Lancet report says Covid-19 is primarily airborne, safety protocol should change urgently

‘A report published in the journal The Lancet has dismissed the predominant scientific view that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, is not an airborne pathogen. The authors of the report have listed 10 reasons for their claim that "SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted primarily by the airborne route".

‘The paper, written by six experts from the UK, the US and Canada, argues that there are "insufficient grounds for concluding that a pathogen is not airborne" while "the totality of scientific evidence indicates otherwise". The experts called for urgent modification in the Covid-19 safety protocol.’

Read here (India Today, Apr 16, 2021)

Ten scientific reasons in support of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Read here (The Lancet, April 15, 2021)

India’s Covid vaccine rollout ‘rescued the world’: Top US scientist

‘Dr Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston during a recent webinar said that the two mRNA vaccines may not impact the world's low- and middle-income countries, but India's vaccines, made in collaboration with universities across the world such as BCM and the Oxford University, have "rescued the world" and its contributions must not be underestimated.

‘During the webinar, "Covid-19: Vaccination and Potential Return to Normalcy - If and When", Dr Hotez, an internationally-recognised physician-scientist in neglected tropical diseases and vaccine development, said that the Covid-19 vaccine rollout is "India's gift'' to the world in combating the virus.

‘India's drugs regulator gave emergency use authorisation to Covishield, produced by Pune-based Serum Institute of India after securing licence from British pharma company AstraZeneca, and Covaxin, indigenously developed jointly by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and Indian Council of Medical Research scientists.’

Read here (India Today, Mar 7, 2021)

UK ready for roll-out but Pfizer CEO 'not certain' if vaccine stops transmission

‘Days after getting back-to-back approvals from the United Kingdom (UK) and Bahrain health regulatory bodies for the emergency use of its coronavirus vaccine, Pfizer Inc CEO Albert Bourla is now "not certain" if the company-made vaccine to prevent the Covid-19 can actually stop the transmission of the infection. The basic.

‘...during an interview with NBC's Lestor Holt, Pfizer CEO, when asked whether a person can still transmit the virus after vaccination, said he was "not certain". "I think this is something that needs to be examined. We are not certain about that right now with what we know," he was quoted as saying.’

Read here (India Today, Dec 6, 2020)

Coronavirus pandemic could push over 1 billion people in extreme poverty by 2030, says UN

‘Due to the severe long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic, an additional 207 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty by 2030. This will bring the total number of the world's extremely poor to more than a billion, according to a new study by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

‘The study assesses the impact of different coronavirus recovery scenarios on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), evaluating the multidimensional effects of the pandemic over the next decade. It is part of a long-standing partnership between the UNDP and the Pardee Center for International Futures at the University of Denver.’

Read here (India Today, Dec 6, 2020)