In a statement, WHO’s Southeast Asia Region Regional Director Saima Wazed said, “A primary healthcare-based approach that addresses TB determinants such as undernutrition, embraces new technologies including developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence and has communities and affected populations at the center of all efforts, should be among the key elements of our reinvigorated approach.”

According to the Global TB Report 2024 published by the WHO, more than 3.8 million people were initiated on TB treatment in the WHO South-East Asia Region in 2023, the highest ever and nearly 1.3 million more than in the year 2020 impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimated percentage of people with TB, missed by the programme, reduced from 44 per cent to 22 per cent in 2020, according to the statement released by WHO.

According to the report, the estimated number of deaths due to TB reached 583, 000 in 2023, after a peak of 763,000 in 2021. However, the region continues to account for a disproportionate 45 per cent of the global TB burden with an estimated over 5 million people developing the disease in 2023, and over half of TB deaths globally in 2023.

Nearly 1.5 million people received TB preventive treatment which helps protect high-risk populations from developing the disease. However, the coverage remained low with only nine per cent of people living with HIV and less than a quarter of household contacts of bacteriologically confirmed TB patients, receiving preventive treatment, according to the statement.

The available funding for TB in the Region reached USD 1.1 billion in 2023, witnessing a rise of 70 per cent through domestic sources. However, a huge gap of nearly USD 2 billion per year persists for the implementation of a comprehensive strategy to end TB in the Region, according to a WHO statement.

Saima Wazed noted that countries in the Southeast Asia region have been making efforts. However, she added that the huge disease burden, its catastrophic socio-economic impact and severe resource crunch call for accelerated and urgent actions.

She stressed the need for multisectoral, multidisciplinary collaboration and coordination for the pooling of resources to end TB, leaving no one behind to reach every TB-affected person, their families and those at risk of developing the disease irrespective of where they live. She said that reaching the unreached, particularly those who are vulnerable and marginalised is key to the fight against TB.

In the statement, Wazed said, “It is time to push the pedal on the momentum built collectively by the Member countries of the Region in efforts towards ending TB.”

On August 18, 2023, member countries of the South-East Asia region signed the Gandhinagar Declaration to step up efforts to end TB. On September 22, 2023, world leaders at the second United Nations high-level meeting on the fight against TB adopted a historic declaration with commitments to ambitious and comprehensive time-bound targets and actions.

These targets and actions aim to enhance equitable access to TB services, protect human rights, address TB determinants, reduce vulnerability, accelerate research and innovation, and mobilize sufficient resources to support these endeavours. (ANI)

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

The fifth edition of the Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF 2023) will be held in the capital of Kerala from December 1 to 5, focusing on projecting Ayurveda’s huge potential in addressing the health challenges of the present world and setting a platform for global networking of Ayurveda practitioners and stakeholders.

The focal theme of the GAF 2023 is “Emerging Challenges in Healthcare & A Resurgent Ayurveda,” Hon’ble Minister of  State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri V Muraleedharan, who is the Chairman of the Organising Committee, told a press conference here on Friday.

Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan is the Chief Patron of the Organising Committee, which has 200-plus members from all segments of Ayurveda.

The biennial event is being organized by the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA) in association with Ministry of Ayush, Government of India; Department of Ayush; Government of Kerala; Ayurveda fraternity represented by AMAI, AMMOI, AHMA, KISMA, ADMA, Viswa Ayurveda Parishad and 14 other Ayurveda Associations at the Greenfield International Stadium, Karyavattom.

The conclave will witness convergence of many top scientists, including Nobel Laureates, 7,500 delegates from 75 countries. Over 750 research papers will be presented at various sessions of the meet, besides 750 poster presentations on the sidelines.

It is significant to note that GAF 2023 is happening in the backdrop of the Union Government making major efforts to position Ayurveda as a holistic system to address grim health challenges staring at humanity, Shri Muraleedharan said. It is the largest event in the country in Ayurveda, he said.

