Ahmedabad Vaccine News

10-year-old admitted with pneumonia turns out to be severe Covid
Ahmedabad Mirror | 20 hours ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
20 hours ago

A serious case of Covid infection in a 10-year-old, with ill effects akin to those of Covid in adults, was reported at a government hospital in Ahmedabad.First believed to be suffering from bacterial pneumonia, the 10-year-old boy from Bavla was admitted to GMERS Sola Medical College and Hospital (MCH) on June 25 with fever for the past fortnight, weakness and poor appetite. OPD treatment had yielded no results.The child was taken to the hospital 5 days after he began suffering from abdominal pain and vomiting. Mirror learned that the child also had difficulty in breathing and his condition was getting worse when he was admitted to the hospital.He was admitted into the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Perplexed over such a caseof ‘pneumonia’ amid constantly rising Covid cases, even as the child had no history of Covid, doctors urged a chest X-ray.That is when SARS-CoV-2 showed up. His lungs, especially the right lung, was inundated with what is known as ‘white out’ texture now associated with the coronavirus.His condition kept deteriorating even in the PICU. The boy was kept on a high flow nasal cannula.Further investigation by HRCT scan showed extensive consolidation in both right and left zones of the lungs showing ‘ground glass’ appearance, with the highest CO-RADS score of 5, another sign of suspected Covid.Meanwhile, the boy, his parents and relatives tested negative for Covid-19 by RT-PCR. However, the boy tested positive in an antibody test, further confirmation of suspected Covid.His parents had received two doses of the Covid vaccine, said doctors.Further medical examination showed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) comparable to Covid associated pneumonia. He also showed significantly higher levels of IL-6, indicating a cytokine storm initiated by the immune system, a reaction that is also associated with Covid infection. Dr Nehal Patel, HoD of Paediatrics at GMERS Sola MCH said, “While we had doubts on the child’s ailment, the white out appearance on X-ray, a CO-RADS score of 5/5 on HRCT with ground glass appearance and subsequent cytokine storm during treatment, confirmed our suspicion of Covid.”Once confirmed as Covid, he was provided extensive treatment with steroids. His parents breathed a sigh of relief by the end of the week when his condition gradually improved. He is likely to be discharged on Monday.Dr Patel said, “Vaccination of the age group above 12 years has left those below that age group vulnerable to Covid. Covid symptoms may present themselves with age shift to younger children. So adult vaccination with their booster is required for continuing protection in the family against Covid. Vaccination of younger children should start as soon as possible.”The white out appearance on X-ray, a CO-RADS score of 5/5 on HRCT with ground glass appearance andsubsequent cytokine storm during treatment, confirmed our suspicion of Covid–Dr Nehal Patel, HoD, Paeditrics, Sola Civil Hospital

10-year-old admitted with pneumonia turns out to be severe Covid
Overweight? Taking a shot is worth it
Ahmedabad Mirror | 1 day ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
1 day ago

The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines was found to be similar for those with a higher body mass index (BMI) and of a healthy weight, but slightly lower for underweight people, according to a study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.Researchers from the University of Oxford compared the risk of severe disease in vaccinated versus unvaccinated people at least 14 days after a second dose.While overall, the findings showed Covid vaccines greatly reduced the number of cases of the severe disease for everyone regardless of their body size, the effect was slightly lower in underweight people.Underweight vaccinated people had around half the likelihood of being hospitalised or dying compared with unvaccinated people of the same BMI.According to researchers, it may be because underweight people were also the least likely to have been vaccinated. It may also reflect a reduced immune response as a consequence of frailty or other conditions associated with low body weight. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between BMI and immune responses, the researchers said.On the contrary, people in the healthy and high BMI groups who were vaccinated were around 70 percent less likely to be hospitalised than unvaccinated people. People with a healthy or a higher BMI were also around two-thirds less likely to die than their unvaccinated counterparts two weeks after a second dose.“Our findings provide further evidence that Covid-19 vaccines save lives for people of all sizes. Our results provide reassurance to people with obesity that Covid-19 vaccines are equally as effective for them as for people with a lower BMI, and that vaccinationsubstantially reduces their risk of severe illness if they are infected with Covid-19,” said lead author Dr Carmen Piernas of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, at Oxford.“These data also highlight the need for targeted efforts to increase vaccine uptake in people with a low BMI, where uptake is currently lower than for people with a higher BMI,” Piernas added.For the study, the team included 9,171,524 patients who were over 18 years old, had BMI data, and had not previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2 from December 8, 2020, to November 17, 2021. People were grouped based on their BMI.Further, people with low and high BMI were at significantly higher risk of severe disease following two doses of vaccine, compared with a healthy BMI, the researchers found.For example, a BMI of 17 was linked to a 50 percent increase in the risk of hospitalisation compared with a healthy BMI of 23, and a very high BMI of 44 had three times the risk of hospitalisation compared with a healthy BMI.While the cause of the increased risk among people with obesity is unknown, it is consistent with the higher rate of seasonal flu infections in people with a higher BMI, an altered immune response in heavier-weight individuals may be to blame.Now, identify variants in hours using CoVarScanA team of researchers has developed a rapid COVID-19 test that might help in identifying different variants of the SARS-CoV-2 in just hours. After developing CoVarScan, a rapid COVID-19 test that detects the signatures of eight hotspots on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, last year, the team now tested that on more than 4,000 patients’ samples. Their test is as accurate as other methods and can successfully differentiate between all current variants.

Overweight? Taking a shot is worth it
Healthy India, Happy India
Ahmedabad Mirror | 1 day ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
1 day ago

Despite many successes on the health front, the nation still faces innumerable challenges in the forms of diseases that are communicable and non-communicable in nature and/or sanitation facilities as well.These monumental challenges are being tackled on both the private as well as public sector fronts - with affordable healthcare, malnutrition as well as other range of issues in special focus over the last half a decade.Vastly neglected for a number of years, a large number of schemes have been launched in the health sector in the recent past.The last eight years have been about augmenting health infrastructure, ensuring affordable and quality healthcare access to every Indian, and integrating technology with this sector.A major development has been the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana under the umbrella Ayushman Bharat scheme that was launched in the year 2018. The scheme intends to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year to more than 100 million vulnerable individuals in need of the same.Towards the same, Ayushman cards have already been provided to about 180 million beneficiaries. Additionally, 141 medical procedures earmarked specifically for women have been included under the scheme as well.In toto, around 46.7 per cent of beneficiaries who have availed of the free treatment are women. As part of the same, the other aspect of the scheme has been the establishment of the Health & Wellness Centres that number over 1.18 lakh now.In a short span of time, these wellness centres have organised about 1.08 crore sessions with more than 85.63 crore patients having visited there. With the rapid pace at which these are growing, it is estimated that the number of such centres shall increase to 1.58 lakh within the next six months.To weigh down the healthcare budget of every family through providing quality generic medicines at affordable prices, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) has set up around 8,750 Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra(PMJAK) that help to save 50-90 per cent costs on medicines.Coupled with that, these wellness centres have been connected to a novel telemedicine service called e-Sanjeevani that has been providing treatment to over 90,000 patients across the country on a regular basis. This humongous endeavour has been made possible only after the renewed vigour with which the Union Government has begun focusing on the health sector.A significant testament of the same was witnessed from the way the world’s largest free vaccination campaign against COVID-19 took shape with the Government of India at helm.Along with ramping up the health infrastructure during the time period between the first and the second wave, India continued with its strict imposition of the lockdown along with vaccine development and implementation.More than Rs 35,000 crore were earmarked for the research & development of the vaccine in the union budget 2021. The large vaccination campaign officially began on January 16, 2021 with the protocol status with regards to the storage, transportation, procurement and cold chain facilities having been decided.After the implementation of the same, the Har Ghar Dastak (Door-to-Door) campaigns along with the use of CoWIN (the digital platform put in place to ascertain that accessible registration was done) ensured that the maximum number of people were vaccinated in a record time period.India made a world record of administering the highest 25 million doses in a single day on September 17, 2021. As of May 15, 2022, more than 87 per cent of the adult population has received both doses of the vaccine.The two-month ‘Har Ghar Dastak 2.0’ campaign commenced on June 1, 2022 to expedite COVID-19 vaccination coverage to include all eligible beneficiaries through door-to-door campaigns with special focus on people in old age homes, schools/colleges, prisons and brick kilns.Being implemented in a “Mission Mode”, States and Union Territories (UTs) have been advised to give an effective thrust towards full vaccination coverage for all eligible beneficiaries.After the dangerous second wave of infections in the country, more than 3,000 laboratories came up to test patients’ samples of COVID-19 virus in almost no time where at the beginning of such testing, there used to be only one such laboratory.Pediatric care units in 631 districts of the country have come up through the Emergency Response Package of the Government of India.At the same time, the government has been able to ramp up the manufacturing of essential equipment like N95 masks and PPE kits. India has now become the second-largest producer of these kits with regular supply to over 50 countries of the world.In the face of adverse circumstances, innovation has taken the front seat for the Indian government with rapid advancements on all fronts: nutrition, medicine, vaccination, education, technology, among others.With over Rs 3.4 lakh crore spent so as to ensure that a large chunk of Indian population did not collapse into the vulnerable section of those that are extremely poor, the government was able to distribute over 760 lakh metric tonnes of food grain so far.With the constant shift towards ensuring that the government is health-centric and prioritises the needs of the society, India has been able to make the necessary changes at ensuring that the condition of vulnerable and disease-prone people isameliorated through its targeted intervention schemes for the poor.A healthier society has seen vastly significant outcomes to point out that such a society is happier in general.India is putting sincere efforts to strengthen the healthcare sector.During the pandemic, the need of enough number of doctors was realised. Now, setting up of at least one medical college in each district of India is in pipeline to produce a record number of doctors in upcoming decade. The coming years will belong to those who have invested in healthcare. Health for everyone is pledge of new India.

