#Delhi Covid-19 Cases Spike

[covid-safer-hotties]

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Another great reason to keep masking: We don't even have a good treatment for long covid yet, and many doctors know simply nothing about the condition.

Global efforts to understand and manage long Covid post-pandemic, with varied symptoms and limited treatment guidelines worldwide

Doctors in India are grappling to diagnose and treat unexplained and persistent symptoms of long Covid patients due to limited guidelines, whereas researchers have flagged inadequate studies on the condition.

With the World Health Organization declaring an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency in May last year, focused efforts are underway around the world to estimate the burden of long Covid among the population.

The condition refers to the set of lingering symptoms affecting varied body parts and persisting well beyond the acute Covid infection period, including cough, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, brain fog and difficulty in focusing. The viral disease is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

While studies have suggested that about a third of those moderately or severely infected are likely to suffer from long Covid, region-wise though, incidence could vary.

A study by researchers, including those from Harvard Medical School, U.S., estimated that 31% of the once-infected people in North America, 44% in Europe, and 51% in Asia, have long Covid, which is “challenging the healthcare system, but there are limited guidelines for its treatment”. It was published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases in September.

In India, however, studies on long Covid are few and far between.

One such study by Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, conducted from May 2022 to March 2023 on 553 patients who had recovered from Covid, found that about 45% had lingering symptoms, persistent fatigue and dry cough being the most common.

“There is limited exploratory research on the long Covid syndrome with scarce data on long-term outcomes,” the authors wrote in the study published in the journal Cureus in May this year.

Understanding the long-term effects of the virus is important for developing management strategies, optimising healthcare delivery, and providing support to recovered Covid patients in the community, they said.

Dr Rajesh Sagar, Professor of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, said, “Looking at the current state of long Covid studies in India, it is too premature to say that we understand the condition well enough to know how to diagnose or treat it.”

Animesh Samanta, assistant professor at School of Natural Sciences in Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, said, “While studies in India highlight the growing recognition of neurological complications in long Covid patients, more focused research on neuroinflammation is needed.”

Doctors, too, have reported a rise in patients complaining of symptoms that they did not have pre-Covid. “People who never had asthma in the past, post-Covid, with every viral infection, they get a long cough, shortness of breath and wheezing, which require the use of inhalers or nebuliser,” senior consultant Dr. Neetu Jain, who runs a post-Covid care clinic at Pushpawati Singhania Hospital and Research Institute, New Delhi, said.

Dr. Arun Garg, chairman, Neurology and Neurosciences, Medanta-The Medicity, Gurugram, said that he was noticing a spike in stroke cases among young patients not suffering from known risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

“Similarly, we are seeing more cases of encephalopathy (swelling of the brain) without reason and having a confused state of mind following one or two days of fever. Their MRI scans show no changes. These patients have increased significantly after Covid,” he said.

In the absence of medical guidelines to diagnose long Covid, doctors are having to resort to broad, non-specific tests and questionnaires to gauge a patient’s ‘quality of life’.

Studies have shown that the fatigue experienced in long Covid is similar to that in cancer patients, with a quality of life similar to patients of Parkinson’s disease.

“We really do not have any test to diagnose long Covid, even though it is definitely a clinical diagnosis. We diagnose long Covid for people who had at least moderate to severe infection, following which they could never regain the quality-of-life pre-Covid. Checking for inflammatory markers like C-reactive proteins (CRP) can support the diagnosis,” Dr. Jain said.

“Other than routine blood tests that measure inflammation, we do antibody tests to look for direct markers. In many of these patients, we are finding rare antibodies which are very new to us and were not there pre-Covid,” Dr. Garg said.

Inflammation persisting despite recovery from acute Covid infection is thought to lie at the heart of long Covid. However, tests to measure this specific immune response are lacking, even as researchers have been working in this direction worldwide.

One such effort comes from Shiv Nadar University, where a team led by Mr. Samanta has developed a fluorescent probe capable of detecting inflammation in brain cells that can arise due to Covid infection.

