruses is the more transmissible Delta variant of the Sars Covid 19.  Also known as lineage B.1.617.2, is a variant of lineage B.1.617 of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

What are mutations?

Simply put, the change in the arrangement of the genome of an organism is a mutation. Most of the viruses tend to change when it multiplies. During the process of replication, the virus fails to produce exact copies or replicas of itself. This results in the emergence of new strains or variants.

Delta variant as Variant of concern

WHO has identified three different variants of SARS Covid 19 virus, an RNA virus, which are alpha, beta along with delta variant. The world health organization has also categorized it as a “variant of concern”.

The classification of a variant as a “variant of concern”, according to WHO, depends on the increase in transmissibility and the nature of the variant, and the degree of its resistance to the vaccines being produced keeping in mind the original virus.

Will vaccines work against the delta variant?

According to Public Health England, different analyses have supported the reduced efficiency of vaccines against the Delta variant compared to other variants. Several studies across the world including in India show that the effectiveness of the vaccine against delta variant after 2 doses is higher than after one dose. But the overall efficacy certainly is lower concerning other variants.

What should be done to protect ourselves against delta variants?

The most important aspect against delta variant and Covid 19 as a whole is to diligently follow covid safety protocols and behavioral changes about the virus. Another significant step is getting vaccinated without a second thought as several health experts have already said that the severity of delta variant against the fully vaccinated person is low compared with a non-vaccinated person.

 

You can search for vaccine slot availability on the ‘Vaccine Slot Finder’ on the OneDios app. It allows you to have a streamlined and uncomplicated experience while searching for your vaccine slot. You have to simply enter your Pincode to get the relevant information about slot availability. OneDios COVID 19 Vaccine Slot Finder empowers you to efficiently check available vaccine slots in your area by making the process easygoing, painless, and reliable.

You can also track vaccine-related statistics on the “Vaccination Dashboard” available on the OneDios app. The data for the dashboard is sourced from official Co-Win Statistics. Through this dashboard, you can stay informed about the number of sites conducting vaccination and total vaccination doses in real-time. Relevant data and trends are presented in user-friendly graphs, categories, and visual formats for greater access. You can also check updated data by selecting your state or district to know about specific statistics

 

 
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Is Third Wave Inevitable in India?

 

India has just emerged from the crisis posed by the second wave and the COVID case rate is on a constant decline. Many state governments have started to relax the strict lockdown measures.

But just as we had a sigh of relief, news of the impending third wave has started pouring in. Niti Ayog member VK Saswat has emphasized that India needs to prepare for the ‘inevitable’ third wave of the Coronavirus Pandemic. The third wave is expected to affect the younger people more and vaccination is the only way forward. Another challenge in combating the Coronavirus waves is the constantly mutating nature of the virus. The Kappa and Delta variant of the coronavirus was responsible for wreaking havoc across the country during the second wave. A new variant called Delta plus or AY.1 of coronavirus has been already identified in a few states. But this strain is not yet classified as a variant of concern.

What is an epidemic wave?

 

There is no universally accepted definition for an infection wave. The term ‘wave’ is used to signify the increasing or decreasing trend of the caseload in a country or a region. It can also be used to refer to the seasonality of an infection. Coronavirus disease has affected every country in the world but there is a clear trend of the abrupt rise and consequent fall in the number of positive cases. So far there have been two waves in India. It also differs from state to state. For example, the NCT of Delhi has experienced four distinct waves since the outbreak.

 

Is a Third Wave Inevitable?

 

Currently, the second wave has subsided, and the number of cases is on a declining trend. But many renowned epidemiologists have warned of an impending third wave. The problem is aggravated due to constant mutations and recurring variants of the coronavirus. If in the coming months, the coronavirus cases are again on an increasing trend and the trend continues for several weeks, then it will be qualified as the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. States like TN and Karnataka have already experienced a slight increase in the number of cases but the national trend continues to subside.

