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More studies show the superiority of hybrid immunity

Differences between the memory B cells triggered by infection, vaccination might also underlie the heightened responses of hybrid immunity

Yet another study has shown that a combination of natural infection with a single dose of vaccine provides greater immunity than either natural infection without vaccination or full vaccination in infection-naïve individuals. People without prior infection but fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine showed a decline in neutralising antibodies over a period of three to seven months. But the decline was much less in vaccinated people with prior infection.

Though 500 health-care workers with or without prior infection were vaccinated, those with hybrid immunity — natural immunity from an infection combined with the immunity provided by the vaccine — had a higher and more durable neutralising antibody response. The hybrid immunity offers stronger protection than just infection or full vaccination alone.

Neutralising antibodies

The study, posted in the preprint server medRxiv on October 19 (preprints are yet to be peer-reviewed), has found that in 500 health-care workers, the neutralising antibodies were twofold more in people immunised with Pfizer vaccine following natural infection compared with people immunised with Pfizer vaccine but without prior infection.

In the case of people vaccinated with AstraZeneca following natural infection, the neutralising antibodies were threefold more than in vaccinated people with no prior infection.

Early evidence

One of the early evidences of hybrid immunity being better than full vaccination in people without a prior infection came in end-April. The results posted in preprint server medRxiv found that vaccination led to increased levels of neutralizing antibodies against variants in people who had been previously infected compared with those without a prior infection.

An earlier study posted on August 25 in the preprint server medRxiv found that compared with vaccine-induced immunity from two doses of Pfizer vaccine, natural immunity conferred longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalisation caused by the Delta variant in Israel. But naturally infected individuals who were given a single dose of the vaccine showed additional protection against the Delta variant; the protection level conferred by hybrid immunity was even higher than the one offered by natural infection or full vaccination.

Soon after vaccines were rolled out, researchers began to notice higher levels of antibodies in people who were naturally infected prior to vaccination compared with vaccinated people without prior infection. In short, the hybrid immunity from natural infection followed by vaccination provided superior immunity than either natural infection alone or full vaccination.

Contrary point

However, a study published recently in the journal Science observed that “boosting of pre-existing immunity from prior infection with vaccination mainly resulted in a transient benefit to antibody titers with little-to-no long-term increase in cellular immune memory”.

There is a growing body of evidence that protection from natural immunity can be potent, and researchers are beginning to acknowledge this. However, scientific consensus about the exact strength or durability of the natural immunity post natural infection is not known. Also, the strength and durability of natural immunity might not be uniform and might vary between people depending on the nature and duration of infection (asymptomatic or symptomatic) and severity of disease (mild, moderate or severe).

“Antibody levels are really variable after recovering from infections, and those at the lower end of the spectrum might be more susceptible to reinfections,” Deepta Bhattacharya, Professor of immunology at the University of Arizona told NBC News. “But after a single vaccine in people who have recovered from COVID-19, antibodies skyrocket up, including those that neutralize variants of concern.”

Researchers at Rockefeller University in New York City looked at how different types of immunity would protect against potential variants. They modified the coronavirus spike protein such that it contained 20 naturally occurring mutations. In the lab, the modified spike protein was tested against antibodies from people belonging to three groups — those who have been fully vaccinated without prior infection, people with prior infection but not vaccinated, and people with hybrid immunity. They found the modified spike proteins were able to evade the antibodies from the first two groups but not antibodies from people with hybrid immunity. The study is posted in the preprint server BioRxiv.

In August, CDC published a study in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) where they showed that unvaccinated people without previous infection are twice as likely to be reinfected compared with vaccinated people with a prior infection. This study prompted the CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky to urge all Americans to take a vaccine even if previously infected. “If you have had COVID-19 before, please still get vaccinated,” she appealed.

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International conference on innovation in agriculture organised

Paddy residue burning events have reduced by 69.49 per cent in Punjab, 18.28 per cent in Haryana and 47.61 per cent in the eight NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The number of stubble burning events in Punjab, Haryana and the eight National Capital Region (NCR) districts of Uttar Pradesh has come down significantly this year, with a total of 1,795 such incidents reported this month as against 4,854 in the same period last year, the Centre's air quality commission said on Friday.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas said according to a report based on the protocol framed by the Indian Space Reserach Organization (ISRO), paddy residue burning events have been reduced by 69.49 per cent in Punjab, 18.28 per cent in Haryana and 47.61 per cent in the eight NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh during a one-month period, as compared to the corresponding period last year.