The probe measures nitric oxide levels in brain cells, especially in human microglia cells, where increased NO levels are linked to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Microglia are immune cells in the brain that fight disease and help maintain brain health.

Lysosomes within microglia, which help clear foreign disease-causing agents like the SARS-CoV-2 virus, produce nitric oxide as part of an immune response to infection. The probe detects nitric oxide produced in lysosomes in response to infection and thereby allows for a measurement of inflammation levels.

This examination method can provide “qualitative information on infection status”, said Mr. Samanta, corresponding author on the study published in the journal Analytical Chemistry in American Chemical Society.

He explained that patients with pre-existing conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis (an autoimmune disorder) could exhibit prolonged neuroinflammation and loss of brain cells following Covid infection.

While the probe has shown efficacy in cell cultures, animal studies would need to be done, before testing it in humans, Mr. Samanta said.

Looking at the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, the study by Harvard Medical School had found that 587 clinical studies were conducted on long Covid, of which about 53% (312) were testing potential treatments.

Most of these were found to be conducted in the U.S. (58), followed by India (55) and Spain (20). The trials looked at interventions including physical exercise, psychotherapy, and pharmacological ones such as paxlovid and fluvoxamine.

However, “to date, only 11 of these 312 studies have published their results that were not confirmative,” the researchers wrote.

The team called for studies to look into sleep disorders which were rarely included in the registered clinical studies. Further, interventions targeting the biological processes responsible for long Covid are needed but currently lacking, they said.

[werindialive]

21 cases of Covid-19 subvariant JN. 1 detected in India, authorities on high alert

With the fresh cases of coronavirus subvariant JN.1 emerging in India, Indian authorities have been on high alert. The subvariant JN. 1 is being investigated by the scientific community as the authorities work on curbing its spread already. As per NITI Aayog member (health) Dr V K Paul, as of now, 21 cases of COVID-19 JN.1 sub-variant have been detected in the country. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is focused on the genome sequencing of the variant.

Out of the 21 cases, 19 cases have been detected in Goa while Kerala and Maharashtra have recorded one each.

First found in late 2023, the JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1) variant of COVID-19 is a descendant of the BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) of SARS-CoV-2. The BA.2.86 lineage (Pirola) first emerged in August 2023 and showed more than 30 mutations in the spike (5) protein unlike the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB lineages. The mutations make the variant highly risky with a high potential for immune evasion.

The JN.1 subvariant has been classified as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization.

Head of Pulmonary Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. Rohit Kumar said, “COVID is an RNA virus that changes its form from time to time, and new variants of it emerge. And now a new variant has emerged, which has been named JN.1. However, not a single case has come to light in the capital, Delhi yet.”

"We are on alert, keeping an eye on the Corona cases. Testing of patients is also being done, and the patients who are coming positive are also being sent for genome sequencing. So that new variants can also be detected, but till now no case of new variants has been reported in Delhi," Dr Kumar said.

"If there is a sore throat, cough, cold, chest pain, or difficulty breathing, consult the doctor immediately. Especially those already suffering from respiratory diseases and asthma patients need to take special care. The doctor mentioned that during this season, individuals with serious diseases should be more careful, as those dying due to Covid often have pre-existing serious conditions such as heart disease and diabetes," he added.

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[starfriday]

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya reviews COVID-19 Situation and Preparedness of public health system for Surveillance, Containment and Management in view of rising COVID-19 Cases in some parts of the country

It is important to be on alert and be prepared against new and emerging strains of COVID-19 virus: Dr Mandaviya

Reiterates the need for joint efforts between Centre and States to ensure efficient management of COVID-19

“Let us undertake mock drills once every three months at both Central and State levels and share best practices”

States to monitor emerging evidences of COVID-19 cases, symptoms and case severity to plan appropriate public health response

States/UTs advised to send samples of all Covid-19 positive cases to INSACOG labs to facilitate tracking of new variants

States urged to create awareness, manage infodemic and ensure dissemination of factually correct information

Posted On: 20 DEC 2023 1:01PM by PIB Delhi

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today chaired a high-level meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in India and preparedness of public health system for surveillance, containment and management of COVID-19 in view of the recent spike in cases of COVID-19 in some states. He was joined by Prof. S P Singh Baghel and Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare. Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog was also present.