 

Will it be more Dangerous?

 

Generally, as the virus infects more and more people, the increasing size of the population develops an acquired immunity against it. So theoretically the consequent waves of the viruses are supposed to be milder. However, this theoretical explanation is defeated by the constantly changing nature of the virus. So far every emerging variant is more infectious and lethal. There are studies going on to find out the efficacy of vaccines against the emerging variants. Many commentators have predicted that the third wave might be more lethal due to these reasons. However, in the paucity of data and predictive models, the consequent trend of infectivity and mortality of the virus remains uncertain. The only way to protect oneself against the coronavirus disease is to get vaccinated and practice covid appropriate behavior like double masking and physical distancing.

 

You can search for vaccine slot availability on the ‘Vaccine Slot Finder’ on the OneDios app. It allows you to have a streamlined and uncomplicated experience while searching for your vaccine slot. You have to simply enter your Pincode to get the relevant information about slot availability. OneDios COVID 19 Vaccine Slot Finder empowers you to efficiently check available vaccine slots in your area by making the process easygoing, painless, and reliable.

You can also track vaccine-related statistics on the “Vaccination Dashboard” available on the OneDios app. The data for the dashboard is sourced from official Co-Win Statistics. Through this dashboard, you can stay informed about the number of sites conducting vaccination and total vaccination doses in real-time. Relevant data and trends are presented in user-friendly graphs, categories, and visual formats for greater access. You can also check updated data by selecting your state or district to know about specific statistics.

 

 

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Industry Talk

How Vaccines are made?

The recent outbreak of the coronavirus has interested many peoples for the scientific know-how of vaccine manufacturing and production. The main purpose of vaccines is to generate antigens against the respective viruses and to enhance the immune response of the body in fighting against them. There are several vaccines available in the market for a variety of viral and infectious diseases. A lot of scientific parameters are necessary to be followed in the process of manufacturing vaccines. It starts with the study of the nature of viruses and goes through various clinical trials and errors in order to make it as effective and safe as possible.

 

Ingredients in a vaccine:

  • Antigen

According to the information available on the WHO website, the key ingredient that goes into the manufacturing of any vaccines is an antigen. An antigen is either the small part of the disease-causing virus or even the whole organism but in weakened or altered form to make the body learn about the nature of the virus. This antigen can be anything like in the form of sugar or protein. The selection of antigen forms the most important part of the manufacturing processes as it includes genomics or genome sequencing to find the most appropriate and effective genes that can be used as antigens.

 

  • Adaptations of Right Platform

Now the next step in vaccine production is about the adaptation of the right platforms. This primarily means employing different methods like modification around genes or inducing genetic engineering in the structure of DNA or RNA to produce desired antigens inside the body.

 

  • Preservatives

The other important component is the preservative that maintains the quality of vaccines, and prevents vaccines from contaminations. The most common and widely used preservative is 2-phenoxyethanol.

 

  • Stabilizers and Surfactants

Stabilizers prevent chemical reactions from occurring within the vaccine. It can be sugars (lactose, sucrose), amino acids (glycine), gelatin, and proteins (recombinant human albumin, derived from yeast). And the function of Surfactant is to keep all ingredients in the vaccines blended together and prevent the originality of vaccines.

 

  • Residuals

Residuals also form an important ingredient of vaccine manufacturing and depend on the processes that are utilized for manufacturing. Egg proteins, yeast, or antibiotics are some examples of residuals.

 

  • Diluent

The primary use of diluent is to maintain the appropriate liquid concentration of vaccines. The most commonly used diluent is sterile water.

 

  • Adjuvant

The adjuvants are used to improve the immune response to vaccines. For any antigen that induces a weak response, adjuvants are added to enhance their efficacy and quality. It is also used to overcome the limitations in vaccine productions by lowering the doses required for vaccinations. Aluminum salts (like aluminum phosphate, aluminum hydroxide or potassium aluminum sulfate) are commonly used adjuvants that are not harmful to the human body.