Mr. Muraleedharan said the event will also seek how to present Ayurveda effectively in the tourism sector, which can contribute immensely to the development of Kerala. “Already, Ayurveda is an important segment in tourism in Kerala. Ayurveda accounts for a substantial portion of the revenue generated by the tourism sector,” Mr. Muraleedharan said.

He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Guest at the valedictory function of the third edition of the GAF held in Kozhikode in 2016.  Mr. Modi also inaugurated the fourth edition of the event held virtually due to the pandemic.

“Ayurveda has already started transcending its native borders. In India, it has been firmly established as a strong and effective segment of our health care sector. It’s time that Ayurveda was promoted globally in a systematic and scientific manner. The primary focus of the conclave will be on this vital aspect,” Shri Muraleedharan said.

The event will provide a platform to tell the entire world about the time-tested ancient system of medicine and wellness, facilitate collaborative research initiatives, formalise partnerships and firm up policies, the Minister added.

GAF Working Chairman Dr G G Gangadharan said GAF 2023 will explore possibilities of increasing investment, export and trade in Ayurveda sector with the support of industry associations. Participation of Ambassadors of these nations in India will be ensured at GAF as part of its global promotion, he said.

A major highlight of the GAF is the Arogya Expo with around 500 stalls that will bring together businesses, organisations and other institutions from across the globe to showcase their products, services, and technologies related to Ayurveda. Ayush clinics, Medicinal plants and Education expo will be part of it.

The expo will offer a unique opportunity for visitors to explore and experience the world of Ayurveda, including Ayurvedic medicines, herbal products, wellness services, and Ayurvedic equipment. It also will facilitate interactions among exhibitors and visitors, providing a space for networking, collaboration and sharing of knowledge and expertise.

As a prelude to the GAF, Grand Kerala Ayurveda Fair (GKAF) will be held in all districts of Kerala from November 1 to 30. GKAF will bring together all Ayurveda institutions, associations and organizations to highlight the strength of the system before the public. Various activities and competitions will also be organized in school-college and resident association levels. It will be a mass contact programme with everybody connected to Ayurveda in the state participating to make Ayurveda a people-friendly one.

GAF Secretary General Dr C Sureshkumar (Triveni); Chief Coordinator Dr C Sureshkumar; International Co-operation Conclave Chairman Shri Baby Mathew Somatheeram; State President of AMAI Smt. C D Leena; Ayurveda Hospital Management Association President Dr Vijayan Nangeli; Govt. Ayurveda Medical Officers Association General Secretary Shri O R Sebby; Govt. Ayurveda Medical Officers Federation General Secretary Dr Durga and Ayurveda Medicine Manufactures Organisation Secretary Shri Lal were also present at the press conference.

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Kottayam MP Mr Thomas Chazhikadan inaugurated the device that was developed in June last year by employing IoT (Internet of Things) knowhow from Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Science Technology at Thiruvananthapuram.

The function was addressed by local Youth Front president Mr Sebastian Mullakara. Kottayam District Panchayat Member Mr Augustin Mailakumchalil, Medical Officer Dr Biju, Mr Joy Cherupushpam and Kerala Congress Thalayolaparambu mandalam president Adv Antony Kalambukadan were among other speakers at the event held 30 km north of this city.

The BIN-19 has been installed amid apprehensions of a third wave of the pandemic. The district panchayat is making its best efforts to counter the spread of the disease under Mr Mullakara.

BIN-19 facilitates dropping of used masks into the chamber and subsequently enables its disinfection. The disinfected masks are then transferred to another container inside the bin. The person who drops the masks can sanitise his or her hands with the help of BIN-19’s automatic sanitiser dispenser. All this can be done without touching or operating any of the switches of the bin.

KSUM is the nodal agency of the Kerala government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.

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Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Abdullah said the offer will be available to more than 900 members of ICSI and their family members. In addition to these, over 7000 students who have enrolled at various ICSI courses will also be offered discounts at VPS Lakeshore.

