Coronavirus Live Updates | ‘No need for new registration for third precautionary dose’

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National

‘No need for new registration for third precautionary dose’

The Health Ministry on Friday said there was no need for new registration for taking the third precautionary dose.“Those who have taken two doses of COVID-19 vaccine can directly take an appointment or walk in to any vaccination centre,” the Ministry said.It added that online appointment facility would also start by Saturday evening. Vaccination with on-site appointment starts on January 10.National

Centre asks States to ensure oxygen supplies

It is the primary responsibility of States to ensure that oxygen equipment is kept functional for timely availability for patient care to meet any emergent situation, the Central government said on Friday following a review headed by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.The Health Ministry added that ventilators are to be quickly installed and commissioned at the designated field health facilities. States and Union Territories were also advised to lodge any complaint related to ventilators in the online Complaint Management System which was launched on August 30, 2021.International

Omicron spread due to mix of factors: WHO

The World Health Organization said Friday that the spread of Omicron was down to a combination of factors including the make-up of the Covid-19 variant and increased social mixing.Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said.Firstly, its mutations allow the virus to adhere to human cells more easily.”Second, is that we have what is called immune escape. And this means that people can be reinfected either… if they had a previous infection or if they’ve been vaccinated,” she said, in comments circulated by the WHO.”The other reason is that we are seeing replication of Omicron in the upper respiratory tract — and that’s different from Delta and other variants, including the ancestral strain which replicated in the lower respiratory tract, in the lungs.”But in addition to these factors, the spread of the virus was also being driven by the context of people mixing more, spending more time indoors in the northern hemisphere winter, and not adhering to measures such as physical distancing.- AFPNew Delhi

Delhi refuses to mask up as pandemic rages

As daily COVID-19 cases surge and infections shoot through the roof, non-compliance with protocol by Delhiites is playing no less a role in spiking the intensity of the wave in the Capital, government sources and doctors believe.Largely immune to repeated government appeals, sensitisation campaigns, strict prosecution and advice from doctors citing its transmissibility, people are flouting the most basic of norms like wearing masks or wearing them properly.National

NCPCR asks 4 States to step up children’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage

The apex child rights body NCPCR on Friday asked Punjab, Manipur, Nagaland and Meghalaya to take immediate steps to increase the rate of COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 15-17 years as the collective rate of inoculation of kids in these states remained below 1.45 per cent.In a letter to chief secretaries of these four states, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said these states have shown poor performance in providing vaccination to children.”It has observed by the Commission that in comparison to other states and national data of vaccination of children, your state has not made enough efforts in providing vaccination to the most vulnerable population of our country which might be putting them on a huge risk of life.- PTIU.S.A.

U.S. FDA cuts gap for Moderna COVID-19 booster dose as cases surge

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday shortened the interval between the primary series of Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose to five months, as it looks to bolster protection against the fast-spreading Omicron variant.The agency expects the shorter interval, reduced by a month for people aged 18 and above, will provide better protection sooner against the variant, which is driving up infections and overwhelming hospitals.The United States reported 662,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the fourth highest daily U.S. total ever recorded. The Omicron-driven surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases has likely not topped out yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.- ReutersHaryana

Haryana postpones Surajkund crafts fair amid surge in COVID cases

The Haryana government has decided to reschedule the proposed ’35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2022′, originally slated to be held from February 4 to 20, in view of the current COVID-19 situation, according to an official statement issued on Friday.The state government has also taken the decision in view of the spread of the new coronavirus variant Omicron in the country. The announcement of the new date of the fair will be decided later after taking into account the Covid situation, the statement issued here said.- PTI