"Active paddy residue-burning events in Punjab, Haryana and eight NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh have come down significantly this year, fewer fire counts reported in 2021 as compared to last year,” the commission said.

"Total 1,795 fire counts reported for the one-month period till October 14 as against 4,854 instances reported in the corresponding period during 2020. Enforcement agencies have so far inspected 663 of the total reported sites in Punjab, Haryana and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh," it added.

It said of the 1,795 sites from where stubble burning was reported in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, 663 fields have been inspected by the enforcement agencies and the officials concerned of the respective states and that an environmental compensation (EC) has been imposed in 252 cases.

During the said period in the current year, 1,286 stubble-burning events were reported in Punjab as against 4,216 for the same period last year.

Haryana reported 487 such incidents as against 596 for the corresponding year last year.

The total number of stubble burning incidents reported from the eight NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh during this period was 22 as against 42 for the corresponding period last year.

No stubble burning incident was reported from Delhi and the two NCR districts of Rajasthan.

The first paddy residue-burning event was reported on September 16 in Punjab, on September 18 in the NCR area of Uttar Pradesh and on September 28 in Haryana.

In a statement, the CAQM said crop harvesting will be at its peak in the next few weeks and the state governments are taking steps in accordance with the plan of action to improve the efficacy of enforcement and implementation to effectively tackle the problem of stubble burning.

To curb and abate air pollution during the ongoing harvest season, the CAQM has been actively monitoring paddy residue-burning events since September 15 in Punjab, Haryana and the eight NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh.

It has been regularly holding meetings with officials, including deputy commissioners, from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

A protocol has been developed by the ISRO for the CAQM to monitor fire counts, in coordination with major stakeholders, including ICAR-IARI.

The commission is also monitoring the implementation of the action plan formulated by the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, based on a framework developed by it for prevention and control of stubble burning.

The hotspots of paddy residue burning in Punjab are Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Patiala and Ludhiana. These four districts account for 72 per cent of the stubble-burning events in the state, the commission said.

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ECONOMYLPG price may be hiked next week; petrol, diesel rates up again

Unlike petrol and diesel, whose pricing has been decontrolled, the government has not official announced deregulation of LPG rates.

Cooking gas LPG prices may be hiked next week after under-recovery on the fuel widened to over ₹ 100 per cylinder, sources said insisting that the rate hike, including the quantum of increase, is dependent on government permission.

If allowed, this will be the fifth increase in cooking gas rates across all categories — households using subsidised gas for cooking and heating purposes, non-subsidised fuel and industrial-sized gas.

LPG rates were last hiked by ₹ 15 per cylinder on October 6, taking the total increase in rates since July to ₹ 90 per 14.2-kg cylinder.

Sources with direct knowledge of the matter said state-owned oil marketing companies have not been allowed to align retail selling price with the cost, and no government subsidy has so far been approved to bridge the gap.

The under-recovery or losses on LPG sales have mounted to over ₹ 100 per cylinder after international energy prices soared to multi-year high, they said.

While Saudi LPG rates have jumped by 60 % to $ 800 per tonne this month, international benchmark Brent crude oil is trading at $ 85.42 per barrel.

"LPG is still a controlled commodity. So, technically, the government can regulate the retail selling price. But, when they do that the oil companies have to be compensated for the under-recovery (or losses) they incur on selling LPG at rates below the cost," one of the sources.

The government last year eliminated subsidies on LPG by bringing retail prices at par with the cost through periodic hikes. But, unlike petrol and diesel, whose pricing has been decontrolled, the government has not official announced deregulation of LPG rates.

"So far, there is no indication that the compensation or subsidy will be restored as the gap between cost and retail price has widened," the source said.

In case the government is not willing to bear subsidy, retail prices have to increase, he said adding that the increases might be moderated to spare consumers of any steep burden.

Currently, cooking gas costs ₹ 899.50 per cylinder in Delhi and Mumbai, and ₹ 926 in Kolkata. This is the rate that domestic households — who are entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates, poor households that got free connections under the Ujjwala scheme and industrial users pay.

Meanwhile, after a two-day pause, petrol and diesel prices on Wednesday were again hiked by 35 paise per litre each, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

Petrol now costs ₹ 107.94 a litre in Delhi and ₹ 113.80 in Mumbai. Diesel is now priced at ₹ 96.67 a litre in Delhi and ₹ 104.75 in Mumbai.