The function was attended by T Baiju, Chairman, ICSI Kochi Chapter; Nikhil George Pinto, Treasurer; T S Sreekumar, Office in Charge; Subhash Scariah, COO, VPS Lakeshore Hospital; R Narayanan, CFO and R Mualeedharan, Company Secretary among others.

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The UAE has established a proactive approach to addressing crises and was among the first countries in the world to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to its entire population free of charge, she added while pointing out that it has implemented an advanced series of preventive procedures to address the pandemic’s repercussions and adopted an effective planning strategy for the recovery period across all sectors.

During the regular media briefing held on Tuesday by the UAE Government to present the developments to the pandemic, Dr. Al Hosani stressed that the UAE is continuing to perform many coronavirus tests to proactively detect infections and curb the spread of the pandemic, noting that over 35.5 million tests have currently been conducted.

She also revealed that the “Al Hosn” application, the national digital app that offers information about COVID-19, was recently updated and provides all necessary information related to the vaccines offered by vaccination centres around the country.

The app is a proactive initiative launched by the UAE, she further added, affirming that relevant data on the app can be used as an official certificate proving that individuals have received the vaccine, which then can save and print.

Dr. Al Hosani further said that national health authorities are monitoring the progress of vaccination programmes around the country carried out in different centres, stressing that the country recently enlarged the scope of vaccinations to include all segments of the community who are individuals over the age of 16.
The weekly updates of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the pandemic highlight a surge in new infections, with many countries confirming the emergence of new mutated variants of the virus, she explained.

National health authorities are up to date with coronavirus related developments, she noted, stating that related monitoring revealed the emergence of new variants in some countries, which may be connected to the surge in infections.

Since the international announcement about the new variants, the UAE has kept pace with related developments and formed a national team to track these variants, in cooperation with all health authorities, she further explained, adding that the team is regularly monitoring the health situation while the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), in cooperation with its partners and relevant health authorities and in coordination with higher education institutions and public health entities, is studying these viral mutations.

”SARS COVID-2” variants have been regularly monitoring by labs specialising in genetic analysis, to accurately monitor their epidemiological status and the extent of their spread in society, Dr. Al Hosani further said, affirming that the safe resumption of activities in all sectors amidst the health crisis must happen according to an accurate strategy, and the country is constantly monitoring several indexes covering various sectors before making the correct decisions.

These efforts and decisions will ensure the country’s balanced strategic approach to ensuring the continuity of business of all sectors, as well as support the health sector and maintain community safety, she further stated, noting that the pandemic has affected all sectors, which required the establishment of the National COVID-19 Crisis Recovery Management and Governance Committee to ensure an overall strategic balance between all sectors and the timely return to normalcy.

Dr. Al Hosani pointed out that the continuous monitoring of vaccination campaigns revealed that approved vaccines are effective in preventing the severe symptoms of the disease and reducing rates of hospitalisation and deaths.
She then urged all members of the community to adhere to relevant preventive measures during the Holy Month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, stressing that public health is a priority and social responsibility.

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COVID-19 has not been confirmed in the last 24 hours by anyone from the UK. With this, COVID-19 has so far been confirmed for 100 people who recently came from the UK (98) and South Africa (2). Of these, 83 tested negative. A total of 11 people were diagnosed with the genetically modified virus.
65,906 samples were tested during the last 24 hours. The test positivity rate is 3.51. A total of 1,19,97,827 samples have so far been sent for testing, including LAMP and antigen testing.

It has been confirmed that 16 deaths in the last few days have been caused by COVID-19. This brings the total death toll to 4,328.

Forty-eight of those diagnosed with the disease are from outside the State and 2,100 people were infected through contact. Contact source for 147 is not clear. Kottayam 259, Kozhikode 253, Thrissur 238, Ernakulam 230, Kollam 210, Pathanamthitta 185, Kannur 139, Thiruvananthapuram 112, Malappuram 134, Alappuzha 96, Idukki 81, Palakkad 34, Kasaragod 68 and Wayanad 61 were affected by contact.