 

You can search for vaccine slot availability on the ‘Vaccine Slot Finder’ on the OneDios app. It allows you to have a streamlined and uncomplicated experience while searching for your vaccine slot. You have to simply enter your Pincode to get the relevant information about slot availability. OneDios COVID 19 Vaccine Slot Finder empowers you to efficiently check available vaccine slots in your area by making the process easygoing, painless, and reliable.

You can also track vaccine-related statistics on the “Vaccination Dashboard” available on the OneDios app. The data for the dashboard is sourced from official Co-Win Statistics. Through this dashboard, you can stay informed about the number of sites conducting vaccination and total vaccination doses in real-time. Relevant data and trends are presented in user-friendly graphs, categories, and visual formats for greater access. You can also check updated data by selecting your state or district to know about specific statistics.

 

 
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Tackling with Vaccine Hesitancy.

It has been over a year since the COVID-19 and the government of India has allowed vaccination of the 18-45yr age group. Earlier it was restricted to people of age above 45 and healthcare or frontline workers. It has now become common knowledge that vaccines are the ultimate tool that can save lives and livelihood. Vaccines are also important to get the economy back on track. But, it has been observed that due to vaccine misinformation and ‘information overload’, vaccine hesitancy is on the rise. Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in people accepting vaccination as a robust public health intervention. It leads to people either refusing to take vaccines or doubting the vaccines due to misinformation and rumors. WHO has referred to vaccine hesitancy as one of the top threats to global health.

Here are a few points to address vaccine hesitancy:

1. Vaccination protects you from getting sick

Experts and authorities have consistently stressed the fact that vaccines can prevent death and the severity of the infection. A vaccine trains your body to develop specific antibodies to fight any future infection, hence protecting you from the disease. These vaccines provide a boost to your body’s immunity system.

2. vaccination helps others in your community

The elders and people with co-morbidities like diabetes and heart diseases are more vulnerable to severe COVID infection. The chain of transmission can be broken if more people get vaccinated in a community, thus creating a protective shield around themselves. Each person getting a vaccine reduces the chance of spreading it to others who might not have received their vaccine or the vulnerable sections.

 3. Vaccines are safe

Samiran Panda, Head of ECD division in ICMR says, “ Vaccines are one of the most important public health tools we have to mitigate the impact of infectious diseases”. Governments across the globe are concerned about the health impacts of any large-scale public health intervention. They approve a vaccine for public use only after rigorous human trials have been conducted and data is favorable to public use. WHO has released a robust mechanism for vaccine trials to test its efficacy and safety.

4. Side effects are temporary

Since COVID vaccines do not contain any live virus, you will not get infected due to the vaccines. You might experience a few side effects like a sore arm, mild fever, and body aches. But these side effects are temporary. And these side effects only mean that your immune system is fighting back and responding to the vaccine by developing antibodies against the infection.

5. Vaccines provide extra protection if you have already had COVID

As per the current guidelines you should still get vaccinated even if you have been infected with COVID earlier. This is because antibodies by the previous infection are not permanent and they might disappear after a few months. This would leave you susceptible to the COVID again. 

You can search for vaccine slot availability on the ‘Vaccine Slot Finder’ on the OneDios app. It allows you to have a streamlined and uncomplicated experience while searching for your vaccine slot. You have to simply enter your Pincode to get the relevant information about slot availability. OneDios COVID 19 Vaccine Slot Finder empowers you to efficiently check available vaccine slots in your area by making the process easygoing, painless, and reliable.

You can also track vaccine-related statistics on the “Vaccination Dashboard” available on the OneDios app. The data for the dashboard is sourced from official Co-Win Statistics. Through this dashboard, you can stay informed about the number of sites conducting vaccination and total vaccination doses in real-time. Relevant data and trends are presented in user-friendly graphs, categories, and visual formats for greater access. You can also check updated data by selecting your state or district to know about specific statistics.

