What will happen to covid19india.org after October 31st? Some pointers:

* There will be no data updates from 1st Nov, 2021 (sigh!).

* The website will be up and available for referencing past data.

* The website/operations are not being handed over to any group.

1/4 * Our team will wind down and we will be limiting our interactions on email and twitter. We will monitor communications occassionally and will try to respond to critical messages.

* With minimal involvement, we are constrained to respond to requests for interviews/talks.

2/4

Vaccines protect.

Latest data from @PHE_uk on vaccine efficacy (VE) against HOSPITALISATION for the Delta variant.

VE for Covishield against hospitalisation:

✅ After 1 dose: 71%
✅ After 2 doses: 92%

❓Wasn't the reported efficacy lower against Delta? What has changed?

1/4 Vaccine efficacy can be measured against different endpoints. There can be efficacy against hospitalisation, against death, against symptomatic infection etc.

Earlier studies from the UK, had reported VE against SYMPTOMATIC INFECTION.

This is VE against hospitalisation.

2/4

9th June - A day marked by major reconciliation of deceased cases by a large state.

➡️ Delayed data is better than no data. Reconciliations should be encouraged, not shunned.

➡️ A reminder that the actual cases are very different from what is reported.

1/4 ➡️ Our Covid19 data reporting is not standardized across states.

Few states provide details of individual deaths while most states report just cumulative figures. Why this difference?

How long till we have a detailed and common reporting format adopted across states?

2/4

On breakthrough infections, vaccines and gap between doses:

A correspondence published in NEJM on 2nd June, details a study on breakthrough infections with a large cohort of 7000+ healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in India.

nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…

1/n 7000+ received the first dose and 3600+ of them subsequently got the 2nd dose.
Vaccine administered was Covishield.
An additional 5000+ were not vaccinated.

Study period: Jan-Apr 2021.

📌 506 HCWs tested +ve during the study, of which 64% were unvaccinated.

2/n

Have questions on Covid19 recovery?
We answer the most important ones in this master thread. #stayaware

❓Is a #Covid test required to confirm recovery?

If you do not have any symptoms 14 days after confirmation of Covid, a repeat test IS NOT required.

1/n ❓When can I consider myself recovered from Covid?

➡️ 14 days after date of test.
➡️ 3 consecutive days of no symptoms.
➡️ If you had severe symptoms, consult your doctor for discharge criteria.
➡️ No need for a repeat RTPCR test.

2/n

A quick overview of Biological E.'s Covid vaccine:

✅ Vaccine platform: Protein Subunit.
✅ Number of doses: 2 doses
✅ Gap between doses: 28 days*
✅ Current status: Completed Phase 1 and 2 trials. Got approval for Phase 3 trials in April 2021.

*As per clinical trials.

1/n ✅ Partnership: Antigen developed by Texas Children's Hospital for Vaccine Development and Baylor College of Medicine. Adjuvant supplied by Dynavax Technologies (US).

✅ Proven platform used for Hepatitis B vaccine. Novavax vaccine also uses subunit technology.

2/n

Q&A from the doctor's desk 🩺 #stayaware

❓I am feeding my 9 month old baby. Can I take the vaccine?

Yes. As per latest MoHFW guidelines, lactating mothers can take the vaccine. Go ahead!

1/n ❓My mother turned negative for Covid 2 weeks back. When can she take the vaccine?

She can take the vaccine 3 months after recovery. Ensure she follows all Covid safety precautions now as well as after vaccination!

2/n

One of our most active initiatives right now is the free Medical Help group.

Few observations:
✅ Significant requests from non-urban locations.

✅ Together with drop in cases, query volume has dropped as well.

✅ Now most queries are on vaccination and mucormycosis.

1/3 ✅ Large number of queries were on symptoms, knowing when to test, hospitalize, sos prescription etc.

✅ Considering that majority will recover from home, accessible teleconsultation services should be looked at as an effective tool going forward.

2/3

As Covid spread to rural India, can you help build awareness?

Here are #Covid19 awareness posters in 6 vernacular languages:

✅ Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia and Tamil.

Awareness can save lives.
Share the word.
Help save lives!

#COVID #COVID19India #bengali
Stay aware about Corona.
Awareness can save lives. Help spread the word. Help save lives.

Will our vaccination numbers rebound this month?

With 5.8Cr doses, May saw a 35% DROP in vaccine doses administered, compared to April.

As per official data, vaccine supply stood at 7.94Cr doses in May.

Then, why were we able to administer only 5.8Cr doses?

1/4 📌 Data as on 29th May morning, shows that states had 2.15Cr doses available with them. Together with the 5.8Cr administered doses, this accounts for the 7.94Cr monthly supply figure.

📌 Does this mean that states have had stock, but vaccination was slow? Let's explore:

2/4

Our upcoming ventilation challenge:
Airborne transmission of Covid19 is now well acknowledged.

Key implications being:
📌 The virus travels beyond 6ft.
📌 Virus can remain suspended in air for longer.
📌 Beyond mask and distancing - VENTILATION becomes important.