The disease affected 21 health workers. Health workers were affected in Kannur 8, Kozhikode 6, Kollam 2, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, Wayanad and Kasaragod 1 each.
The test results of 4,386 people who were diagnosed and treated were negative. Thiruvananthapuram 238, Kollam 1065, Pathanamthitta 512, Alappuzha 219, Kottayam 175, Idukki 70, Ernakulam 500, Thrissur 272, Palakkad 266, Malappuram 246, Kozhikode 446, Wayanad 112, Kannur 151 and Kasaragod 114 were found to be negative today. With this, 37,150 people have been diagnosed with the disease and are still undergoing treatment. 10,39,281 people have so far been freed from COVID-19.
There are currently 1,66,107 people under surveillance in various districts of the state. Of these, 1,60,898 are under home / institutional quarantine and 5209 are under hospital surveillance. A total of 509 people were admitted to hospitals.
No new hotspot and four areas were excluded from the hotspot. There are currently a total of 352 hotspots.

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Vaccines are typically less effective in the real-world than in clinical trials. But in data from Israel and the United Kingdom, both of whom have managed to vaccinate a large slice of their population, vaccine effectiveness appears to be matching that seen in clinical trials.

There are also positive signs the vaccines will significantly cut viral transmission, although it is too early to draw firm conclusions.

In Britain, Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine appears to be 88 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic infection in those aged over 80.

Israeli scientists are reporting a 92 per cent effectiveness rate overall – similar rates to those seen in clinical trials that initially stunned scientists.
Israel and Britain are among world leaders in vaccinating their populations. Israel has managed to give one dose to least 56 per cent of its population, while in Britain about 30 per cent of people have received at least one jab.

Both countries faced surging epidemics only a month ago, but daily cases have now been substantially curtailed.

The US has also made strong headway, reducing its daily caseload from a peak of 314,172 on January 8 to 66,481 on March 4. About 16 per cent of the US’s population had received a dose of vaccine.

Science and health explained and analysed with a rigorous focus on the evidence. Examine is a weekly newsletter by science reporter Liam Mannix. Sign up to receive it every Tuesday.

However, these countries’ success was likely linked to more lockdowns and perhaps the end of winter, rather than the effects of vaccination, said James Wood, associate professor at the School of Population Health at the University of NSW.

Britain went into a national lockdown at the start of January, while Israel’s national lockdown started at the end of December. Israel’s progress appears to be plateauing, however, even as restrictions are eased.

Vaccine efficacy describes how well a vaccine works in a clinical trial. But a vaccine’s effectiveness – how well it works in the real world – is a different matter.

Vaccine trials enrol select groups of patients. Pfizer’s phase 3 trial, for example, excluded patients with uncontrolled chronic medical conditions.

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A total of 16,488 novel coronavirus cases were reported in a day, while the death count rose to 1,56,938 with 113 new fatalities, showed the data updated at 8 am on Saturday.

The active case count has further increased to 1,59,590, which comprises 1.44 per cent of the total infections, the data stated.

The number of recoveries reached 1,07,63,451, which translates to a national COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.14 per cent and the case fatality rate stands at 1.42 per cent.

Meanwhile, with 2,84,297 vaccine doses administered to healthcare workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs) on the 42nd day of nationwide COVID-19 vaccination, the total number of vaccination crossed 1.37 crores in the country, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on February 27.

According to the Union Health Ministry, 1,37,56,940 vaccine doses were given through 2,89,320 sessions.

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“We look forward to beginning the clinical study of our variant booster and are grateful for the NIH’s continued collaboration to combat this pandemic,” said CEO Stephane Bancel.

The South African variant is considered among the more dangerous of current mutations because it evades some of the blocking action of antibodies that target the older coronavirus strain.

That means people who were infected with the classic strain are more susceptible to reinfection, and research has also shown the variant has partly reduced the protection of the current generation of vaccines.

While initial testing has shown that Moderna’s original vaccine — called mRNA-1273 — remains effective against emerging variants, the company said it was pursuing the development of a variant-specific vaccine as part of a number of strategies being considered.

