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The major news headlines of the day, and more.
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A medic administers the second dose of a vaccine during a COVID-19 inoculation drive in Prayagraj on February 19, 2021. | Photo Credit:
PTI
The major news headlines of the day, and more.
Indian Council of Medical Research Director-General Balram Bhargava said the third clinical trial of Covaxin BB152 had been completed as all the 25,800 volunteers involved in the exercise had been administered both the doses. “The interim analysis report should be out in a week,” he said.
A vial of Covishield.
Experts say hesitancy is not abnormal and the vaccines are important to contain the virus, and are scientifically proven
It has been a fortnight since the two COVID-19 vaccines Covishield and Covaxin were rolled out in Tamil Nadu. A total of 88,467 healthcare providers/workers have so far received the vaccines.
Sensing the hesitancy among the medical fraternity over the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar and Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan took Covaxin, which is yet to see many takers, as a confidence-building measure. Yet, vaccination continues to be slow-paced in the State, which ranks low on coverage among large States.
Vaccines produce wide range of antibodies
Principal Scientific Advisor K Vijay Raghavan said, There is no evidence that current vaccines will fail to protect against COVID-19 variants reported from the UK or South Africa.
He said that most vaccines target the spike protein, however, they produce a wide range of protective antibodies.
The new variant has also not been found to make COVID-19 more severe, he added.
Surveillance
Travelers who reached India between December 9-22 to be tested
Separately, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said that all international travelers who arrived in India during the last 14 days (December 9-22, 2020) would be subjected to genome sequencing if they are symptomatic and have tested positive for the virus.