Why most Indians may be protected from Omicron

News Network
November 30, 2021

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A “very large” number of Indians are likely to remain protected from Omicron or any other variant of Covid-19 and there is no need to panic, eminent virologist Dr Shahid Jameel has said.

Jameel, who is the former head of the advisory group to the Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortia (INASACOG), said people must be cautious and keep wearing masks.

"While we should be cautious, there is no need to panic. India's second wave due to the Delta variant was huge, infecting more people than we imagined. This is reflected in the fourth National Sero-survey that showed 67 per cent of Indians to have Covid antibodies. That is about 930-940 million people at a time when the vaccination levels were very low, and so it came mainly from infection," he said in an interview.

"More recently, Delhi showed 97 per cent with antibodies, Mumbai around 85-90 per cent and so on. All this means that a very large fraction of Indians will be protected from severe disease caused by Omicron or any other variant," Jameel said.

A new variant of Covid-19, feared to have a high amount of spike mutations, has been detected in South Africa. On November 26, the WHO had designated B.1.1.529 as a variant of concern and named it Omicron.

Speaking on the effectiveness of vaccines against the new variant, Jameel said more data is awaited but vaccine effectiveness against the variant may dip by a few points. However, vaccines will not become useless, he said.

"We don't have this data available yet. It may take another one to two weeks for the first laboratory results to become available. My hunch is that vaccine effectiveness against this variant may dip a few points, but vaccines will not become useless. They will continue to protect from severe disease," he said.

On how India can prepare to tackle the new variant, he said people should not panic, and continue to wear mask while the government should increase the rate of vaccination.

"We are fortunate to have sufficient vaccines and the ability to vaccinate. Along this line, it may help to reduce the duration between two doses of Covishield from 16 weeks to 12 weeks. This will get more people vaccinated quickly, especially those in vulnerable age groups (elderly), those with comorbidities and those in high risk occupations (health care)," he said.

On what role a booster dose of vaccine can play against the new variant to tackle waning immunity against Covid-19, he said booster shots help, but it is more important to first get more people vaccinated with two doses.

"Further, about 90 per cent of doses in India are Covishield, and this has limited use as a booster. For that we will need either RNA, DNA or protein vaccines. For the moment, just make sure more and more people get the two doses," he said.

Responding to reports claiming that the variant mainly affects people below 25 years of age, he said there is no data available on the subject.

"So far, the few known patients are in this age group. I doubt it will pose a bigger threat to children who naturally have no or mild disease to this virus," Jameel said.

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News Network
November 18,2023

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Mangaluru, Nov 18: Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U T Khader has played down the controversy triggered by Housing and Minorities Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan saying Speaker’s post is beyond the jurisdiction of caste and religion. 

"I am a Speaker for all. This post cannot be seen from the perspective of political, caste, and religious backgrounds. It is a constitutional position. All respect should be directed not to me but to the post of Speaker," Mr Khader told media persons in Mangaluru.

"Those who occupy the chair of the Assembly Speaker should protect its honour. I don't want to react to Zameer Ahmed Khan's statement. I was not made Speaker based on caste or religion; the position was accorded according to my merit. I will carry out this responsibility by respecting all. I wish to see the post of the Assembly Speaker beyond the political party,” Mr clarified.

Zameer Ahmed Khan, while campaigning in Telangana, claimed that leaders of the saffron party bowed down before a Muslim Speaker in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, thanks to the opportunity given by the Congress.

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News Network
November 17,2023

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Bengaluru, Nov 17: Karnataka Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan has landed in controversy saying that the Congress made a Muslim -- U T Khader -- Speaker of the Legislative Assembly before whom the 'best-of-the-best' BJP leaders salute and say ‘Sahab Namaskar’.

During an election campaign in poll-bound Telangana, the Housing, Wakf and Minority Welfare Minister pointed out that no Muslim had ever become the assembly speaker in Karnataka's history, but Congress gave that respect to a person from the community this time.

"No one (from the Muslim community) in the history of Karnataka had become the Speaker of the assembly. Congress party made U T Khader the Assembly Speaker. Today the best-of-the-best BJP leaders stand before Khader saying ‘Sahab Namaskar’. Who made him? It’s Congress,” Khan told a gathering.

The minister said nine Muslims were elected to the Karnataka assembly in the May elections of 17 who were given tickets. Of these nine, five have been given 'power', he said.

As the minister's statement drew sharp criticism from various quarters, he said he had spoken only about the respect given to the Muslim Community by the Congress party and did not insult legislators of any party.

A statement issued by his office said that being a star campaigner in the Telangana Assembly polls, Khan has not spoken in an insulting manner against any individual or the party legislators.

“In Karnataka, the Congress party has given the highest respect for the Muslim community and given the post of speaker for the first time in the history of the state. In the legislative assembly, all the Congress, BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs will address the Speaker as honourable speaker. The Congress party had given that opportunity to rise to such a top post,” the statement read.

Khan also said the Karnataka BJP unit President B Y Vijayendra and others have read his statement 'wrong' and are trying to rake up a controversy.

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News Network
November 18,2023

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A far-right member of Israel’s legislature has called for burning down the Gaza Strip and blocking humanitarian aid to the besieged area amid the occupying regime’s brutal onslaught on the coastal silver, which has so far claimed more than 12,000 Palestinian lives.

Nissim Vaturi, deputy speaker of the Knesset and a member of the legislature's foreign affairs and security committee, made the call on Friday and said Tel Aviv must hold off on providing Gaza with relief aid until the more than 200 Israelis captured by Palestinian resistance movement Hamas are released.

Vaturi claimed that the Israeli regime has been “too humane” after the extremist cabinet of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu — under the international community’s pressure — approved the entry of two trucks of fuel per day into Gaza.

The fuel delivery was ordered to prevent the collapse of the war-ravaged city’s sewage treatment system, which risked a mass outbreak of viral diseases, as the besieged area is already beset by power outages and telecommunication disruptions.

“All of this preoccupation with whether or not there is internet in Gaza shows that we have learned nothing. We are too humane. Burn Gaza now, nothing less!” Vaturi wrote in a post on his X social media account.

“Don’t allow fuel in, don’t allow water in until the hostages are returned back!” he adds.

The Egyptian Red Crescent said 15 tons of diesel entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt on Friday after the United Nations had warned of widespread starvation in the wake of intermittent shutdowns in internet and telephone services across the strip over the lack of fuel.

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