Healthy India, Happy India
Gujarat reports 580 Covid cases, zero deaths
The Indian Express | 2 days ago
The Indian Express
2 days ago

Gujarat on Saturday reported 580 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally to 12,33,242, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,947, a state health department official said.The recovery count increased by 391 during the day to touch 12,18,817, leaving the state with an active caseload of 3,478, he said.Ahmedabad reported 236 new cases, the highest in the state, followed by Surat with 106 cases, Vadodara 36 and Mehsana 29 cases, among other districts, he added. A government release said 11.15 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far, including 39,438Saturday.

Gujarat reports 580 Covid cases, zero deaths
  • Covid cases rise by 632, max 232 in Ahmedabad

    • Ahmedabad Mirror

    Gujarat registered 632 new Covid cases and one Covid-related fatality on Friday. The death toll increased to 10,947 since Covid first struck the state in March 2020 while the total number of cases reached 12,32,662.Covid casualtyOf the 632 cases, 262 were registered in Ahmedabad, 103 in Surat, 46 in Vadodara and 33 in Valsad. The sole Covid death also took place in Valsad on Friday. Against this,384 persons were discharged post recovery.So far, 12,18,426 persons have been discharged after recovery, leaving the state with an active caseload of 3,289.A government release said 11.14 crore Covid vaccine doses have been administered in Gujarat so far, including 48,047 during the day.Gujarat’s Covid figures are asfollows: Positive cases 12,32,662, new cases 632, death toll 10,947, discharged 12,18,426 and active cases 3,289.

  • India reports 17,070 new Covid cases, 23 deaths

    • Ahmedabad Mirror

    India reported 17,070 Covid cases in a span of 24 hours, a marginal decline from the previous day’s count of 18,819, said the Union MInistry of Health and Family Affairs.In the same period, the country reported 23 more Covid deaths, taking the nationwide toll to 5,25,139.The active caseload has also surged to 1,07,189 cases, accounting for 0.25 per cent of the country’s total positive cases.The recovery of 14,413 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,28,36,906. Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.55 per cent.Meanwhile, India’s daily positivity rate has also marginally declined to 3.40 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate currently stands at 3.59 per cent.Also in the same period, a total of 5,02,150 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 86.28 crore.As of Friday morning, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 197.74 crore, achieved via 2,57,61,312 sessions.Over 3.67 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.

  • Five Covid patients admitted to Civil

    • Ahmedabad Mirror

    Five Covid positive persons were admitted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Thursday. Meanwhile, the state recorded a total of 547 fresh Covid cases with Ahmedabad reporting the highest 222 cases. Surat followed with 82 cases.Civil Superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi said that there are total 9 patients in the hospital, which include 7 women. Three are on higher oxygen, 1 on bipap and one on plain oxygen. The condition of all patients is stable.Six are fully vaccinated and two are partially vaccinated. While one has not taken even a single dose, Dr Joshi added.There are total 3042 active Covid cases in the state and 5 patients are on ventilator.

China’s Sinopharm shot ineffective against some Omicron sub-variants
Ahmedabad Mirror | 1 week ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
1 week ago

Two doses of Chinese Covid vaccine Sinopharm produced nothing or only minimally detectable neutralising activity against some Omicron sub-variants, according to a small study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.A third booster dose, however, partly restored the neutralising activity, revealed the study led by Chinese researchers from Anhui Medical University in Hefei and Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology.The study analysed 25 individuals who received two doses of BBIBP-CorV vaccine. They found that the neutralising activity against Omicron sub-variants such as BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.11, BA.2.12.1, BA.2.13, and BA.4/BA.5 “was not or only minimally detectable”.Neutralising activity against these sub-variants was observed in 24-48 per cent of people who received a BBIBP-CorV booster post a two-dose shot.The neutralising activity saw a slight improvement to 30-53 per cent among 30 participants who received a third dose of another Covid vaccine ZF2001, developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom.Further, the findings showed that the BA.2.12.1 subvariant showed significantly more resistance than the BA.2 subvariant to a BBIBP-CorV booster, and the BA.2.11, BA.2.12.1, and BA.2.13 sub-variants showed significantly more resistance than the BA.2 subvariant to a ZF2001 booster.The serum neutralising antibody titres against all tested pseudoviruses did not differ between people who received a BBIBP-CorV booster and those who received a ZF2001 booster.About 18 people had BA.1 breakthrough infection and 15 people had BA.2.2 breakthrough infection. In addition, neutralising antibodies against omicron sub-variants above the limit of detection accounted for 88-100 per cent of infections, the study showed.

China’s Sinopharm shot ineffective against some Omicron sub-variants
Covaxin booster enhances vaccine effectiveness against Delta, Omicron variants: ICMR study
Ahmedabad Mirror | 2 weeks ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
2 weeks ago

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has found in a study that a Covaxin booster dose enhances the vaccine effectiveness against the Delta variant infection and gives protection against the Omicron variants BA.1.1 and BA.2.The protective efficacy of Covaxin following the second and third dose immunisations were compared against the Delta variant and also studied the efficacy of Covaxin against Omicron variants in a Syrian hamster model in the study. The ICMR scientists also studied the antibody response, clinical observations, viral load reduction and lung disease severity after virus challenge.”Protective response in terms of the reduction in lung viral load and lung lesions were observed in both the 2 doses as well as 3 doses Covaxin immunised group when compared to placebo group following the Delta variant challenge,” the ICMR study said.The study said that in spite of the comparable neutralising antibody response against the homologous vaccine strain in both second dose and third dose immunised groups, considerable reduction in the lung disease severity was observed in the third dose immunised group post Delta variant challenge indicating the involvement of cell mediated immune response also in protection.”In the vaccine efficacy study against the Omicron variants i.e., BA.1 and BA.2, lesser virus shedding, lung viral load and lung disease severity were observed in the immunised groups in comparison to the placebo groups,” the study underlined.It said that the present study shows that administering of Covaxin booster dose will enhance the vaccine effectiveness against the Delta variant infection and give protection against the Omicron variants BA.1.1 and BA.2.However, the findings of the study are a preprint and have not been certified by peer review.