State Ministers who joined the meeting include Shri Alo Libang, Chief Minister and Minister of Health (Aruachal Pradesh); Shri Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister (Uttar Pradesh); Shri Dhan Singh Rawat, Health Minister (Uttarakhand) who was present physically; Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao, Health Minister (Karnataka); Shri Anil Vij, Health Minister (Haryana); Smt. Veena George, Health Minister (Kerala), Shri Vishwajit Pratapsingh Rane, Health Minister (Goa); Shri Keshab Mahanta, Health Minister (Assam), Shri Banna Gupta, Health Minister (Jharkhand); Dr Balbir Singh, Health Minister (Punjab); Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj, Health Minister (Delhi); Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil, Health Minister (Himachal Pradesh); Prof. Dr. Tanajirao Sawant, Health Minister (Maharashtra); Shri Damodar Rajanarasimha, Health Minister (Telangana); Dr Sapam Ranjan, Health Minister (Manipur); Shri Niranjan Pujari, Health Minister (Odisha); Shri Rangaswamy, Administrator (Puducherry); among others.

Underlining the challenge posed by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in some countries across the world such as China, Brazil, Germany and United States, Union Health Minister noted the importance of being prepared and remaining alert against new and emerging strains of COVID-19, especially in view of the upcoming festive season. Underlying and reiterating that COVID is not over yet, he requested states to monitor emerging evidences of COVID-19 cases, symptoms and case severity to plan appropriate public health response.

Dr Mandaviya stressed the need for collective efforts between the Centre and the States to deal with the emerging situation in the spirit of “Whole of Government” approach. He directed for strengthening the surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network to ensure timely detection of newer variants, circulating in the country. This would facilitate undertaking of appropriate public health measures in a timely manner, he noted. States/UTs have been requested to ramp up testing and refer large number of samples of COVID-19 positive cases and pneumonia-like illness to INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) on a daily basis, for sequencing, to track new variants, if any.

The Union Health Minister urged all the states to remain alert, increase surveillance and ensure adequate stock of medicines, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, ventilators and vaccines, He asked officials to undertake mock drills every three months at both the Central and State levels to assess functionality of PSA plants, Oxygen concentrators and cylinders, ventilators, etc., and encouraged the sharing of best practices. He also urged states to create awareness on respiratory hygiene and ensure dissemination of factually correct information and counter fake news to manage infodemic and mitigate any panic. The Union Health Minister urged States/UTs to share information on cases, tests, positivity etc., in real time on the COVID portal to enable timely monitoring and prompt public health measures. He assured the states of all support from the Centre.

Through a presentation, Shri Sudhansh Pant, Secretary, Union Health Ministry briefed the Union Health Minister on the global COVID19 situation and the domestic scenario. It was informed that while active COVID cases in India are significantly less compared to the global scenario, in the last two weeks there has been a steep rise in active cases from 115 on 6th Dec 2023 to 614 on date. It was also noted that 92.8% of the cases are home isolated, indicating mild illness. No increase in hospitalization rates have been witnessed due to COVID-19, the cases that are hospitalized are due to other medical conditions – COVID-19 is an incidental finding. A rise in daily positivity rate has been observed in a few states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Karnataka.

On the new JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2, it was informed that the variant is currently under intense scientific scrutiny, but not a cause of immediate concern. No clustering of cases has been observed in India due to JN.1 and all the cases were found to be mild and all of them have recovered without any complications.

Dr V K Paul reiterated the need for a whole-of-government approach to tackle with the challenge posed by the surge in COVID cases and the emergence of a new variant. He informed that the scientific community in India is closely investigating the new variant but stressed on the need for states to ramp up testing and strengthen their surveillance systems.

Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and DG, ICMR informed that ICMR is currently working on genome sequencing of the new JN.1 variant. He urged states to monitor the COVID-19 scenario and increase RT-PCR tests but noted that there is no cause for panic.

State Health Ministers appreciated the support and guidance received from the Centre. They assured to increase testing and surveillance measures in view of the rising cases in some states.

Smt. L S Changsan, Addl. Secretary, Union Health Ministry; senior officials from the Health Ministry, ICMR, and NCDC were present in the meeting.

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MV

HFW/ HFM COVID Review Meeting/20December2023/1

[blogynews]

"Breaking: India's Mystery Virus Surge! Unveiling an Alarming 24-Hour Spike with 47 New Cases, Active Cases Soar to 466"

India Records 47 New COVID-19 Cases and 466 Active Cases New Delhi – According to updated data from the Union health ministry, India reported a single-day increase of 47 new coronavirus infections. Currently, there are 466 active cases in the country. The death toll stands at 5,32,031. The total number of COVID-19 cases in India has reached 4.49 crore (4,49,98,650). Recovery Rate and Case…

[blogynewz]

"Breaking: India's Mystery Virus Surge! Unveiling an Alarming 24-Hour Spike with 47 New Cases, Active Cases Soar to 466"

India Records 47 New COVID-19 Cases and 466 Active Cases New Delhi – According to updated data from the Union health ministry, India reported a single-day increase of 47 new coronavirus infections. Currently, there are 466 active cases in the country. The death toll stands at 5,32,031. The total number of COVID-19 cases in India has reached 4.49 crore (4,49,98,650). Recovery Rate and Case…

[blogynewsz]

"Breaking: India's Mystery Virus Surge! Unveiling an Alarming 24-Hour Spike with 47 New Cases, Active Cases Soar to 466"

India Records 47 New COVID-19 Cases and 466 Active Cases New Delhi – According to updated data from the Union health ministry, India reported a single-day increase of 47 new coronavirus infections. Currently, there are 466 active cases in the country. The death toll stands at 5,32,031. The total number of COVID-19 cases in India has reached 4.49 crore (4,49,98,650). Recovery Rate and Case…

[tdsci]

Awareness drive to immunity booster: India Inc gears up to meet Covid spike

Rising Covid cases in India a non-event for markets for now: Analysts Covid cases hit five-month high, weekly deaths at 29, highest since Dec States to conduct mock drills next week to review Covid preparedness AIIMS Delhi mandates face masks to staffers amid surge in Covid cases 3 out of 4 Indians say they didn’t take a Covid-19 test despite symptoms Covid patients more at risk of…

[kashmirmonitor]

No need to panic about current spike in Covid cases: Experts to CS

NEW DELHI, APRIL 11: In a meeting with health experts Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta was today assured that there is no need to panic in view of little spike in Covid-19 cases reported across the UT recently. The meeting was attended by the Secretary, Health; Director SKIMS; Principals of Medical Colleges and Heads of Medicine and Microbiology of Medical Colleges; Directors of Health…

[crystoex]

Covid Update: 6,155 fresh coronavirus infections in India as Delhi, Mumbai among other cities see spike

India on Saturday recorded 6,155 fresh Covid-19 infections, while the number of active cases increased to 31,194, according to Union health ministry data. India’s Covid-19 tally now stands at 4.47 crore (4,47,51,259). The death toll climbed to 5,30,954 with 11 deaths, including two reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. At 31,194, the active cases comprise 0.07 per cent of the…

[worldspotlightnews]

Ajay Banga Tests Positive for COVID19 During Routine Testing in Delhi

Last Updated: March 24, 2023, 05:03 IST 63-year-old Banga, who is nominated by US President Joe Biden to head the Bank. (Image: Reuters) India is witnessing a spike in influenza and coronavirus cases in the past two weeks World Bank presidential nominee Ajay Banga has tested positive for COVID-19 during routine testing in New Delhi where he was travelling on the last leg of his world tour, and…

[werindialive]

PM Modi chaired a high-level meeting as COVID-19 cases continue to spike

Covid and Influenza cases are increasing in the country at a rapid rate. On Wednesday, PM Modi chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the spike in the cases.

