The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, has continued to evolve since it first emerged in December 2019. One variant of concern is called the \”Kraken\” variant, which has been identified in South Africa and is believed to be more transmissible than previous versions of the virus.

The Kraken variant carries a number of mutations in the spike protein that allows the virus to enter human cells, including the E484K mutation, which may help the virus evade immunity from previous infections or vaccines. While it is not yet clear how transmissible or virulent the Kraken variant is compared to other variants, it is important for people to continue practicing recommended public health measures such as wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and maintaining social distancing to help slow the spread of all COVID-19 variants.

It is also important for governments and public health agencies to continue monitoring the spread of the Kraken variant and other emerging variants, and to adapt their strategies for controlling the pandemic as needed. This may include the implementation of new or enhanced public health measures, the development and distribution of new vaccines or treatments, and the deployment of resources to help manage the spread of the virus.

It is worth noting that the emergence of new variants of the virus is not unusual and is to be expected during a pandemic. Viruses naturally mutate over time, and the rapid spread of the virus during a pandemic provides more opportunities for mutations to occur. While some of these mutations may have little impact on the spread or severity of the disease, others may lead to changes in the virus that make it more transmissible or virulent. It is therefore important for public health agencies to closely monitor the evolution of the virus and to take appropriate action as needed.

One key way to help slow the spread of the Kraken variant and other emerging variants is through vaccination. While currently available vaccines may not be as effective against the Kraken variant as they are against previous versions of the virus, they are still expected to provide some level of protection and may help to reduce the severity of illness in those who become infected. It is therefore important for people to get vaccinated when a vaccine becomes available to them.

In conclusion, the emergence of the Kraken variant and other emerging variants of COVID-19 highlights the importance of continuing to practice recommended public health measures and of closely monitoring the evolution of the virus. While the spread of these variants may present new challenges, it is critical for people to remain vigilant and to follow recommended guidelines in order to help control the pandemic and protect themselves and others from illness.

Link

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/coronavirus-news-live-updates-covid-19-maharashtra-reports-51880-new-covid19-positive-cases-65934-recoveries-and-891-deaths-6855751.html

Covishield has been developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca in partnership with the Serum institute of Pune, and was approved for use by the Government of India around two months back. Known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or AZD1222, the vaccine produces the best result when administered in two doses a month apart. This vaccine uses the virus’s genetic instruction for building the spike protein as its base and is peculiar in that it stores the instructions in double-stranded DNA.

Development

The gene for the Coronavirus spike protein was added to another virus called Adenovirus, the viruses that typically cause colds or flu-like symptoms. The team used a  modified version of a chimpanzee adenovirus, known as ChAdOx1. AZD1222 is the result of decades of research on adenovirus-based vaccines. This modified form of virus can enter the cell but cannot replicate itself. There are two aspects that make this vaccine more rugged than its competitors and those are adenovirus’s tough protein coat, which helps protect the genetic material inside, and the storage of instructions in double-stranded DNA, which is not as fragile as RNA.

Defence Mechanism

Once the vaccine is delivered, the Adenoviruses bump into cells and get engulfed into a bubble and pulled into the cell where they travel to the nucleus after detaching themselves from the bubble. These Adenoviruses then transfer their DNA to the nucleus of the cell. The gene of the Coronavirus spike protein is then read by the nucleus and gets copied to a molecule called messenger RNA or mRNA. The mRNA  leaves the cell, and the cell starts assembling the spike proteins on its surface.

The immune system can effectively recognize these protruding spikes, and this particular vaccine causes the immune system to react more strongly to the spike proteins. After the cell dies, B cells come into action and bump into the spikes and lock onto them. These B cells are then activated by helper T cells and proliferate and pour put antibodies that target the protein spikes. 

Side Effects

Most common side effects include Pain or tenderness at the injection site, Headache, Tiredness, Muscle or joint aches, Fever, Chills, Nausea.

All in all, this vaccine provides an active defense against the novel Coronavirus with an efficacy of 62-90%, which is quite promising. Health centers across the country are delivering this vaccine to thousands of individuals everyday, and it seems to be working effectively, with minimal side effects, in providing protection against the virus.

The New Variant

The new variant, which has been named “VUI 202012/01”, includes a genetic mutation in the “spike” protein that could be the cause of immediate and easy spread of the virus amongst people. This means, the variant that’s been identified in the UK has 17 mutations that affect the shape of the virus, including the spike protein that gives the coronavirus family their name. The cluster differs by 29 nucleotide substitutions from the original Wuhan strain. 

Research So Far

Britain has some of the most sophisticated genomic surveillance efforts in the world, which allowed scientists there to discover the variant when it might have gone unnoticed elsewhere. It\’s naïve to conclude that the variant was not already spreading widely outside Britain. Preliminary analysis suggests that it is more transmissible than previously circulating variants. There is no evidence that the variant is more likely to cause severe disease or mortality but investigations are going on to understand this better. Scientists will continually monitor this over the coming weeks and study the impact of the mutation that the virus has undergone. There is currently no evidence to suggest that the Pfizer vaccine would not protect people against the new strain.

The virus has forced us to reflect on the fragility of life. No one is safe until everyone is safe. Let\’s not stop taking some simple precautions, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning your hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue. With small steps, we might be able to prevent the virus from passing on.

This year the basis of evaluation was the response of IPAs to the COVID-19 pandemic.

INVEST INDIA

It is a non profit venture set up in 2009, under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. It is the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency in India.

HOW DID IT HELP DURING THE PANDEMIC?

There was a widespread disruption due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 globally and the Indian government took extreme measures of putting the entire country under lockdown. This drastic step drew the Indian economy into battle. However, in these dreary times, Invest India has been instrumental in helping discover innovative startups across India working on solutions against COVID-19 and actively connecting them to sources of funding, technology validation and on-ground deployment opportunities. This helped various start ups to become a force multiplier for the efforts against coronavirus. Invest India has teams handling demand management and adopter connections, across government departments, corporations, foundations and NGOs working at ground level.

This award also recognizes the Indian government\’s efficacious management of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is indeed a proud moment for us and has highlighted the coming age of the Indian innovation ecosystem.    

WHAT NEXT?

There is no shred of doubt that nations won\’t been in a lockdown again, after the devastating effects on their economies the previous time around. It would be better if we make peace with the fact that the Coronavirus is here to stay and learn to live with the virus. Look at Australia, it could avoid a major surge during the southern hemisphere winter because of much better compliance with wearing masks. Living with COVID-19 means we\’ve to ensure that everyone complies with current preventive measures including face masks, social distancing, hand washing, testing and self isolation. It also depends on shielding and supporting the most vulnerable in the society.

We have to maintain the social responsibility by building trust between governments and communities. This can be facilitated through community-based organizations, local leaders and social activists. We have to give emphasis on the social sciences, on data collection and on the translation of the findings into practice.

What if Coronavirus is just an alarm and more severe outbreaks may follow?

The conditions that may have led to the development of COVID-19 still persist in many countries. Outbreaks like these will continue to have a devastating impact on people´s health and on national economies unless we invest in strong, effective and well funded public health systems. For now, until science pulls out it\’s big guns and has a vaccine ready, we might as well spend time with our loved ones and most importantly have time for ourselves. Something the virus might be telling us behind all this chaos.