While petrol has already hit the ₹ 100-a-litre mark or more in all major cities of the country, diesel has touched that level in over one-and-a-half dozen states and UTs from Jammu & Kashmir to Tamil Nadu.

Prices differ from state to state, depending on the incidence of local taxes.

Petrol price has been hiked on 22 occasions since September 28, when a three-week-long hiatus in rate revision ended. In all, prices have gone up by ₹ 6.75 a litre.

Diesel rates have been increased by ₹ 8.05 per litre in 24 hikes since September 24.

Prior to that, the petrol price was increased by ₹ 11.44 a litre between May 4 and July 17. The diesel rate had gone up by ₹ 9.14 per litre during this period.

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ECONOMYIndustry body urges government to restart coal supplies to aluminium industry

The aluminium industry is struggling to sustain operations with alarmingly depleted coal stocks of only 1.5 to 3 days and is on the verge of stock out, the association said

The Aluminium Association of India has urged the Central government to immediately restart supply of coal and rakes to the aluminium industry to normalise the "precarious situation" due to fuel shortage.

The grouping also said the current fuel shortage has threatened the very survival of the domestic aluminium sector with risk of loss of over one million livelihoods and 5,000 SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in the downstream sector.

Also Read: Opinion | Is the coal crisis over?

The statement comes at a time when Coal India, which accounts for over 80% of the domestic coal output, has temporarily prioritised fuel supply to power producers.

"Despite untiring efforts to ensure continuous coal supplies, the current shortage due to stoppage/ curtailment of coal supplies and rakes has threatened the very survival of domestic aluminium industry with risk of loss of over one million livelihood and 5,000 SMEs in the downstream sector," the association said in a letter to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Since August 21, the industry is getting just 50% coal supplies, which has been drastically reduced to 10% currently. The industry is struggling to sustain operations with alarmingly depleted coal stocks of only 1.5 to 3 days and is on the verge of stock out, it said.

Watch | India on the brink of a power crisis due to coal shortage

If coal shortage is not immediately addressed, the grouping said it may lead to the collapse of aluminium industry and associated SMEs. This will lead to risk of livelihood for over one million local people and additional national forex loss of ₹90,000 crore in form of imports, it added.

"We earnestly request your kind intervention to normalise the precarious situation with immediate resumption of coal and rakes supply for highly power intensive aluminium industry CPPs (Captive Power Plants) for economically viable and sustainable industry operations," the letter said.

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KERALAGovernment machinery fully prepared for release for water from Mullaperiyar dam, says Roshy Augustine

On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu had informed Kerala that water will be released from the dam at 7 a.m. on Friday

The State government machinery is fully prepared for the release of water from the Mullaperiyar dam, Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine said on Thursday.

Arrangements for ensuring the safety of people residing on the banks of the Periyar have been completed, Mr. Augustine said, adding there was no need for concern.

Evacuation strategies will be finalised after Tamil Nadu informs Kerala about the volume of water to be released, Mr. Augustine told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram before heading to Idukki district to oversee the arrangements.

On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu had informed Kerala that water will be released from the dam at 7 a.m. on Friday if the water level does not decrease.

Editorial | Safety first: On Mullaperiyar dispute

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Mysuru Experience Centre also planned, says Minister

A technology park is expected to come up on a premises belonging to Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) in Mysuru.

Participating in the “The Big Tech Show” organised in Mysuru on Monday ahead of the upcoming Bengaluru Tech Summit 2021, Minister for Information Technology and Bio Technology and Higher Education C.N. Ashwath Narayana said the government was ready to take forward a proposal in this regard.

Later, the Minister met KSOU Vice-Chancellor Vidyashankar S. and discussed the proposal.

Mr. Narayan also said that a Mysuru Experience Centre, which gives a feel of the tech ecosystem of the city, will be established at the Dasara Exhibition Centre at Doddakere Maidan.

He hoped that the city leveraged it tech ecosystem and becomes not only a cyber security hub of the country, but also attract at least 15 Global Capability Centres (GCC) to set up their operations in Mysuru under the “Spoke-shore strategy”.

Mr. Narayan, sharing experiences from his recent visit to Dubai World Expo, said investors were ready to invest in Karnataka. But, he felt that the State should grow “Beyond Bengaluru” to absorb the investment.

Though start-ups in the State were attracting huge investments, most was coming from abroad. Mr. Narayan claimed that 90 per cent of investment for startups in the State was coming from abroad and domestic investors were contributing only 10 per cent.

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