Covaxin booster enhances vaccine effectiveness against Delta, Omicron variants: ICMR study
Ahmedabad’s daily Covid-19 case figure drops by 28% to 57
Times of India | 2 weeks ago
Times of India
2 weeks ago

AHMEDABAD: From 79 new Covid cases on Sunday, the number of cases on Monday fell to 57, a 28% decline. Gujarat had also recorded a 21% dip from 140 cases on Sunday to 111 on Monday. The number of active cases in Ahmedabad reached 462, while it was 832 for Gujarat. The city thus accounts for 55% of the state’s caseload. The cases included 20 from Vadodara city, six from Gandhinagar city, five each from Rajkot city and Gandhinagar, and four from Surat city. Of the 33 districts, only 10 have no active cases. The state administered 28,679 doses of Covid vaccine on Monday, including 1,216 first doses and 17,292 precaution doses. In all, the state has so far administered 11.05 crore doses. “Case numbers are still higher than a fortnight ago. The silver lining is that hospitalization is nearly zero. The next few days will remain crucial in terms of the direction the pandemic takes,” said a city-based epidemiologist.

Ahmedabad’s daily Covid-19 case figure drops by 28% to 57
AMC to rope in more pvt hosp for 3rd dose
Ahmedabad Mirror | 3 weeks ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
3 weeks ago

As Covid cases surge and Amdavadis continue to be lax about getting the booster dose, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) may involve more private hospitals to increase the number of centres offering the precautionary dose of the vaccine. Sources said at present hardly 10 private hospitals in the city offer Covid booster doses. Of the 140 new Covid cases reported in Gujarat on Sunday, Ahmedabad accounted for nearly 60% of the cases (81). State health department data said only 4,984 precautionary doses of the vaccine were administered across the state as of Sunday, including Ahmedabad.Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA) president, Dr Bharat Gadhavi said they are in talks with the AMC to increase the number of private hospitals offering booster doses to help them achieve the target for the same.“At present 10-odd private hospitals offer booster dose services in Ahmedabad. We feel that more hospitals should be involved in helping vaccinate people as Covid cases are on the rise. We will also send a memorandum to the AMC about the same,” said Dr Gadhavi.Private hospitals meanwhile are worried about stocking Covid vaccines which often go waste as people are not coming forward to get vaccinated since the end of the third wave. Doctors said those who are contracting the disease this time are mostly showing mild symptoms.Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department, Manoj Aggarwal told Mirror that they recently had a meeting with the municipal commissioners and district officers to ensure that citizens get the vaccination facility at a reachable distance. “As part of the vaccination drive 2.0 har ghar dastak we are covering children below 18 years and elders above 60 years for a free vaccination. The rest (18 to 59 years) have to pay for the booster dose and we have kept the vaccine prices at a minimum,” he said.

AMC to rope in more pvt hosp for 3rd dose
Guj chief secretary down with Covid, daily cases top 150
Times of India | 3 weeks ago
Times of India
3 weeks ago

GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat chief secretary Pankaj Kumar has tested positive for Covid-19 amid a surge in infections in the state. He is the first high-profile person from the state government to contract the virus after the third wave. "The chief secretary was scheduled to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's events on Friday. However, he tested positive a day prior. He had mild fever and other symptoms, and thus he opted for Covid test which turned out to be positive. He immediately informed government officials about it," said sources. On Saturday, the state recorded 154 new Covid cases, the highest in the past 102 days. Out of total, 80 were in Ahmedabad city and 5 in Gandhinagar city. Cases in city almost double in 5 days From 206 active Covid cases on Monday, the number reached 398 on Saturday, almost doubling the cases in five days. The active cases in Gujarat also got doubled in five days from 344 to 704. On Saturday, Ahmedabad recorded 80 new Covid cases, the second consecutive day of 80 or more cases. Gujarat crossed 150 daily cases at 154. It was the highest daily tally for the state in 102 days. The other cases included 22 from Vadodara city, 12 from Surat city, 11 from Vadodara, 5 from Gandhinagar city, 4 from Rajkot city, 3 from Mehsana, Surat and Valsad districts among others. Out of 33 districts of Gujarat, only 10 now have zero active cases. Gujarat in 24 hours vaccinated 1,265 persons for the first dose and 19,375 for the second. In all, 5.4 crore are administered first and 5.29 crore second dose of Covid vaccine. The state administered booster doses to 22,493 persons, taking total to 36.01 lakh.

Guj chief secretary down with Covid, daily cases top 150
At biotech startup event, typhoid RT-PCR, cataract detection via WhatsApp
The Indian Express | 3 weeks ago
The Indian Express
3 weeks ago

EXPANDING RT-PCR based testing to diseases other than Covid-19, vaccine formats that obviate the need for cold chains, portable and cutting-edge wearables, and AI-based diagnostic solutions that can be activated on a cellphone. Rewiring and tweaking existing medical technologies and diagnostic methods — primarily in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic — was the overarching theme at the two-day Biotech Startup Expo 2022 in the capital which ended on Friday.There were over 300 stalls spanning the biotech spectrum — medical technology, agricultural tech, diagnostics, vaccine technology, biotech incubators etc.Tucked in a corner of the Expo hall at the newly-built Pragati Maidan complex in New Delhi was a stall of Graphic Era Deemed University, Dehradun, where three senior professors from the biotechnology department stood in front of a marquee that read “RT-PCR based testing for typhoid”.“The current method for detecting salmonella typhi (for typhoid) is an elaborate one, but is still quite inaccurate. Our research department has developed and patented an RT-PCR based testing kit to detect the disease,” Navin Kumar, Professor and Head of Biotechnology at Graphic Era, said.🚨 Limited Time Offer | Express Premium with ad-lite for just Rs 2/ day 👉🏽 Click here to subscribe 🚨While the testing kit was developed over seven years ago, Kumar said the relevance of such a method has increased now. “Before the pandemic, the RT-PCR infrastructure was not widespread, but it is now present across small towns and villages, where people have been tested for Covid-19. This has presented an opportunity for other diseases to be diagnosed using RT-PCR methods,” he said.Compared to other methods, RT-PCR is almost entirely accurate, said Kumar, adding that RT-PCR checks for the actual pathogen, as compared to other diagnosis methods that look for antigens or antibodies.The deemed university has commercialised this method under a technology transfer arrangement with Delhi-based Vanguard Diagnostics – a manufacturer of diagnostic products.At another stall at the Expo, Vanguard Diagnostics’ Director, Technical, R P Tiwari pointed out that with the prevalence of RT-PCR testing infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country, the cost of conducting such tests for other ailments has decreased.“Earlier, some labs did RT-PCR testing to check for hepatitis, but that cost more than Rs 7,000. Now, there are machines all over that will become useless once Covid-19 has eased. With just different testing kits, we will be able to get accurate diagnosis on diseases such as typhoid, malaria, and any other disease involving a virus, bacteria, etc.,” Tiwari said. He said the company has over 200 distributors that are helping it deliver these products pan-India.The geographical expanse and heterogeneity of the country also presents certain challenges in terms of logistics – a concern that was initially faced by vaccine makers during the pandemic. A Bengaluru-based biotech startup, Mynvax, which was incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), is developing a “warm vaccine” that eliminates the need for costly and elaborate cold storage supply chain systems. The company claims that when lyophilised (freeze drying), its Covid-19 vaccine can withstand 90 minutes of exposure to 100 degrees Celsius, and over a month at 37 degrees Celsius.The Mynvax vaccine for Covid-19 is being built on the recombinant subunit platform as compared to the cell-culture or egg-based technology, which enables it to get manufactured faster. The startup, which has raised early stage funding from investors like Accel, is working on developing human influenza vaccines as well.Besides Covid-focussed or led solutions, some other startups at the Expo aimed to bring out products that solve India-specific problems. For example, a recurrent theme was the unavailability of large and sophisticated diagnosis and monitoring equipment in rural areas. So, USAID-backed Bengaluru-based startup Cardiac Design Labs has developed a five-in-one wearable device that claims to monitor a patient’s vitals nearly akin to that in an intensive care unit (ICU), without the need for heavy equipment or trained care staff.The product, named Padma Vitals, records information like non-electrode ECG, cuffless blood pressure, respiration rate, body temperature and blood oxygen saturation levels, with features such as alarms, remote monitoring, trend recording, episode detection, etc.Speaking to The Sunday Express, the company’s Founder & CEO, Anand Madanagopal, said the product is seeing use-cases at primary health care centres, remote medical facilities and home healthcare facilities among others.“The device connects to a mobile phone app via bluetooth, and thereon it requires only 20 kbps bandwidth to upload the data to the centralised system from where a doctor can remotely monitor a patient’s vitals. A key aspect of this product is that it does not require trained nurses to operate this,” he said, as he demonstrated the vitals of a patient in Bengaluru on his laptop.Over the last few decades, the subsumption of various devices and technologies into the smartphone has spurred meaningful innovation in the health tech industry. Hyderabad-based Logy.AI has built artificial intelligence solutions that allow people to send a WhatsApp image of their eyes or teeth to an automated message bot, which then feeds the image to the AI engine for it to diagnose a problem. The startup claims to use artificial intelligence-based image processing models to gauge – from the photo of eyes sent as a WhatsApp message – whether a person has cataract, which the startup says is responsible for 70 per cent of blindness in India.The startup’s service for users is done via a WhatsApp chatbot, where users can send an image of their eyes in the chat box and Logy.AI’s image processing algorithms will assess the image to ascertain whether or not that person has cataract. It claims that its image processing algorithms can detect whether a person has cataract or not with an accuracy of around 92 per cent.Logy.AI says it will not charge any fee from users for its service. It said that its revenue will come from partnerships with hospitals and diagnostics firms – it plans to charge an annual fee from these entities to share users’ data so that hospitals can suggest remedies/ tests to those with medical issues.Also at the Expo was Ahmedabad-based Bioscan Research, which has developed a screening device to detect intracranial haemorrhage called Cerebo, that can find out if a head trauma patient is suffering internal bleeding, in a non-invasive and non-radiative method. The portable device, which has been listed on the government’s procurement portal GeM (Government e-Marketplace), costs Rs 14 lakh.A representative of the startup said the main use-case was for sports teams, emergency rooms and trauma centres that can operate the portable device without the need for sophisticated MRI machines or other radiation-based diagnosis equipment that also need licensing from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board to operate.The Cerebo works on the near-infrared technology, which in medical use, mainly has application to screen intracranial bleeding. “The product helps in early detection of internal bleeding. A doctor on site may be able to gauge whether a trauma patient has a concussion but any delay in judging the bleeding can be dangerous,” said the representative.