Either a South Africa variant-specific candidate, called mRNA-1273.351, could be used as a booster, or the company might use a booster that combines the classic vaccine with the variant-specific mRNA-1273.351 to create a new product.

Another idea is that people could receive a third dose of the classic vaccine to raise their overall immunity.

Moderna is also looking at the possibility of using the South Africa variant-specific mRNA-1273.351 or the combination shot as the primary dose.

The US Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that drug makers developing variant-specific vaccines wouldn’t need to go through the same lengthy authorization process they had to for their original shots.

Moderna also announced it was raising its global manufacturing capacity and would be able to produce up to 1.4 billion doses of its vaccine in 2022 if needed.

Additionally, it said it was increasing its plan for 2021 manufacturing from 600 million doses to 700 million doses globally. Moderna has so far shipped 60 million doses, 55 million within the US.

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Once again, Maharashtra sees over 8,000 new cases. Amid the rising cases, 190 people have been found Covid positive at a hostel in Washim district of the state.

Meanwhile, people aged more than 60-plus and above 45 with comorbidity will be able to get a vaccine against Covid-19 from March 1.

The Centre rushed multi-disciplinary teams to nine states and the union territory — Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal — to support them in effective tackling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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A total of 13,993 new cases were registered in a span of 24 hours.

The death toll increased to 101 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
On January 29, 18,855 daily cases were recorded.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,06,78,048 which translates to a national recovery rate of 97.27 percent and the case fatality rate stands at 1.42 percent.

The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 1.5 lakh.

There are 1,43,127 active cases of coronavirus infections in the country which comprise 1.27 percent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR, 21,02,61,480 samples have been tested up to February 19, with 7,86,618 samples being tested on Friday.

The 101 new fatalities included 44 deaths from Maharashtra, 15 from Kerala and 8 from Punjab.

A total of 1,56,212 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 51,713 from Maharashtra followed by 12,451 from Tamil Nadu, 12,287 from Karnataka, 10,897 from Delhi, 10,242 from West Bengal, 8,712 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,167 from Andhra Pradesh.

The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70 percent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

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The investigators, however, note the need for further probe into suppliers of those and other animals to the market. They have yet to ascertain a full list of live and dead animals sold legally or illegally at the market.

The experts also insist that China carry out widespread testing of its mink farms after two-way transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between humans and minks was confirmed in Europe.

The WHO expert team finished their four-week trip to China last week. At a press conference, they announced that any leak of the virus from a lab was unlikely, while the Wuhan wet market’s role remains unclear.

The investigators also doubted that bats had carried coronavirus to the market, suggesting that there was an intermediate host.

Earlier, it was reported that China has refused to give the WHO raw data on its early Covid-19 cases. The world health agency officials said raw, personalised data could help them determine how and when the coronavirus first spread in China.

The experts said that while it was unlikely there were large-scale outbreaks in Wuhan or elsewhere in China before December 2019, they do not rule out that it was circulating in other regions.

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The study found the vaccine was still able to neutralize the virus and there is not yet evidence from trials in people that the variant reduces vaccine protection, the companies said.

Still, they are making investments and talking to regulators about developing an updated version of their mRNA vaccine or a booster shot, if needed.

For the study, scientists from the companies and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) developed an engineered virus that contained the same mutations carried on the spike portion of the highly contagious coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa, known as B.1.351.

The spike, used by the virus to enter human cells, is the primary target of many COVID-19 vaccines.

Researchers tested the engineered virus against blood taken from people who had been given the vaccine and found a two-thirds reduction in the level of neutralizing antibodies compared with its effect on the most common version of the virus prevalent in U.S. trials.

Their findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Because there is no established benchmark yet to determine what level of antibodies are needed to protect against the virus, it is unclear whether that two-thirds reduction will render the vaccine ineffective against the variant spreading around the world.

The other COVID vaccine maker Moderna also said the actual efficacy of its vaccine against the South African variant is yet to be determined. The company has previously said it believes the vaccine will work against the variant.

