Pfizer donates USD 70 mn worth COVID-19 treatment drugs to India
Global pharma major Pfizer is sending its medicines worth USD 70 million (over Rs 510 crore), from its distribution centres in the US, Europe and Asia, that have been identified as part of India s COVID-19 treatment protocol, the company s Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said on Monday. We are deeply concerned by the critical COVID-19 situation in India, and our hearts go out to you, your loved ones and all the people of India, he said in a mail sent to Pfizer India employees that he has shared on his linkedin post.
Updated:
May 03, 2021 17:23 IST
People who had previously had mild or asymptomatic infection had significantly enhanced protection against the Kent and South Africa variants, after a single dose of the mRNA vaccine.
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People aged between 18 and 45 getting vaccinated at Apollo vaccination centre in Chennai | Photo Credit: RAGHUNATHAN SR
People who had previously had mild or asymptomatic infection had significantly enhanced protection against the Kent and South Africa variants, after a single dose of the mRNA vaccine.
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New Delhi, May 3
A single dose of COVID-19 vaccine boosts protection against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variants, but only in those previously infected with the disease, according to a study.
The researchers looked at the UK and South Africa variants, however, they think it possible that the findings will apply to other variants in circulation, such as the Brazil (P.1) and India (B.1.617 and B.1.618) variants.
The findings, published in the journal Science, show that in those who have not previously been infected and have so far only received one dose of vaccine, the immune response to coronavirus variants of concern may be insufficient.
Single COVID dose may leave virus-naïve vaccinees vulnerable to variants
The first dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine regimen confers a robust immune response against the B117 and B1351 variants in people previously infected with the coronavirus but not in those in those never infected, according to a new study led by researchers from Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, and University College London.
The study, published late last week in
Science, involved analyzing blood samples from UK healthcare workers at two hospitals after receiving their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in December 2020.
Among 23 participants who previously had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 roughly 40 weeks before, 22 (96%) had T cell responses against the coronavirus spike protein, compared with 16 of 23 (70%) of virus-naïve participants, who also had lower T cell concentrations.