At biotech startup event, typhoid RT-PCR, cataract detection via WhatsApp
City’s daily tally increases by 33%, active cases at 342
Times of India | 3 weeks ago
Times of India
3 weeks ago

Ahmedabad: The daily Covid cases increased unabated on fifth consecutive day in the city with the daily tally reaching 83. On Thursday, the city had recorded 62 new Covid cases. Thus, it was 33% spike in the daily cases for the city.For Gujarat, too, the climb continued with 143. With discharge of 51 patients, the state’s active cases crossed 600 at 608. It was the highest since March 10 or for three months.The other cases included 14 from Vadodara city, 10 from Gandhinagar city, 9 from Surat city, 8 from Rajkot city, 4 from Vadodara, and 3 each from Jamnagar city, Ahmedabad and Mehsana districts. Out of 33 districts, only 10 have zero active cases with the update. None of the active patients were on ventilator.The state health department officials said that the steps including tracing and testing and cluster monitoring has been initiated in Ahmedabad and Vadodara where the concentration of active cases is higher.Gujarat in 24 hours administered 59,719 doses of Covid vaccine - 21,156 for 18 years plus, 4,687 second doses for 12-14 years, and 30,092 precaution doses.

City’s daily tally increases by 33%, active cases at 342
Ahmedabad records 100-day high daily Covid-19 tally at 62
Times of India | 3 weeks ago
Times of India
3 weeks ago

AHMEDABAD: The city on Thursday recorded 62 new Covid positive cases, the highest in the past 100 days. With two cases in the district, the overall test positivity rate (TPR) of the district was 2.4%, the highest at least in the past one month. The weekly rise was 81% as against 154 cases last week, the past seven days have recorded 279 cases. The city has recorded 53% of the state's total tally in the past seven days. The state health department officials said that they are in constant touch with the city authorities and mapping the cases. They claimed that there's no definite pattern, but the cases in western city areas is higher than eastern parts. Apart from the city, the other cases included 20 from Vadodara city, 9 from Surat city, 4 from Gandhinagar city, and 3 from Rajkot city - indicating that the new cases are primarily focused on the cities. The experts however pointed out that the tests are relatively higher in the urban areas compared to rural ones. The state recorded 4,981 first doses of the vaccine and 36,277 second doses, taking the numbers to 5.4 crore and 5.28 crore respectively. The state also administered 40,095 precaution doses.

Ahmedabad records 100-day high daily Covid-19 tally at 62
  • At 48, Ahmedabad’s tally of new cases hits 97-day high

    • Times of India

    AHMEDABAD: The march of Covid cases continued in the city with 48 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, averaging one new case every 30 minutes. This was a 97-day high for the city. With Ahmedabad district's two cases, Ahmedabad accounted for 45% of the state's tally. Gujarat crossed the 100 cases mark after 97 days, at 111. The other cases included 25 from Vadodara city, eight from Surat city, seveb from Rajkot city, five from Gandhinagar city and Valsad among others. Now, only 12 districts of 33 in Gujarat have zero active Covid cases. With discharge of 23 patients in Ahmedabad, the active cases reached 245, whereas the number of active cases in Gujarat was 445. No patient is on a ventilator, said state health department officials. "The spike in cases in Ahmedabad is partially due to public events and almost no regard for rules such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. The next few days will be crucial to ensure that we don't see another spike. The need of the hour is to increase testing and keep an eye on the public events," said an epidemiologist.

  • Coronavirus News Live: Maharashtra sees 2,701 new Covid infections, 1,765 cases from Mumbai alone

    • The Indian Express

  • Ahmedabad’s Covid-19 tally at 96-day high

    • Times of India

    AHMEDABAD: The city continued to record high daily cases of Covid with 44 positive cases on Tuesday, the highest in the past 96 days. At 72, it was 95-day high tally for Gujarat, too. The active cases in Gujarat reached 363 with discharge of 53 patients. In Ahmedabad, the tally reached 218. The other cases included 7 each in Surat and Vadodara cities, 3 in Rajkot city, 2 each in Aravalli and Valsad, and 1 each in Gandhinagar city, Anand, Banaskantha, Gir Somnath, Mehsana, Rajkot and Sabarkantha districts. With the update, only 12 districts out of 33 in Gujarat have zero active cases. None of the active cases were on ventilator, said state health department officials. Gujarat in 24 hours vaccinated 1,520 persons for the first dose and 22,665 for the second. In all, 5.39 crore are administered first and 5.28 crore second dose of Covid vaccine. The state administered booster doses to 19,673 persons, taking total to 34.88 lakh.

  • Ahmedabad records 31 Covid cases

    • Times of India

    AHMEDABAD: The city on Monday recorded 31 new Covid positive cases. With discharge of 25 patients, the active cases in city reached 206. Gujarat recorded third consecutive day of 50-plus cases at 53. The active cases were 344 with discharge of 49 patients. The other cases included 9 from Vadodara city, 3 each from Surat city and Valsad, 2 from Rajkot city, and 1 each from Ahmedabad, Anand, Mehsana, Tapi and Vadodara. With the update, only 17 districts out of 33 have zero active cases. The state health department officials said that none of the active patients were on ventilator. Gujarat in 24 hours vaccinated 1,281 persons for the first dose and 19,197 for the second. In all, 5.39 crore are administered first and 5.28 crore second dose of Covid vaccine. Gujarat administered booster doses to 16,446 persons, taking total to 34.68 lakh.

  • Gujarat reports 68 new Covid-19 cases, zero deaths in last 24 hours

    • Times of India

    AHMEDABAD: Gujarat on Sunday reported 68 COVID-19 cases, which took its tally to 12,25,462, while the death toll stood unchanged at 10,944, an official said. The recovery count increased by 21 to touch 12,14,178, leaving the state with an active caseload of 340, he added. Ahmedabad accounted for 42 of the new cases, followed by 11 in Vadodara, four in Rajkot, two in Surat, among other districts, he informed. The number of Covid-19 vaccination doses administered in the state rose to 11.02 crore, including 55,714 on Sunday, a government release said. The Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu continued to be coronavirus-free, a local official said Gujarat's Covid-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 12,25,462, new cases 68, death toll 10,944, discharged 12,14,178, active cases 340, people tested so far - figures not released.

