Corona on the Decline, MP Schools to Reopen from July 25 in Batches

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, July 14: As fresh Coronavirus cases continued to remain under 40,000 a day in the country, the Madhya Pradesh government has decided to reopen schools for students of classes 11 and 12 from July 25 at 50 per cent of the existing capacity.

Classes will be held four times in a week with two days for batches of two. If the Covid situation in the state remains stable, classes for 9-10, 6-8 and 1-5 will also be resumed, the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced.

India recorded 38,792 new coronavirus cases and 624 deaths in the last 24 hours, ending 8 am on Wednesday. With this, the country’s overall caseload crossed 3.1 crore, while the death toll now exceeds 4.11 lakh. Kerala reported 14,539 new cases, the highest in the last six days. Maharashtra reported 7,243.

The government on Tuesday expressed concern over the “gross violations” of Covid-appropriate behaviour in several parts of the country and said this can nullify the gains made so far.

Meanwhile, a study report suggested that a single dose of the Sputnik V vaccine may be enough to elicit strong antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 in already infected people. Previous studies have found that two doses of Sputnik V, a vector vaccine produced using a combination of two adenoviruses, results in 92 per cent efficacy against COVID-19 infection.

Adenoviruses are common viruses that cause a range of illness with cold-like symptoms such as fever and sore throat. The new study published in some medical journals said the experts examined whether a single dose would achieve greater public health benefit than two doses by allowing protection of a larger population more quickly.

“Due to limited vaccine supply and uneven vaccine distribution in many regions of the world, health authorities urgently need data on the immune response to vaccines to optimize vaccination strategies,” said study senior author Andrea Gamarnik of the Fundacion Instituto Leloir-CONICET in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“The peer-reviewed data we present provide information for guiding public health decisions in light of the current global health emergency,” Gamarnik said.

The researchers noted that evidence from other vaccines offers support for the one-shot approach. The AstraZeneca vaccine, for example, shows 76 per cent efficacy after a single dose, and the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines may induce sufficient immunity in previously infected individuals after one dose, with no apparent benefit of an additional dose, they said.

In the latest study, the researchers compared the effects of one and two shots of Sputnik V on SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses in 289 healthcare workers in Argentina.

Three weeks after the second dose, all volunteers with no prior infection generated virus-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies — the most common type of antibody found in blood.

However, even within three weeks of receiving the first dose, 94 per cent of these participants developed IgG antibodies against the virus, and 90 per cent showed evidence of neutralising antibodies, which interfere with the ability of viruses to infect cells.

The research further showed that IgG and neutralising antibody levels in previously infected participants were significantly higher after one dose than those in fully vaccinated volunteers with no history of infection.

A second dose did not increase the production of neutralising antibodies in previously infected volunteers.

“This highlights the robust response to vaccination of previously infected individuals, suggesting that naturally acquired immunity might be enhanced sufficiently by a single dose, in agreement with recent studies using mRNA vaccines,” Gamarnik said.

The researchers noted that further studies are needed to evaluate the duration of the immune response and to assess how antibody levels relate to vaccine protection against COVID-19.

The high antibody levels after a single dose in naive participants suggests a benefit of delaying second dose administration to increase the number of people vaccinated, they said. “Evidence based on quantitative information will guide vaccine deployment strategies in the face of worldwide vaccine supply restriction,” Gamarnik added.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has suspended the COVID-19 vaccination drive on Wednesday in view of Mamata Diwas, which is observed as part of the ongoing universal immunisation programme for pregnant women, children and infants, an official said.

This is the second week in a row that the inoculation drive against coronavirus has been suspended on a Wednesday due to Mamata Diwas. During Mamata Diwas, healthcare workers across the state check on pregnant women, provide them guidance and give them iron and vitamin tablets. Health workers also administer vaccines, such as BCG, polio and rubella, to women, children and infants.

“Vaccination drive against coronavirus will remain suspended today in view of the tasks health workers need to carry out on Mamata Diwas under the universal immunisation programme,” an official spokesman of the state government said.

The union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya reacting to the reports from various states of vaccine shortage denied that there was any such problem and said the Centre had informed the state governments of the allocation of doses in advance. “Despite this, if we see mismanagement and long queues of vaccine takers, then it is very clear what the problem is and who is the reason behind it,” he added.

In a six-part Twitter thread in Hindi, Mandaviya asserted that “useless statements (on the availability of vaccines) are being made only to create panic among the people.” In a bid to set the record straight, the Health Minister provided “an actual analysis of the facts.” He said 11.46 crore vaccine doses were made available to the state governments and union territories in the month of June to enable vaccination in government and private hospitals.

Meanwhile, a day after the prime minister expressed serious concern over massive violation of Corona protocols particularly in hill stations, the union ministry of home affairs wrote to all states and Union Territories asking them to take steps to control crowding and shed off complacency as the R-rate of Covid infections is rising in many states. It has also asked them to make officers personally responsible for any laxity.