 

 

 
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Vaccine myth : Don’t believe these Vaccine myths.

Since the vaccines against COVID-19 are developed in a record short period of time, there are a lot of misconceptions around the subject. The outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic last year took the scientific community by surprise. SARS-COV-2 virus which causes coronavirus disease is a novel virus and no cure for the virus was available. It caused infections in country after country and spread throughout the world like wildfire. Scientists and researchers deserve applause for being able to develop vaccines in a record short time against this deadly virus. Given that vaccines are the only available defense against this disease, it is important to bust myths around vaccination arising due to Vaccine misinformation. And it is also important to acknowledge that vaccines are the only hope to save lives and livelihoods.

 

1. Myth: Vaccines are unsafe because they were developed too early

Fact: It has been decades of scientific advances and research that goes into the development and trials of vaccines today. The scientific community was able to develop the COVID vaccine early because they had years of reliable research in vaccine technology available. As Science and technology have progressed rapidly, genomic sequencing of the coronavirus could also be achieved quickly. There are robust mechanisms to test the vaccines in-vitro and conduct trials on humans. A vaccine is approved by authorities only when there is complete evidence of its efficacy and safety.

 

2. Myth: You can contract COVID due to vaccines so why get vaccinated?

Fact: Vaccines do not contain any live viruses. Whole virus vaccine technology only uses attenuated or inactivated viruses to trigger an immune response inside the human body. They are not strong enough to cause an infection. Other vaccine technologies like nucleic acid RNA and DNA vaccines use only the spike protein to mimic an infection so that body can develop antibodies against the virus to prevent any future infection. According to the experts, even if someone contracts COVID after getting vaccinated, the severity of the disease would be very mild. So Vaccines definitely reduce mortality. 

 

3. Myth: People with comorbidities shouldn’t get vaccinated

Fact: People suffering from co-morbidities like diabetes and hypertension are at a greater risk of contracting a severe disease. So it is even more pertinent for them to get vaccinated. The vaccine policy of India had initiated a graded process in the beginning. After the health staff and frontline workers, the population with co-morbidities above 45yr of age was made eligible to get vaccinated. It is suggested that you consult the doctor who manages your conditions in case you have concerns.

 

4. Myth: After getting vaccinated, you don’t need to wear a mask 

Fact: Even after getting a vaccine, you need to practice social distancing and wear a mask when in public. This is because a huge chunk of the population hasn’t still been able to get their vaccine doses. Even if you are vaccinated you might still spread it to others who are not vaccinated. Another reason to not let down your guard is that none of the vaccines claims 100% efficacy, so you might still get infected with a much-decreased severity of the disease.

 

5. Myth: Pregnant women shouldn’t get vaccinated

Fact: Vaccine policies are modified as more reliable data emerges. According to CDC, it is absolutely fine for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers to get vaccinated. These decisions are supposed to be made by experts on a case-by-case basis. It is advised to consult the doctor and take action accordingly.

 

You can search for vaccine slot availability on the ‘Vaccine Slot Finder’ on the OneDios app. It allows you to have a streamlined and uncomplicated experience while searching for your vaccine slot. You have to simply enter your Pincode to get the relevant information about slot availability. OneDios COVID 19 Vaccine Slot Finder empowers you to efficiently check available vaccine slots in your area by making the process easygoing, painless, and reliable.

You can also track vaccine-related statistics on the “Vaccination Dashboard” available on the OneDios app. The data for the dashboard is sourced from official Co-Win Statistics. Through this dashboard, you can stay informed about the number of sites conducting vaccination and total vaccination doses in real-time. Relevant data and trends are presented in user-friendly graphs, categories, and visual formats for greater access. You can also check updated data by selecting your state or district to know about specific statistics.

 

 

 
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Covaxin or Covishield : Which Vaccine is more effective?