1/7 ❓Are we prepared to handle the ventilation challenge posed by Covid19?

Let's start with why proper ventilation is important:

➡️ Unlike droplets that fall to ground within 6 feet, aerosols are smaller particles that get suspended in the air.

2/7

Should I take steroids as part of Covid treatment?

Steroids can be LIFE SAVING for Covid.
Use of steroids early in the infection, can be counterproductive, but can be life saving when taken at the RIGHT TIME.

📢 Do not self-medicate. Take steroids only on doctor's advice.

1/4 ➡️ A Covid infection can be seen to have 2 phases: The initial phase which is the attack by the virus and the 2nd phase which is the response from our immune system.
The second phase which can happen from the 5th/6th say of infection can cause symptoms to turn severe.

2/4

While daily new cases have been contained at 2.08L persons, daily fatalities crossed 4k for another day.

✅ MH - 1.1k, KA - 588, TN - 468, KL - 177, PB - 174, UP - 157, WB - 157, DL - 156.

1/4 📌 Daily cases are dropping, then why not deaths?

➡️ Deaths lag cases - the effect is not seen immediately. A drop in new cases will lead to drop in deaths after 5 to 10 days.
➡️ Delays in reporting: There can be delays in deaths getting reported in official bulletins.

2/4

Let's get facts straight and burst some common myths on #BlackFungus.

Share with and educate those around you as well.
#stayaware.

📢 NO. Black Fungus is not a new disease.

1/8 📢 NO. Black Fungus is not contagious. It doesn't spread from person to person.

2/8

Let's do a basic awareness check on #BlackFungus.

Give a shot at these simple queries on #BlackFungus.

It's an anonymous poll, we wouldn't know what you answered - so don't hold back!

1. Black fungus is a new disease. It has been identified after Covid19.

1/n 2. Black Fungus cases are seen only in those with Covid.

2/n

Reconciliation of deceased cases in MH today: 612 past dated Covid19 deaths added to today's tally after reconciliation.

Total net addition to MH's deceased tally: 1291.

📌Are such reconciliations common? We've seen multiple reconciliations from different states over time.

1/3 ➡️ Death reporting happens upstream with data from hospitals getting reported at the district and state levels.
➡️ Given this, there is delay in reported deaths. In certain states, a committee evaluates each case to enumerate deaths directly caused by Covid.

2/3

Medical Corner 🩺

❓I have recently recovered from Covid. I am having redness in eyes and blurry vision now. Could it be mucormycosis?
✅ If you are not diabetic, was not on steroids and was not on oxygen during Covid recovery, chances of it being #Mucormycosis is minimal.

1/4 In your case, consult an opthalmologist for the issue with blurry vision.

❓I am having fever after taking the vaccine. What should I do.
✅ It is normal to have fever in the first few days after vaccination. Take Dolo 650mg upto 3 times a day when you get fever.

2/4

Isolating in shared spaces has it's own challenges.

How should a family of 4 who live in a 2BHK apartment handle different scenarios of Covid infection?
How should they quarantine if 1, 2, 3 or all of them test positive?

We explore this in this relevant thread. Read on 👇

1/n Scenario 1: ALL four in the family test positive.

✅ No need for separate quarantine.
✅ Advised to wear double mask/N95 when together.
✅ Do not venture out.
✅ Limit items used inside the home to minimize sanitization later.
✅ Take rest and medicines as advised.

2/n

Recommended gap between 2 doses of #covishield increased to 12 to 16 weeks.

📌 A look at the trial data behind this and practice followed by other countries.

✅ Key finding from AstraZeneca (Covishield) studies that showed an efficacy of 76% for 90 days after single dose.

1/5 ✅ No significant reduction in protection seen from days 22 to 90 after a single dose - implying that even a single dose can offer significant protection for upto 3 months.
✅ In this case, it was only prudent to spread out the doses so that more could get atleast 1 dose.

2/5

While most will recover from Covid from home, there are 2 things that set this illness apart:

Isolation and Uncertainty.

📌 Weariness of Isolation: 14 to 17 days of being alone in a room can take its toll. It can feel monotonous, restricted and lonely.

1/5 While a Covid positive person goes through this individual struggle, those taking care of them are fighting a difficult battle as well. They have to take care of everything from food, medicines, arranging essentials, waste management and more; all while trying to stay safe.

2/5

North Eastern states: Vaccination coverage by state and district.

✅ Tripura: 11.25% of total population has received 2 doses (2nd behind Ladakh) and 24% have received atleast 1 dose.
✅ Assam: Lagging with close to 2% with 2 doses and 7% with 1 dose.

1/5 ✅ Arunachal Pradesh: 4.5% received 2 doses and 14% received 1 dose of the vaccine. 3 districts have > 10% receiving 2 doses.

✅ Manipur: Only 2.5% received both doses and 8.5% one dose. No district has >5% coverage of 2 doses.

2/5