[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Coming to vaccinations, I really wonder how they can justify a mass push now, under these circumstances. When the case count was high, they were saying "We need vaccinations, right now!". Now with case counts continuously falling, they're saying the same thing "We need vaccinations, right now!".

Illustration showing two men, "Prof. Scarem" presenting his latest findings on microbes to a crowd of frightened onlookers, and "Dr. Fakem" selling the latest protection against microbes to a crowd of eager consumers. "Scarem" and "Fakem" are a pair of quacks working together to take advantage of a gullible public.

Source

[WindRide]

Testing continues to be very high. People are increasingly casual and not using masks or confining to homes. Yet new cases / active cases are dropping.

Billion rupee question - How?

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

3 months after the first UK strain of the virus was reported (in the UK, obviously),

And obviously, it is okay to call the strain as the "UK strain" but not call the virus as the "China virus" .

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

Attachment 2110026

This is brilliant !! All of a sudden, big pharma has become a messiah leading us out of this terrible apocalypse that has befallen humanity.

Originally Posted by WindRide

Billion rupee question - How?

Herd immunity.

[Zen2001]

Finally, now some common sense over the hype and hypochondriac behaviour! Less distancing, more crowding, masks (when present) anywhere except on nose and mouth, carefree travelling, winter season, post diwali pollution - yet NEW CASES AND DEATHS consistently falling in India. Blame it on newer criteria for testing (NAAT), coupled with near zero contact tracing. Why?

Increase in immune competence of not just the young and healthy but even the so called at risk morbid population. Ironically this happens only with high transmission and low mortality (as India experienced), so that the virus gets time to multiply in the host, who transmits it to others (naturally only as long as alive), leaving behind memory T cells (which are more long lasting than doubtful antibodies) - once a critical mass of such immunocompetent hosts is reached, aka herd immunity, the virus runs out of susceptible hosts, or causes only mild/asymptomatic infections (which no one bothers to test for).

Remember, my earlier post (was it 6 months ago?) - by the time any vaccine actually reaches the phase of distribution, it MOST LIKELY WILL NOT BE NECESSARY and I think we're there in India now. It should be reserved for high risk as opposed to mass usage, unless phase 4 trial data is analysed. (Right now, it's a bare minimum of phase 3 data, which is just INSUFFICIENT to draw consistent safety and efficacy conclusions in the general population).

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by WindRide

Testing continues to be very high. People are increasingly casual and not using masks or confining to homes. Yet new cases / active cases are dropping.

Billion rupee question - How?

Indeed!

Got myself tested (PCR) today as I'm visiting home later this week as a precaution - was speaking with the lab associate to understand test positivity. He said the positive cases have fallen by nearly 95%.

Something is working well in India and for India. Masks are still worn by a decent % of the population in metro cities (atleast in Mumbai). But once you get out of the city, that reduces to a feeble minority of the population seen on the streets.

Keeping fingers crossed that the vaccination drive(s) do the job before the chance of a second wave (like in Europe and UK) arises.

[Gansan]

Schools reopen in TN tomorrow for classes 10 and 12.

[WindRide]

Originally Posted by Zen2001

Increase in immune competence of not just the young and healthy but even the so called at risk morbid population. Ironically this happens only with high transmission and low mortality (as India experienced), so that the virus gets time to multiply in the host, who transmits it to others (naturally only as long as alive), leaving behind memory T cells (which are more long lasting than doubtful antibodies) - once a critical mass of such immunocompetent hosts is reached, aka herd immunity, the virus runs out of susceptible hosts, or causes only mild/asymptomatic infections (which no one bothers to test for).

Some states are supposedly at herd immunity levels and rest are catching up.

So either we timed lifting of lockdown extremely well or the Swedish way might have helped us reach herd immunity much earlier. Considering our younger population, mortality rate would not have been very high.

[fhdowntheline]

Looks like its time for Marlboro Light and Veggie Delight !

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/stor...007-2021-01-17

It would have been ridiculous if it weren't backed by something like CSIR. Wonder what the medical experts on this forum make of it.

[BoneCollector]

I'm not sure why this news is being pushed now, maybe the Chinese have issues at containing the virus in their country or something else.

Link

Scientists working at the Wuhan lab confessed to being bitten by COVID-19 infected bats in a cave while collecting samples.

A video that emerged two years ago, before the coronavirus pandemic struck Wuhan and later the world, shows Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) scientists working on 'live viruses' without gloves and masks. This was in apparent breach of the World Health Organisation safety rules on PPE.

[itwasntme]

Are there any further pan-India sero-surveys being conducted to assess herd immunity? Will be interesting to see the current results.

A simple Google search shows various states are reporting upto 90% in urban areas with a huge variation (15-25%) in rural. Ironically, it maybe safer to stay and gradually commence work, education etc in a urban area now.

[WindRide]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Are there any further pan-India sero-surveys being conducted to assess herd immunity? Will be interesting to see the current results.

As per this recent sero survey we seem to be nowhere near herd immunity.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cit...y-2251581.html

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1....12.21249713v1

https://www.reddit.com/r/COVID19/com...idemiological/

[civic-sense]

Says a lot about our indigenous vaccine right? People, be careful about which vaccine you get.



Source

[DigitalOne]

Here is the official recommendation from the ministry of health website (pdf link).

Please note recommendations are the same for both the vaccines.

[itwasntme]

Already personally know of 3 friends/acquaintances in frontline healthcare who have had the first shot without any issues whatsoever.

Looking forward to getting one as and when our turn comes up.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Says a lot about our indigenous vaccine right? People, be careful about which vaccine you get.

Both vaccines are giving very similar recommendations. Covishield is shirking responsibility and leaving the decision to the health care provider and the receiver, so they are absolved of any adverse effects.

Screenshots from their factsheets below:





Source: Covishield Factsheet ;Covaxin Factsheet