Only 1.29% in Gujarat and 3.77% Amdavadis took third Covid vax
Ahmedabad Mirror | 3 weeks ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
3 weeks ago

Gujarat reported the highest number of Covid cases for the second consecutive day on Thursday in the past three months – 117 new Covid cases, up from 111 on Wednesday. Officials attribute this partly to the dismal turnout for the third (booster) dose of the Covid vaccine, coupled with people seen at public places without masks and the inflow of people returning to the state post vacation.Even as the state continues to urge people to take the booster dose, data obtained by Mirror shows a very poor turnout in the 18-59 years age group since the dose became available in the market two months ago.While the population eligible to take the third dose of Covid vaccine in the 18-59 years age group doubled from 4 lakh to 9 lakh in Ahmedabad and 38 to 79.5 lakh in Gujarat in a month from May 2 to June 9, the achieved target is not only unenviable, but downright dismal. Doctors said this points to a clear complacency due to lack of Covid cases in the past two months.Between April 10 and June 9, 79.50 lakh people in Gujarat became eligible for the booster dose, but only 1.03 lakh took it. This makes up just 1.29% of the eligible population.In Ahmedabad city, ofthe9.05 lakh eligible population inthe18-59 age group, only 34,223 opted for it, making up a dismal 3.77%.Rural Ahmedabad meanwhile, is still struggling to even break into 1%. Of the 1.95 lakh eligible people, only 1,496 have taken the third dose, a measly 0.76%.Covid cases continue to climbGujarat reported 117 new Covid cases on Thursday. Ahmedabad city reported 62 new cases on June 9, which were more than the 48 cases reported the previous day. True to trend, Ahmedabad city continued reporting more than half of the cases in the state.Vadodara city, which witnessed a spike of 25 cases on June 8, saw a decline, reporting 20 cases on June 9. There are 9 cases in Surat city, 4 in Gandhinagar city and 3 in Rajkot city. There were no deaths reported in the state.The total number of active cases in Gujarat rose from 445 to 517 on Thursday with officials saying patients are expected to rise in the coming days. However, with a low hospitalisation rate, there is some measure of calm against the panic during the second wave.Genome sequencing shows that the various sub-variants of the BA.2 lineage of Omicron continue to be predominant in the state. There have been only two reported exceptions recently, where one patient each was reported with the XE and BA.5 sub-variants, both in Vadodara city.Coverage of HCWs, FLWs & 60+ age group at 60%Thecoverage ofthethird Covid vaccine dose among Healthcare Workers (HCWs), Frontline Workers (FLWs) andthe60+ years age group stood at 60%. Ofthe55.41 lakh eligible population across Gujarat, 34.10 lakh persons (61.5%) have taken the booster dose. In Ahmedabad city,3.35 lakh of the 5.54 lakh eligible people have taken the precaution dose, which is 60.5% of eligible population. In Rural Ahmedabad, 89,228 of the 1.46 lakh eligible people took the third dose, a turnout of 60.8%.StatisticsBooster dose in past 60 days for18-59 age group)Gujarat State (1.29%)Eligible: 79,50,153Received: 1,03,205Ahmedabad Corporation (3.77%)Eligible: 9,05,623Received: 34,223Ahmedabad District (0.76%)Eligible: 1,95,715Received: 1,496In HCW, FLW, 60+ yrsGujarat State (61.5%)Eligible: 55,41,166Received: 34,10,565Ahmedabad Corporation (60.5%)Eligible: 5,54,856Received: 3,35,871Ahmedabad District (60.8%)Eligible: 1,46,707Received: 89,228

Only 1.29% in Gujarat and 3.77% Amdavadis took third Covid vax
Ahmedabad: AMC wants people to wear masks at gatherings
Times of India | 3 weeks ago
Times of India
3 weeks ago

AHMEDABAD: The city’s civic body will now have on its crosshairs citizens at public events without masks. “We will be conducting surprise checks wherever there are congregations and citizens do not wear masks,” said a senior AMC health official. With the number of Covid cases growing in the city, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has instructed pathology laboratories to scale up the number of samples for genome sequencing. An antibody survey of 1,000 individuals in the city will be conducted to understand Covid resistance in the population. The priority for the civic body is to scale up precautionary doses among people older than 60 years and vaccination of adolescents and teenagers. “Some 78% of the over 200 active cases in the city have received both vaccine doses. A large number, almost 73%, of cases are in the western part of the city,” said the senior AMC official. Officials admitted that infected citizens are co-operating less in revealing who they were in contact with. “An average of five or six individuals could be traced in the present wave. We have not been getting much co-operation,” said the senior AMC official.

Ahmedabad: AMC wants people to wear masks at gatherings
2/3rd senior citizens get booster dose, only1.5% in paid category
Times of India | 3 weeks ago
Times of India
3 weeks ago

Ahmedabad: At the time when Covid cases are rearing its head again across India including Gujarat, the state is witnessing sluggish pace of booster doses especially in the paid category. Out of total eligible population above 60 years, nearly two-thirds have got the jab. in sharp contrast, only 1.5% of those eligible in 18-60 years have taken booster shot which is not offered free by government and has to be taken in private hospital for a fee, said sources in the state health department officials.Gujarat has covered 99% of 18-plus population with two shots. It has so far administered 34.88 precaution (booster) doses, out of which 32.95 lakh or 94% of the doses are administered to senior citizens alone, they added. While the health department officials did not divulge the exact figures of the percentage of new cases with full vaccination, they said that the ‘significant' number of cases is in the working age group of 18 to 50 years and almost all of them are fully vaccinated. Thus, the importance of booster doses increases for the vulnerable population. While the booster dose is free for the healthcare workers (HCW), frontline workers (FLW) and senior citizens, it costs Rs 225 plus service charge for 18-60 years in the private hospitals. On Tuesday, Gujarat recorded a 95-day high daily tally of 72 new Covid cases – out of the total, 44 or 61% of the cases were from Ahmedabad city alone. With discharge of 53 patients, the active cases in Gujarat reached 363, which is the highest in 81 days. The cases are constantly above 50 for the past four days. To put the figure in perspective, the daily cases were mostly in single digit between March 27 and April 7, giving hopes that the pandemic might be over for the state.Dr Nayan Jani, state immunization officer, said that out of 50 lakh-odd eligible senior citizens, nearly two-thirds are provided the precaution doses. "Special drives were conducted recently across the state to identify the potential beneficiaries and provide them the vaccine. According to the policy, the booster dose for those not falling in HCW, FLW or senior citizen category would have to avail it from the recognized vaccination centres after payment," he said.Dr Bharat Gadhvi, president of Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA), said that several of the city-based private hospitals have procured sufficient doses of vaccines in hope that the citizens would come forward for vaccination."I don't think that money is the only matter. It's true that the response in free vaccination is far better than what we see at our centres – we hardly see 10-20 individuals coming daily for the vaccines. But I think that the reason lies in the low number of cases and even lower number of hospitalizations compared to what we have seen in the past couple of years," he said, adding that the majority of those getting the jabs are those who are traveling or have medical procedures approaching.