Experts say that more work is needed to understand whether the vaccine works against the South African variant, including clinical trials and the development of correlates of protection – the benchmarks to determine what antibody levels are protective.

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In the last 24 hours, 11,987 people were discharged from hospitals, while 101 succumbed to the contagious virus, the ministry said.

The total Covid-19 cases mounted to 1,09,50,201, while the death toll increased to 1,56,014.

According to the health ministry, as many as 94,22,228 have been administered the coronavirus vaccine under the Covid mega vaccination drive in India.

The coronavirus active caseload in the country remained below 1.5 lakh.

There are 1,37,342 active coronavirus infections in the country, the data stated.

Meanwhile, preliminary research has showed that the two Covid-19 vaccines approved in India are effective against the UK variant of the novel coronavirus. However, there is no data on their efficacy against the South African and Brazilian mutants detected in the country.

The health ministry on Tuesday said four people were detected with the South Africa variant of SARS-CoV-2 and one tested positive for the Brazil variant, a first for India, prompting scientists to stress the need for more data and studies so the country’s vaccine programme can be tailored to evolving exigencies.

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In the last 24 hours, 92 people succumbed to the deadly virus while 11,106 were discharged from hospitals, according to the health ministry.

With this, the death toll due to the contagious virus has reached 1,55,642 in the country, taking the fatality rate to 1.43%.

The active number of coronavirus cases stands at 1,37,567 in the country, which comprises 1.26% of the total caseload, the data stated.

Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that 20,62,30,512 samples have been tested up to 13 February with 6,97,114 samples being tested on Saturday.

In addition, so far 82,63,858 people have been administered the Covid-19 vaccine under India’s mega inoculation programme, the ministry said.

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The new mid-stage trial will determine whether the vaccine is effective on people between the ages of 6 and 17, according to a statement from the university.

Around 300 volunteers will be enrolled and first inoculations are expected this month, Oxford said.

The two-dose Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been hailed as a ‘vaccine for the world’ because it is cheaper and easier to distribute than some rivals.

AstraZeneca has a target to produce 3 billion doses this year and aims to produce over 200 million doses per month by April.

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Besides the new cases, 15,858 recoveries were reported in the country in the same period, the Ministry said.

The total count includes 1,35,926 active cases and 1,05,89,230 recoveries.

The COVID-19 death toll has reached 1,55,447 with 87 people succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours.

As many as 75,05,010 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country so far.

A total of 20,40,23,840 samples have been tested for the coronavirus as of February 10. Of these, 6,99,185 samples were tested on Wednesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) informed.

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AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective and should be deployed widely, including in countries where the South African variant of the coronavirus may reduce its efficacy, a World Health Organization panel said on Wednesday.

The benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University outweigh any risks and the shot should recommend for use, including in people aged 65 and older, the WHO panel said.

Earlier South Africa stopped part of its roll out of the AstraZeneca vaccine after data small trial showed it did not protect against mild to moderate illness from the 501Y.V2 variant of the coronvirus now dominant in the country.

The WHO said it expected by mid-February to finalise its review of the shot for emergency use approval under COVAX agreement.

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The research from Sweden found that women infected with the Covid-19 virus are nine times more likely to die as compared to men after suffering a cardiac arrest in hospital.

The study, published in the European Heart Journal, included 1,946 people who suffered a cardiac arrest out of hospital (OHCA) and 1,080 who suffered one in hospital (IHCA) between January 1 and July 20, last year.

The researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, noted that during the pandemic phase of the study, Covid-19 was involved in at least 10 per cent of all OHCAs and 16 per cent of IHCAs.

Covid-19 patients who had an OHCA had a 3.4-fold increased risk of dying within 30 days, while IHCA patients had a 2.3-fold increased risk of dying within 30 days, they said. “Our study clearly shows that cardiac arrest and Covid-19 is a very lethal combination,” said the first author of the study, Pedram Sultanian, a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg.

