Page 2 - Viruses

Covid-19 virus may have been 'stitched together' in a lab, says new study

The study argues that SARS-Cov-2 has some genetic features that may signal towards it being synthetically made in a lab

World welcomes 2023 amid fears of new Covid-19 outbreak, war cries

Recently lifted Covid restrictions also gave China a chance to gather and celebrate

2022 saw the rise of multiple viral infections that are here to stay

With a looming threat of Covid-19 infection again to grab the country, the year 2022 has come to an end. After China and some other nations started reporting surge in the Covid cases

RT-PCR report of passengers from China, 4 other nations must: Official

Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya is expected to visit the Delhi airport on Thursday to take stock of the situation

What is the new Covid subvariant Omicron BF.7?

The new SARS- CoV-2 variant BF. 7 has started spreading in the countrys. While, experts say there are no serious concerns for India, Thareek Ahmed decodes the new Covid-19 variant BF.7

Karnataka makes masks mandatory in public places, increases Covid testing

State govt tells revellers to end New Year celebrations before 1 am; Centre readies for mock drills today

Amid Covid surge in China, here's what you need to know about BF.7 variant

So far, scientists have found that symptoms shown by a person infected with BF.7 are not different than those shown by other Omicron subvariants

DIY air filter can effectively filter out viruses, air pollutants: Study

An simple, easy-to-construct air filter can protect against illness caused not only by viruses but also by chemical pollutants, according to a study. The filter named Corsi-Rosenthal boxes, or cubes, can be constructed from materials found at hardware stores: four MERV-13 filters, duct tape, a 20-inch box fan and a cardboard box. "The findings show that an inexpensive, easy-to-construct air filter can protect against illness caused not only by viruses but also by chemical pollutants," said study lead author Joseph Braun, an associate professor at Brown University in the US. "This type of highly-accessible public health intervention can empower community groups to take steps to improve their air quality and therefore, their health," Braun said in a statement. As part of a project, boxes were assembled by students and campus community members and installed in the School of Public Health as well as other buildings on the Brown University campus. To assess the cubes' efficacy at remov

Covid or common cold? What to do if you have symptoms this Christmas

Along with Covid, northern hemisphere countries including the US and the UK are currently seeing or have recently seen large increases in influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and the common cold

China stops publishing daily Covid-19 cases amid fresh surge: Report

China's National Health Commission, which used to issue the country's Covid-19 case figures on a daily basis, starting Sunday stopped publishing the update, according to The Global Times

Over 6,000 birds killed in Kerala's Kottayam amid bird flu outbreak

Over 6,000 birds were culled in three separate panchayats of Kerala's Kottayam district where a bird flu outbreak has been confirmed. A total of 6,017 birds, mostly ducks, were killed on Saturday in the Vechur, Neendoor and Arpookara panchayats of the district, a release from the district administration said. Around 133 ducks and 156 chickens in Vechur, 2,753 ducks in Neendoor and 2,975 ducks in Arpookara were killed, the release said. Bird flu or avian influenza, is a highly contagious zoonotic disease. Meanwhile, the Lakshadweep administration has for now banned transportation of frozen chicken to the islands from the mainland due to a reported outbreak of bird flu in Kerala.

India has developed herd immunity; BF.7 variant may not be serious: CCMB

The severity of BF.7 variant of coronavirus in India may not be as serious as it is currently prevailing in China as Indian have already developed "herd immunity" a top official of CSIR- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) here said. Vinay K Nandicoori, Director CCMB, stressing the need to follow Covid appropriate behaviour, said there is always a concern that all these variants have the ability to escape the immunity and can infect people who are vaccinated and even sometimes infected with the previous variants of Omicron. "The severity of the infection is not as much as they used to be with Delta. That's because of the fact that we do have herd immunity to an extent. Actually we have herd immunity because we are exposed to the other viruses," he told PTI. Media reports indicate that India reported four cases of BF.7 variant of coronavirus. "We (India) have seen the Delta wave which is a big one. Then we have got vaccination done. And then the Omicron wave came and we

India reports 227 fresh Covid-19 cases; active tally rises to 3,424

) India recorded 227 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 3,424, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,77,106) . The death toll stands at 5,30,693 with two fatalities with one reconciled by Kerala and one death reported in Maharashtra in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the ministry. An increase of 27 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,42,989, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.05 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed

BF.7 is Omicron with mutations, won't lead to severe disease, say experts

The current Covid surge in many countries including China is believed to be driven by Omicron sub-variant BF.7. India has also so far reported four cases of this variant

Expect close to 100 mn Covid-19 cases, 1 mn deaths in China: Doctor

Doctors are expecting approximately 100 million Covid-19 and one million deaths in China amid the recent rise in infection

States to undertake mock drill to ensure readiness of Covid facilities

States and Union territories will undertake a mock drill across all health facilities on Tuesday to ensure the operational readiness of the Covid-dedicated facilities, with a specific focus on oxygen plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources, according to official sources. An advisory in this regard will be issued by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at a virtual meeting with the health ministers of the states and Union territories at 3 pm on Friday, the sources said. The states have been asked to strengthen surveillance in accordance with the surveillance strategy already issued (health facility-based sentinel surveillance; pan-respiratory virus surveillance; community-based surveillance, sewage/wastewater surveillance). They have also been asked to ensure the ramping up of the testing infrastructure, encourage precautionary dose uptake and ensure adherence to Covid Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) in view of the upcoming festive season and the New Year. They have also b

BF.7 coronavirus variant not worrisome for India: Scientist Rakesh Mishra

Allaying fears about BF.7 variant of coronavirus, a prominent scientist on Friday said it is a sub-variant of Omicron strain and that India need not worry too much about its severity on the population. Speaking to PTI, Rakesh Mishra, Director, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), Bangalore, however cautioned that wearing face masks and avoiding unnecessary crowds is always advisable. The former director of CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology further said China has been witnessing an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases as the neighbouring country has not passed through different waves of the infection that India had faced. "This is a sub-variant of Omicron. Main features will be like Omicron except some small changes, there is no big difference. Most of us have gone through the Omicron wave. So, we don't have to worry about it. Essentially, it is the same virus," he said. China is experiencing a surge in infections due to its "zero-Covid policy", under which

Covid variants still transmissible between species, reveals study

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is still highly transmissible between mammals, according to a study based on computer simulations. Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), US, found that coronaviruses use their spike proteins -- which help them to infect cells -- to attach themselves to the host cells in both bats and humans in much the same way. The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, show how the viral spike proteins in several SARS-CoV-2 variants interact with the host cell receptors known as ACE2 in both humans and various bats of genus Rhinolophus. "We were hoping to see really cool adaptive evolution happening as the virus got more used to humans and less used to bats, but we actually saw that there wasn't a whole lot of change," said Associate Professor Gregory Babbitt from RIT. "Because this binding site has not evolved very much, there's really not much stopping it from transmitting from humans to bats," Babbit said in a statement. Scientist

Climate change: Buried in ice for 48,500 yrs, 'zombie virus' resurrects

European researchers examined ancient samples and characterized 13 new pathogens, what they termed "zombie viruses"

Covid virus infection changes functioning of host cell RNA, say scientists

The findings pave the way to novel treatments for Covid-19 and repurposing of known drugs, the researchers noted