2/3rd senior citizens get booster dose, only1.5% in paid category
Gujarat: Amid rising Covid cases, vax fails to keep pace
Times of India | 3 weeks ago
Times of India
3 weeks ago

AHMEDABAD: At the time when Covid cases are rearing its head again across India including Gujarat, the state is witnessing sluggish pace of booster doses especially in the paid category. Out of total eligible population above 60 years, nearly two-thirds have got the jab. in sharp contrast, only 1.5% of those eligible in 18-60 years have taken booster shot which is not offered free by government and has to be taken in private hospital for a fee, said sources in the state health department officials. Gujarat has covered 99% of 18-plus population with two shots. It has so far administered 34.88 precaution (booster) doses, out of which 32.95 lakh or 94% of the doses are administered to senior citizens alone, they added. While the health department officials did not divulge the exact figures of the percentage of new cases with full vaccination, they said that the ‘significant’ number of cases is in the working age group of 18 to 50 years and almost all of them are fully vaccinated. Thus, the importance of booster doses increases for the vulnerable population. While the booster dose is free for the healthcare workers (HCW), frontline workers (FLW) and senior citizens, it costs Rs 225 plus service charge for 18-60 years in the private hospitals. On Tuesday, Gujarat recorded a 95-day high daily tally of 72 new Covid cases – out of the total, 44 or 61% of the cases were from Ahmedabad city alone. With discharge of 53 patients, the active cases in Gujarat reached 363, which is the highest in 81 days. The cases are constantly above 50 for the past four days. To put the figure in perspective, the daily cases were mostly in single digit between March 27 and April 7, giving hopes that the pandemic might be over for the state. Nearly two thirds of senior citizens given booster dosesDr Nayan Jani, state immunization officer, said that out of 50 lakh-odd eligible senior citizens, nearly two-thirds are provided the precaution doses. “Special drives were conducted recently across the state to identify the potential beneficiaries and provide them the vaccine. According to the policy, the booster dose for those not falling in HCW, FLW or senior citizen category would have to avail it from the recognized vaccination centres after payment,” he said. Dr Bharat Gadhvi, president of Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA), said that several of the city-based private hospitals have procured sufficient doses of vaccines in hope that the citizens would come forward for vaccination. “I don’t think that money is the only matter. It’s true that the response in free vaccination is far better than what we see at our centres – we hardly see 10-20 individuals coming daily for the vaccines. But I think that the reason lies in the low number of cases and even lower number of hospitalizations compared to what we have seen in the past couple of years,” he said, adding that the majority of those getting the jabs are those who are traveling or have medical procedures approaching.

Gujarat: Amid rising Covid cases, vax fails to keep pace
Complacency inviting Covid back in A’bad
Ahmedabad Mirror | 3 weeks ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
3 weeks ago

A steady rise in Covid cases in Ahmedabad has city officials worried even as people seem to be going about business as usual, going without masks or keeping them below the chin, getting complacent about the third dose of vaccine and sometimes testing positive after returning from summer vacation.Gujarat on Tuesday reported 72 new Covid cases of which 44 (62%) were reported in Ahmedabad, with all other districts reporting fewer than 10 cases. There are 363 active cases in the state as of June 7.Officials in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said they are seeing a slow but steady rising trend in Covid cases in the city, especially among those who are returning from summer vacations to other states, particularly those visiting north on religious tourism and those coming back to Gujarat from Maharashtra and Kerala where Covid cases are rising exponentially.The AMC on Tuesday decided to increase Covid testing in the city. Currently, the daily tests are around the 1,500-1,700 mark, which is set to rise to about 2,000 in the next couple of days. Wednesday onwards, Covid testing domes will become operational at the three major railway stations and at Gita Mandir bus stand.The civic body’s Medical Officer of Health (MoH) Dr Bhavin Solanki said that over the next week, Covid testing will be increased to 2,500 tests per day or more in accordance with the emerging situation.Dr Solanki said, “How much of a case rise we will see and the severity this time around remains to be seen, but cases are rising at the moment which is of principal concern.”Officials have determined three main causes for rise of Covid cases in Ahmedabad, which is the outlier in the entire state at the moment. However, the trend is also in keeping with what was observed in the first three Covid waves, where the cases first start rising in Ahmedabad followed by other major cities and then penetrating in rural Gujarat.

Complacency inviting Covid back in A’bad
Researchers identify rise in Guillain-Barre syndrome following AstraZeneca vax
Ahmedabad Mirror | 1 month ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
1 month ago

A correlation between a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and a small but significant rise in cases of the serious neurological condition Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), has been identified.Researchers at the University College London (UCL) said they are yet to understand the cause of the link. However, they noted that the small numbers of GBS cases observed appear similar to increases previously seen in other mass vaccination campaigns.Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare but serious autoimmune condition that attacks the peripheral nervous system, typically resulting in numbness, weakness and pain in the limbs and sometimes resulting in paralysis of breathing.In the UK, Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine was rolled out in December 2020, followed by AstraZeneca in January 2021, then Moderna in April 2021.In the study, published in the journal Brain, researchers observed that between January to October 2021, 996 GBS cases were recorded in the UK, but with an unusual spike in GBS reports occurring between March and April 2021.For these two months there were about 140 cases per month, compared to historical rates of about 100 per month.The analysis revealed 198 GBS cases (20 per cent of 966) occurred within six weeks of the first-dose Covid-19 vaccination in England, equating to 0.618 cases per 100,000 vaccinations.Of these, 176 people had had an AstraZeneca vaccination, 21 Pfizer, and one Moderna. Only 23 GBS cases were reported within six weeks of any second vaccine dose.Overall, following a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine there were 5.8 excess GBS cases per million doses of vaccine, equating to an absolute total excess between January-July 2021 of between 98-140 cases. First doses of Pfizer and Moderna and second doses of any vaccination showed no excess GBS risk.”The reason for the association between only AstraZeneca vaccination and GBS is unclear. Covid-19 infection does not have a strong, or possibly any, increased risk of GBS,” said lead author Professor Michael Lunn at UCL.”The lack of increased risk associated with Pfizer vaccination implies that it is unlikely that the Covid-19 spike protein is the causative factor for the increased risk.”The viral vector used to carry the nucleic acid in the AstraZeneca and similar vaccines may be the reason but this needs further exploration,” Lunn said.In a separate phenotype study, researchers analysed GBS cases reported by clinicians between January 2021 and November 2021.They found that no specific clinical features, including facial weakness (which has received special attention in medical literature), were associated with vaccination-related GBS compared to non-vaccinated cases, showing how difficult it is to spot vaccination linked cases from among the background cases occurring normally.

Researchers identify rise in Guillain-Barre syndrome following AstraZeneca vax
I'm just 'pradhan sevak' of 130 crore people: Modi
Ahmedabad Mirror | 1 month ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
1 month ago

Donning a Himachali cap, Narendra Modi on Tuesday said in the last eight years of his government, he never thought of himself as the Prime Minister (PM), but as a ‘pradhan sevak’ (prime servant) of the country.Also all these years were devoted to welfare of the people, good governance and security of each Indian.”In the last eight years not even once did I vision myself as the PM. Only when I sign documents do I have the responsibility of the PM but as soon as the file is gone, I’m no longer a PM. I’m just a pradhan sevak of 130 crore people who are everything in my life and my life is also for you,” Modi said addressing a huge gathering at the historic Ridge.Amid the chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, Prime Minister Modi earlier reached Himachal Pradesh capital to participate in the Garib Kalyan Sammelan.On arrival, he was extended a rousing reception by party workers and sympathizers, some donning traditional dresses, who were awaiting his arrival for several hours. Many women were present en route, waving their hands at the Prime Minister’s arrival.Amid the presence of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, whom Modi described as his friend, and Union Minister Anurag Thakur on the dais, Modi in his 40-minute address in Hindi said, “Today is a very special day in my life. I am privileged that I was given a chance to honour my motherland. I am thankful to you all who have come in such a large number to bestow their blessings.”Saying that nearly 200 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in India so far, he said, “During this Covid-19 pandemic, I also got the chance to take care of the children who lost their parents to the disease. Our government took the decision to look after these children. I also sent some monetary assistance to these children through cheques yesterday.”Sounding poll bugle in Himachal Pradesh later this year, Modi listed out the achievements of the BJP government in Centre. “Before 2014, there was concern about the security of the country, today we are proud of surgical strike-air strike.”Our motto is to empower the poor and address each and every problem they face.”During the roadshow, Modi came out of the cavalcade and accepted greetings of the people by taking a stroll on The Mall. Chief Minister Thakur was accompanying him.The focus of the visit is the Assembly polls, which are slated later this year, in the hill state. Modi often recalls his special bond with the state. He is also trying to keep his party’s ‘double engine government’ on the track by recapitulating milestones the state achieved through Centre’s welfare schemes.Speaking at the Garib Kalyan Sammelan, Thakur hailed Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.”Under PM Modi’s leadership, we have recovered from the Covid crisis. The double engine government in Himachal Pradesh has tried to work for the development of the state in the last four years.”With your blessings, we will form our government again in Himachal Pradesh,” an elated Thakur said.Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Thakur said, “I warmly welcome our PM on his visit to Devbhoomi Himachal. The relationship between PM Modi and the people of the state is very strong.”