“Patients with the coronavirus should be monitored intensively and measures are taken to prevent cardiac arrest, for instance with the use of continuous heart monitors for patients at high risk,” Sultanian sad.

When the researchers compared pre-pandemic cases with Covid-19 cases, they found that the overall risk of dying following an OHCA nearly tripled. It was increased 4.5-fold for men and by a third for women, they said.

According to the study, the overall risk of dying after an IHCA more than doubled. It was increased by a half in men and more than nine-fold in women, the study found. The researchers also found a 2.7-fold increase in the proportion of OHCAs caused by breathing problems and an 8.6 per cent increase in compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during the pandemic.

The percentage of people who were treated with both chest compression as well as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation fell from 33 per cent pre-pandemic to 23 per cent during the pandemic, they said.

In March the European Resuscitation Council and the Swedish Resuscitation Council issued guidelines recommending that bystanders who see a cardiac arrest should avoid mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and concentrate on chest compressions in the case of suspected Covid-19 infection.

“Although previous studies have indicated that compression-only CPR delivered by bystanders may be as effective as compressions and ventilation combined, this may not apply to cases with Covid-19, since they are primarily suffering from respiratory failure,” said senior author of the study, Araz Rawshani, physician and researcher at the University of Gothenburg.

“We believe this is an important finding that could possibly help authorities in handling the pandemic,” Rawshani added.

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The death toll increased to 1,54,703 with 107 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,04,80,455 pushing the national Covid-19 recovery rate of 97.13 percent, while the Covid-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.43 percent. The Covid-19 active caseload remained below 2 lakh.

There are 1,55,025 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprise 1.44 percent of the total caseload, the data stated. India’s Covid-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR, 19,92,16,019 samples have been tested up to February 3 with 7,42,841 samples being tested on Wednesday.

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According to a report in Independent experts from the University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich-based research facility the Earlham Institute and University of Minnesota have said that coronavirus can infect a wide range of species including cats, dogs, mink and other domesticated species.

In an editorial for the journal Virulence, they warned that continued evolution of the virus in animals followed by transmission to humans “poses a significant long-term risk to public health”.

“It is not unthinkable that vaccination of some domesticated animal species might… be necessary to curb the spread of the infection,” the report quoted their journal.

While dogs and cats can contract coronavirus, there are no known cases in which there has been spillback to humans, one of the editorial’s authors said.

“It makes sense to develop vaccines for pets, for domestic animals, just as a precaution to reduce this risk,” said Cock van Oosterhout, professor of evolutionary genetics at UEA.

“What we need to be as a human society, we really need to be prepared for any eventuality when it comes to Covid. I think the best way to do this is indeed consider development of vaccines for animals as well. Interestingly the Russians have already started to develop a vaccine for pets, which there’s very little information about,” he added.

Kevin Tyler, editor-in-chief of Virulence, said: “Cats are asymptomatic but they are infected by it and they can infect humans with it.

“The risk is that, as long as there are these reservoirs, that it starts to pass as it did in the mink from animal to animal and then starts to evolve animal-specific strains, but then they spill back into the human population and you end up essentially with a new virus which is related which causes the whole thing all over again.”

He added: “It’s not an obvious risk yet.”

Prof van Oosterhout and Prof Tyler wrote the editorial along with the director of the Earlham Institute Neil Hall and Hinh Ly of the University of Minnesota, reported Independent.

In their editorial, the scientists wrote: “Continued virus evolution in reservoir animal hosts, followed by spillback events into susceptible human hosts, poses a significant long-term risk to public health.

“SARS-CoV-2 can infect a wide range of host species, including cats, dogs, mink and other wild and domesticated species and, hence, the vaccination of domesticated animals might be required to halt further virus evolution and spillback events.

“Whilst the vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2/ Covid-19 are being rolled out worldwide, new virus variants are likely to continue to evolve that have the potential to sweep through the human population.”

They said that more transmissible virus strains, such as the UK variant, require more people to be vaccinated to keep coronavirus under control.

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