During the meeting, the prime minister urged healthcare providers and governments to maintain a strict vigil against covid-19. He also asserted the importance of genome sequencing at this time and said that it should be done more. Addressing to the meeting members, Modi also said that the Covid situation is ‘far from over.’

The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday stated that India recorded 1,134 new Covid cases, while the active cases increased to 7,026.  The situation is continually getting worse.

The meeting was held to brief the Prime Minister about the rising Covid cases in the country and to update that the average daily cases are 888 and weekly positivity was reported as 0.98 percent in the week ending March 22.

Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Kerala have registered one death each which increased the total number of deaths due to Covid to 5,30,813.

Maharashtra remains at the top of the Covid-19 spread as the state recorded 334 fresh coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The total number of COVID-infected people in Maharashtra has now reached 1648 with one fatality recorded.

The Prime Minister asked people to follow Coronavirus safety protocol and maintain respiratory hygiene. He urged them to follow appropriate behavior in crowded places.

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[znewstech]

Oil prices ease, China Covid spike hurts demand outlook

Oil prices ease, China Covid spike hurts demand outlook

NEW DELHI: Oil prices ticked down on Thursday as surging Covid-19 cases in China dimmed hopes of a recovery in fuel demand in the world’s second-biggest oil consumer. The scale of the latest outbreak and doubts over official data prompted some countries to enact new travel rules on Chinese visitors, even as China began dismantling the world’s strictest Covid regime of lockdowns and testing. Brent…

[bbbnews]

Covid In Delhi Should Come Under Control In 7-10 Days: Arvind Kejriwal

Covid In Delhi Should Come Under Control In 7-10 Days: Arvind Kejriwal

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Arvind Kejriwal said Delhi had contained COVID-19, but pollution led to a spike.

New Delhi:

Amid a veritable festival surge in the number of COVID-19 infections in the city, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today pointed at pollution as a reason for the spike and hoped to control its spread in the next 7-10 days.

“Even I am worried about the rise in the number of cases…We are…

[kashmirmonitor]

PM holds high-level review meeting on Covid, Influenza situation

New Delhi, Mar 22: Amid a spike in influenza and COVID-19 cases in the country in the past two weeks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting and directed officials to enhance genome sequencing while also emphasizing on Covid-appropriate behaviour. India has recorded 1,134 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases increased to 7,026, according to Union Health…

[hummingzone]

Coronavirus India News Latest Update Live: As India braces for third wave, PM Modi reviews Covid situation, vaccination in country

As many as 35 districts are still reporting a weekly Covid positivity rate of over 10% while it is 5-10% in 30 districts, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. Coronavirus Case and Fatality Rate in India, Coronavirus Third Wave News Today September 11 Live Updates: Fear of Covid-19 third wave looms large in India with the beginning of the festive season. It may be noted that in…

[marathinewslive]

कोरोना चाचणी करताना अभिनेत्रीची आरडाओरड; Video पाहून व्हाल थक्क | News

कोरोना चाचणी करताना अभिनेत्रीची आरडाओरड; Video पाहून व्हाल थक्क | News

ती कोरोना चाचणी देताना दिसत आहे. (Testing for COVID-19) लक्षवेधी बाब म्हणजे ही टेस्ट देताना तिनं कमालीचा आरडाओरडा केला. हा व्हिडीओ पाहून तुम्ही देखील थक्क व्हाल. मुंबई 10 एप्रिल: अक्षरा सिंग (Akshra Singh) ही भोजपूरी सिनेसृष्टीतील एक नामांकित अभिनेत्री म्हणून ओळखली जाते. भोजपूरी चित्रपटांसोबत तिनं काही हिंदी मालिकांमध्येही काम केलं आहे. त्यामुळं देशभरातील लाखो चाहते तिला सोशल मीडियावर फॉलो…