I'm just 'pradhan sevak' of 130 crore people: Modi
Rajkot: In 8 years, never gave people reason to hang head in shame, says PM Narendra Modi
Times of India | 1 month ago
Times of India
1 month ago

RAJKOT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday summed up his eight years in office so far as a relentless pursuit of the India envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, without once allowing or doing — even if inadvertently — anything that would “make citizens of the country hang their hands in shame”. He was addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a 200-bed K D Paravadiya multispecialty hospital at Atkot, about 55km from Rajkot city, in Jasdan taluka. The hospital has been built by BJP leader Bharat Boghra with the support of Shree Patel Samaj, Atkot. “My government has provided over three crore pucca houses to the poor, toilets to more than 10 crore families, cooking gas cylinders to over nine crore women, electricity connection to over 2.5 crore poor families, piped water (Nal Se Jal) to more than six crore families, free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to over 50 crore Indians,” the PM said listing his government’s achievements during his tenure. Modi said that these were not mere statistics, but proof of his commitment to providing a dignified life to the poor. “In the past eight years, I have spared no effort to serve the nation. I have neither allowed, nor done anything personally that will make you or even a single person in the country ashamed. We have made an honest attempt to build an India as envisioned by Bapu and Sardar,” the PM said. “Mahatma Gandhi wanted an India in which the poor, Dalits, Adivasis and women are empowered, cleanliness and health are part of life, the economy is based on swadeshi (local) solutions,” said Modi adding that his government’s slogan ‘Sabka saath, sab ka vikas, sabka vishwas aur sab ka prayas’ has given a new direction to populist development. Modi recalled the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and said that his government opened food grain stocks for the poor. “We have transferred money into people’s Jan Dhan accounts so that they could live a dignified life. We deposited money in the accounts of farmers and also made arrangements for free gas cylinders.” While asserting that he did not study poverty in books or learned from television and had experienced it first-hand himself, Modi said, “When the time for vaccine came, we ensured that every Indian gets vaccinated and that too, for free!” The PM further said that his government was running a campaign to make 100% implementation of its welfare schemes and services to all sections of the society. “When there is a target to provide government facilities to all the citizens, it will automatically remove discrimination and leave no scope for corruption or nepotism,” he added.

Rajkot: In 8 years, never gave people reason to hang head in shame, says PM Narendra Modi
  • Rajkot: In 8 years, never gave people reason to hang head in shame, says PM Narendra Modi

    • Times of India

    Rajkot: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday summed up his eight years in office so far as a relentless pursuit of the India envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, without once allowing or doing — even if inadvertently — anything that would “make citizens of the country hang their hands in shame”. He was addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a 200-bed K D Paravadiya multispecialty hospital at Atkot, about 55km from Rajkot city, in Jasdan taluka. The hospital has been built by BJP leader Bharat Boghra with the support of Shree Patel Samaj, Atkot. “My government has provided over three crore pucca houses to the poor, toilets to more than 10 crore families, cooking gas cylinders to over nine crore women, electricity connection to over 2.5 crore poor families, piped water (Nal Se Jal) to more than six crore families, free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to over 50 crore Indians,” the PM said listing his government’s achievements during his tenure. Modi said that these were not mere statistics, but proof of his commitment to providing a dignified life to the poor. “In the past eight years, I have spared no effort to serve the nation. I have neither allowed, nor done anything personally that will make you or even a single person in the country ashamed. We have made an honest attempt to build an India as envisioned by Bapu and Sardar,” the PM said. “Mahatma Gandhi wanted an India in which the poor, Dalits, Adivasis and women are empowered, cleanliness and health are part of life, the economy is based on swadeshi (local) solutions,” said Modi adding that his government’s slogan ‘Sabka saath, sab ka vikas, sabka vishwas aur sab ka prayas’ has given a new direction to populist development. Modi recalled the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and said that his government opened food grain stocks for the poor. “We have transferred money into people’s Jan Dhan accounts so that they could live a dignified life. We deposited money in the accounts of farmers and also made arrangements for free gas cylinders.” While asserting that he did not study poverty in books or learned from television and had experienced it first-hand himself, Modi said, “When the time for vaccine came, we ensured that every Indian gets vaccinated and that too, for free!” The PM further said that his government was running a campaign to make 100% implementation of its welfare schemes and services to all sections of the society. “When there is a target to provide government facilities to all the citizens, it will automatically remove discrimination and leave no scope for corruption or nepotism,” he added.

Over 88% Indian adults fully vaccinated against Covid
Ahmedabad Mirror | 1 month ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
1 month ago

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said that over 88 per cent of India’s adult population have been fully vaccinated against Covid.”Over 88 per cent of the adult population is now fully vaccinated against #COVID19. Congratulations India! Keep following COVID appropriate behaviour even after getting vaccinated”, said Mandaviya in a tweet.As per the Health Ministry report, a total of 55,70,67,459 first vaccine doses, 48,93,11,452 second doses, and 7,58,822 precaution doses have been administered among 18-44 years age group so far.Meanwhile, India’s total vaccination coverage has exceeded 193.13 crore on Saturday morning. This has been achieved through 2,44,45,929 sessions.Over 3.36 crore adolescents have been administered the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.

Over 88% Indian adults fully vaccinated against Covid
  • 15 new, 118 active Covid cases in Ahmedabad

    • Times of India

    AHMEDABAD: The city on Friday recorded 15 new cases of Covid-19. With 19 patients discharged, the number of active cases in the city was 118. The state reported 23 new cases and 33 patients discharged, with 194 active cases. The other cases included four from Vadodara, three from Gandhinagar and one from Rajkot cities. There are now 22 districts with no active cases. Not a single patient is on a ventilator. Gujarat in the past 24 hours vaccinated administered 3,651 first doses of Covid vaccine and 59,444 second doses. In all, 5.39 crore people have had at least one dose and 5.25 crore have had their second dose as well. The state administered booster doses to 32,690 persons, taking total number of these doses to 32.9 lakh. Meanwhile, NID's Gandhinagar campus reported seven cases in five days. The campus has been declared a micro-containment zone.

  • Ahmedabad records 13 new Covid cases

    • Times of India

    AHMEDABAD: Ahmedabad on Thursday recorded 13 Covid cases, accounting for 42% of the state's tally of 31. With discharge of 12 patients, active cases in the city reached 123. The state's active cases crossed 200 at 204. The other cases include 6 from Gandhinagar city, 5 each from Gandhinagar city and Mehsana, and 1 each from Surat city and Gir Somnath district. There is no patient on ventilator. The number of districts with zero active cases reached 22.

  • BA.5 sub-variant of Covid detected in Vadodara NRI

    • Times of India

    VADODARA: The first case of BA.5 sub-variant of omicron variant of Covid-19 was detected in the state of an NRI who travelled to Vadodara city from South Africa where the variant was first identified. The variant has been classified as a variant of concern. The 29-year-old man had reached Vadodara from South Africa on April 28. He tested positive for Covid-19 on May 1 and remained in home isolation. He later tested negative for Covid-19 on May 10. Sources said that the man left for New Zealand on May 11. As a protocol, Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) health department had tested his parents residing in the western parts of the city too. Both, his father and mother both tested negative for Covid-19. The samples of the man were sent for genome sequencing. VMC medical officer (health) Dr Devesh Patel said that they were informed on Monday night that the man was infected with the BA.5 sub-variant of omicron. He added that the man did not come in contact with others and was largely at home. The case is believed to be the second one detected in the country. The first case was detected in Telangana. Sources said that even the case in Telangana was that of a person who had travelled from South Africa. The BA.5 variant is amongst the dominant strains in South Africa. Manoj Aggarwal, ACS (health), told TOI, “The person left for New Zealand on May 11 after testing negative. His parents also tested negative before ending the isolation. We are however keeping an eye on any other contact the person might have in the city,” he said, adding that additional vigil would be on for the persons returning from abroad. Earlier, the first case of the XE variant in the state was also detected in the city in April. The case was that of a man from Mumbai who had travelled to Vadodara and was staying in a hotel. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) on Sunday confirmed the presence of the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants of the coronavirus in India. It said that one case was detected in Tamil Nadu and another in Telangana. BA.4 and BA.5 are sub-variants of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant circulating globally. These were first reported from South Africa earlier this year and are now being reported from several other countries. The INSACOG had said these sub-variants have not been associated with disease severity or increased hospitalisation.

