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
March 11,2023

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A McDonald’s outlet in the premises of Hyderabad’s Hotel SPG Grand was witness to a shocking incident where a giant rat jumped and bit an eight-year-old boy who was eating there with his parents.

The incident was captured on the establishment’s CCTV and the footage went viral on social media soon. People were quick to draw a reference to another recent incident in Hyderabad where a young boy was mauled by a pack of stray dogs.

A report revealed that the rat had escaped from the washroom and stepped into the dining area. When the rat jumped onto the child and bit him, his father, Savio Henriques was quick to pick up the rodent and toss it aside. Both patrons and restaurant staff were left shocked at the incident.

The boy, Dwayne Henriques, was immediately taken to a nearby Bowenpally military hospital by his father, who is himself an army major. The boy received treatment at the hospital that included tetanus and anti-rabies shots. 

On the following day, Savio Henriques decided to take legal action against the restaurant. He went to the metropolitan magistrate court and subsequently lodged an FIR. According to the report, "Franchises like McDonalds are supposed to ensure a safe environment for children. The incident was witnessed by staff and the manager”.

He has also posted a video of the incident captured on CCTV along with pictures of the rat’s bite marks on his son.

McDonald’s India has replied to the tweet, saying, “Hi! Thank you for bringing this to our notice. Please DM us your contact number so that we can assist you further.”

Savio Henriques has also alleged that restaurant management was negligent and said that they did not do much even after the incident took place.

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News Network
March 9,2023

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Mangaluru, Mar 9: Dr. Preethi Lolaksha Nagaveni, a Legal Scholar from Mangaluru, has once again delivered a joint oral statement before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 7th March 2023 along with Dr. Amit Anand. 

The Oral statement was delivered under the topic, “Impacts and Challenges faced by persons with disabilities in situations of risk and the role of State and Non-State actors in addressing them”.

Dr. Preethi has earlier presented three joint oral statements before various UN committees.

Dr Preethi in WHO Database

Recently World Health Organization [WHO] has included her Book Chapter in its official “WHO COVID-19 Research Database”. The book titled ‘COVID-19 IN ASIA -LAW AND POLICY CONTEXTS, published by Oxford University Press, New York in which Dr. Preethi along with Prof Susan Breau, Dean of faculty of Law, University Victoria, Canada has written a chapter on “International Health Regulations and Compliance in Asia”.

The authors have critically examined the limitations of the International Health Regulations due to which the WHO was in crisis in managing the COVID -19 pandemic and recommended appropriate amendments to the said Regulations. 

Work cited by the UN Committee

Dr Preethi, along with Dr. Amit Anand, had submitted inputs to the United Nations Committee on Child Rights as part of Day of General Discussion on “Children’s Rights and Alternative Care” which was held on 16th and 17th September 2021, during the 88th Session of the Committee at the United Nations Office in Geneva. In their report, the young scholars have suggested ‘The Measures to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children in Residential Care Homes in India’. Taking cognizance of the importance of the report submitted by the young scholars, the United Nations Committee on Child Rights has not only published it in the official website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) but also cited their report in its Background Document on “Children’s Rights and Alternative Care – September2021”.

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News Network
March 11,2023

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Various countries have welcomed the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, while the regime in Tel Aviv seems to view the development as a “fatal blow” to its regional coalition building against the Islamic Republic.

After several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia finally clinched a deal on Friday to restore diplomatic relations and re-open embassies, seven years after ties were severed over several issues.

The important development soon became a hot topic in regional as well as international media and reactions from other countries began to pour in.

“The return to normal relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia provides great capacities to both countries, the region, and the Muslim world,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who is set to soon meet with his Saudi counterpart to make the necessary arrangements, wrote in a post on his Twitter account.

“The good neighborliness policy, as the key axis of the Iranian administration’s foreign policy, is strongly moving in the right direction and the diplomatic apparatus is actively behind the preparation of more regional steps,” he said.

Riyadh eyeing continuation of dialogue

Saudi National Security Adviser Musaid Al Aiban, who negotiated the agreement with his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani, said that Riyadh “welcomes the initiative of His Excellency President Xi Jinping, based on the Kingdom’s consistent and continuous approach since its establishment in adhering to the principles of good neighborliness.”

He said Saudi Arabia takes “everything that would enhance security and stability in the region and the world,” while “adopting the principle of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve differences.”

“While we value what we have reached, we hope that we will continue to continue the constructive dialogue, in accordance with the pillars and foundations included in the agreement, expressing our appreciation for the People’s Republic of China’s continued positive role in this regard.”

China: This is ‘victory for dialogue’

China’s Top Diplomat Wang Yi praised the agreement as “a victory for dialogue, a victory for peace, offering major good news at a time of much turbulence in the world.”

China will continue to play a constructive role in handling hotspot issues in the world and demonstrate its responsibility as a major nation, Wang said. “The world is not just limited to the Ukraine issue.”

Nasrallah: Agreement could lead to new horizons

Addressing a local event on Friday, the secretary general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the agreement will be “to the benefit” of the region.

“The rapprochement of Iran and Saudi Arabia proceeds in its normal path and can open new horizons for the region and Lebanon,” he said.

The Iranian foreign minister also held separate phone conversations with his Omani, Iraq, and Qatari counterparts who embraced the resumption of ties.

Turkey and the United Arab Emirates also welcomed the new development in separate statements.

US welcomes ‘de-escalation’

In the first reaction, the United States claimed that it embraces “de-escalation” in West Asia.

“Generally speaking, we welcome any efforts to help end the war in Yemen and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region. De-escalation and diplomacy together with deterrence are key pillars of the policy President Biden outlined during his visit to the region last year,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson told Reuters.

Ansarullah hails move against foreign interference

Mohammed Abdulsalam, the Yemeni Ansarullah resistance movement’s chief negotiator, said the region is in need of resumption of “normal ties” between its countries.

“The region needs the resumption of normal ties between its countries for the Islamic nation to reclaim its lost security as a result of foreign, especially American-Zionist, interferences,” he tweeted.

Foreign interference, he said, has taken advantage of differences in the region and used Iranophobia to wage aggression on Yemen.

‘Dangerous development for Israel’

Meanwhile, the Israeli regime did not seem to take the development so well. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the agreement a “political victory” for Iran and a “serious and dangerous development for Israel.”

“This delivers a fatal blow to efforts to build a regional coalition against Iran,” he said.

Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid also described the reconciliation deal as a dangerous development that strips Israel of its regional defensive wall. “The agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran reflects the complete and dangerous failure of the Israeli government’s foreign policy,” Lapid said.

Benny Gantz, former minister of military affairs, also reacted to the rapprochement, stating that it was a cause for concern.

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