The COVID-19 Pandemic brought the world to a standstill and continues to infect millions. Besides claiming the lives of people, it adversely impacted the livelihoods of many. Vaccines are considered the ultimate defense against COVID-19 since no medication or proven cure is so far available. The vaccines available in the market claim varying efficacy against the SARS-COV-2 virus. To understand which vaccine is best in comparable terms, it is important to understand the types of vaccines and the technology used in their development.

 

As per the classification of WHO, there are four kinds of COVID-19 vaccines developed so far in different parts of the world.

1. Whole Virus 

Whole virus vaccines use conventional technology of attenuated or inactivated viruses to trigger an immune response in your body. Live attenuated virus consists of a weakened viral component. It can still replicate but would not cause illness and can effectively initiate an immune response. Inactivated virus vaccines on the other hand utilize the virus whose genetic material has been altered so that it does not replicate. But it can efficiently trigger an immune response in the body. Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN falls under this category.

2. Protein Subunit

 

Protein subunit vaccines use fragments of pathogen proteins to trigger an immune response. They are considered safer with a reduced risk of side effects. This is because a live or attenuated virus is not involved. But the immune response might be weaker in this case. Hence, adjuvants are required to boost the response. Hepatitis B virus vaccine is an example of an existing subunit protein vaccine.

3. Nucleic Acid

 

Nucleic acid vaccines use high-end technology of utilizing genetic material or spike protein of Coronavirus. DNA or RNA is the genetic material that carries instructions to trigger the formation of antigens in the human cell itself. These antigens inside the body then trigger an immune response and antibodies. Nucleic acid vaccines are cheaper and hold the potential of scalable manufacturing when there is a need to vaccinate a large population. But one disadvantage associated with these vaccines is storage and logistics limitations. RNA and DNA vaccines need to be stored in ultra-cold temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius, which is a huge impediment in resource-poor countries.

4. Viral Vector

Viral vector vaccines also carry genetic material as instruction, but they use the harmless virus as a vector. This vector virus is different from the one that the vaccine is trying to provide immunity against. For example, chimpanzee adenovirus is currently used as a vector that causes the common cold, to target COVID 19. Viral vector vaccines are said to trigger a very strong immune response because they can mimic a natural viral infection inside the body. Although, on the downside, some people might already be infected with the viral vector. Hence reducing the efficacy in a few cases. COVISHIELD developed by AstraZeneca and manufactured by Serum Institute of India is a viral vector vaccine.

COVISHIELD or COVAXIN ?

 The answer to the question “which vaccine is best for you?” depends on multiple factors. Some of the factors are availability, manufacturing capability, and whether multiple options are available in the market. COVISHIELD and COVAXIN are the two vaccines available in India so far and both have shown good efficacy against the COVID-19. Both of the vaccines exhibit effective immune responses and have proven to reduce the severity of the disease. The battle against the COVID-19 pandemic is a collective struggle to get back to the ‘normal’ and save lives and livelihoods. Hence, it is the individual responsibility of each citizen to book their vaccine slots and get vaccinated as and when possible and ensure COVID appropriate behavior.

You can search for vaccine slot availability on the ‘Vaccine Slot Finder’ on the OneDios app. It allows you to have a streamlined and uncomplicated experience while searching for your vaccine slot. You have to simply enter your Pincode to get the relevant information about slot availability. OneDios COVID 19 Vaccine Slot Finder empowers you to efficiently check available vaccine slots in your area by making the process easygoing, painless, and reliable.

You can also track vaccine-related statistics on the “Vaccination Dashboard” available on the OneDios app. The data for the dashboard is sourced from official Co-Win Statistics. Through this dashboard, you can stay informed about the number of sites conducting vaccination and total vaccination doses in real-time. Relevant data and trends are presented in user-friendly graphs, categories, and visual formats for greater access. You can also check updated data by selecting your state or district to know about specific statistics.