  • 24 new Covid cases in Ahmedabad

    • Times of India

    Ahmedabad: The city’s daily tally spiked as 24 new Covid cases were registered on Tuesday. This accounts for 68% of the state’s total cases at 35. The active cases in the city rose by 11 to 115, whereas Gujarat recorded 186.The other cases include 6 from Vadodara city, 2 from Surat city, and 1 each from Rajkot city and Kheda. With the update, the number of districts with zero active cases got reduced to 22 out of 33. No patients are on ventilators.On Tuesday, Gujarat administered 90,076 shots of Covid vaccine. The number included 40,341 booster doses and 12,922 second doses in 12-14 years age group.

  • Covid: 98.3% of adults fully vaxxed in Gujarat

    • Times of India

    AHMEDABAD: The Covid situation has nearly stabilized in the state with daily cases restricted to between 10 and 25 for the past one month. Vaccination cover and herd immunity after the third wave have played a significant role in reigning in cases, according to experts. With a major vaccination drive held on Sunday – which saw 5 lakh shots administered – 98.3% people in the state above 18 years of age are fully vaccinated. Likewise, out of 4.93 crore citizens eligible for vaccine, 4.91 crore or 99.7% have received at least one dose. Gujarat is among the major states with highest vaccination coverage, said state health department officials. Dr Nayan Jani, state immunization officer, said that they are doing everything to ensure that all eligible persons get the jabs. “For the past three days, the daily vaccination figure is above 1 lakh. Apart from the senior citizens who are eligible for booster doses, we are also approaching those due for their second doses through messages and calls,” he said. “Among the sub-adult population, a special drive would be carried out once the schools reopen next month.” About 88% of the population in the 15-17 age group and 72% in the 12-14 age group are fully vaccinated, said officials. About 30.6 lakh senior citizens have got booster doses, which is 60% of the total eligible population. There’s still reluctance for the paid booster dose, admitted officials, adding that though the rates were slashed, a majority of the vaccinations still take place in government set-ups. “Special drives were organized and awareness campaigns carried out in rural areas where vaccine hesitancy was reported. The hard work has paid off,” said an official.

Global cooperation a facade, India needs self-reliance
Times of India | 1 month ago
Times of India
1 month ago

Ahmedabad: Back from the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos in Switzerland, Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani said there has been an overswing on the side of green solutions and technologies that were still in the nascent stage, and this fact has been exposed by the recent Ukraine crisis. Expounding on the current global situation, he stressed on the need for India to step up and strengthen self-reliance across all sectors — be it vaccinations, defence or semiconductors.In a post titled ‘The Paradoxes at Davos 2022’ that he uploaded on an employment-oriented website, the billionaire stated that “the state of global affairs has forced us to confront the resulting realpolitik directly rather than hide behind a facade of global cooperation”.Pointing out the sparse attendance from China, Japan and Korea this year, he wrote the meeting was one-sided and a “cause for concern”. Countries are growing close-minded and withdrawing behind their borders as they respond to the coronavirus pandemic, according to him.“The response to the pandemic, around the world, has been a strange mix of ingenuity and global cooperation on the one hand and blatant selfishness on the other. Take, for instance, the speed with which vaccines were developed by scientists collaborating across borders (including in India) and contrast it with the deep mistrust, suspicion, prejudice, and greed inherent in the vaccine rollout, their availability and their pricing, leading to several layers of fracturing within nations and across nations,” he wrote, adding: “It is clear, in this uncertain time, that there is little alternative to effective, confident self-reliance and that we are now onto this era of self-reliance.... India is right to focus on self-reliance, while also seeking to provide an alternative to a world in need of alternatives.”"As we go through this process there will be pushbacks — and we will run into controversies in other parts of the world. So be it. Many will try to stop us building semiconductor plants. Many will dissuade us from investing a larger portion of our GDP in defence. Our principles will come under criticism. What we must keep in mind is that many of those who set targets for emissions reductions for India are also those that shy away from acknowledging the disproportionate responsibility borne by a small number of developed countries for the climate crisis. In other words, it is far easier to talk than to walk the talk," Adani stated.“Perhaps better sense will now prevail about what pragmatic energy transitions might look like as opposed to green transitions based on little more than magical thinking,” the Adani Group chairman stated.

Global cooperation a facade, India needs self-reliance
Germany approves Bharat Biotech's Covaxin
Ahmedabad Mirror | 1 month ago
Ahmedabad Mirror
1 month ago

Germany on Thursday approved the ‘Made in India’ Bharat Biotech’s Covid vaccine Covaxin.”Covaxin has been approved by Germany. The entrants will no longer need proof of vaccination as the Federal Cabinet relaxes restrictions,” said Bharat Biotech in a tweet on Thursday.”The Federal Cabinet of Germany has approved Covaxin and relaxed restrictions on the entry for those vaccinated with WHO approved vaccines. The promulgation takes effect from June 2022,” said the vaccine manufacturer in a statement.Walter J. Lindner, German Ambassador to India, on Thursday hailed the German government for recognizing the WHO-listed Bharat Biotech’s Covid vaccine, Covaxin for travel to the country starting June 1.Taking to Twitter, the Ambassador said: “Very happy that GER government just decided to recognize WHO-listed Covaxin for travels to GER, starting June 1! This Embassy has been pushing very actively for such decision (because of Covid-backlogs visa sections have longer waiting periods than normal, please have patience).”The World Health Organization in November last year issued an emergency use listing (EUL) for Covaxin.

Germany approves Bharat Biotech's Covaxin
Gujarat: 40,000 receive jabs
Times of India | 1 month ago
Times of India
1 month ago

AHMEDABAD: The state health department administered over 5 lakh shots of Covid vaccine including nearly 3 lakh second doses and 2 lakh precautionary doses across the state. With the update, the vaccination for the 18-plus population crossed 99%, said state health department officials. Ahmedabad recorded vaccination of 39,881 persons till 5 pm. In a break from the usual pattern, Vadodara took the first spot in daily case tally with nine new cases followed by Ahmedabad at five. Ahmedabad’s daily tally went below 10 after nearly a fortnight.

Gujarat: 40,000 receive jabs
Booster dose SMSs boost confusion at Covid vaccination centres in Ahmedabad
Times of India | 1 month ago
Times of India
1 month ago

AHMEDABAD: Confusion reigned across several municipal Covid vaccination centres in the city as many who had queued up for their third dose, after being reminded about it through SMSs, were turned away. They were surprised when paramedics at these centres told them that the Covishield vaccine available with them was only meant for individuals above 60 and those between ages 12 and 18 years. Those who did not fall under the aforementioned age categories were asked by the paramedics to go to the nearest private hospitals and pay for their booster dose. Nitesh Dave had queued up for his third dose at Jodhpur urban health centre, but was asked to leave. A senior AMC health official claimed that arguments had ensued between civic staff and UHC paramedics at more than 20 locations. “The confusion was caused by the SMSs as these did not clarify whether people in the 19-59 age group were to be vaccinated at municipal health centres. The newspaper advertisements did mention the correct details though,” said Dave. “Later in the day, however, we received apology SMSes along with a clarification that booster doses for people between 19 and 59 years of age will be available at private hospitals.” Dhrumil Pandya, 24, who had come to the Naranpura vaccination centre, told TOI, “Many individuals were sent back by the municipal corporation paramedics who said that only Covaxin doses were available. It was later that we received SMSs clarifying that earlier SMSs were incorrect. But it was too late. We had argued and fought with municipal officials at the vaccination centres.” Till Sunday evening, the AMC health department said that some 3.4 lakh citizens had received their third dose of vaccine.

Booster dose SMSs boost confusion at Covid vaccination centres in Ahmedabad

Read About


AHMEDABAD WEATHERAHMEDABAD WEATHER