Megha Manchanda &Amp;Amp; Sohini Das

Stories by Megha Manchanda &Amp;Amp; Sohini Das

Omicron: 'Vaccine immunity may be less effective'

Omicron: 'Vaccine immunity may be less effective'

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2021

'Antiviral treatment will have no change. Spike protein change may affect the immunity protection.'

10 mn unused Covid vaccine doses lying with private hospitals

10 mn unused Covid vaccine doses lying with private hospitals

Rediff.com   1 Dec 2021

With around 2 million Covid vaccine doses likely to get wasted in December, leading hospital chains have now started to give it gratis to citizens. Sohini Das and Ruchika Chitravanshi report.

Nasal vaccine booster dose may be used with Covaxin

Nasal vaccine booster dose may be used with Covaxin

Rediff.com   27 Nov 2021

A nasal vaccine, one expert said, is a "fantastic idea" for two reasons -- one, it can potentially create sterile immunity, and two, it is easy to administer and thus scalable.

Focus on second dose as India inches closer to 1 billion jabs

Focus on second dose as India inches closer to 1 billion jabs

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2021

Experts, however, feel that given the intensity of the second wave and the high single dose coverage, India is in a good position to avoid any drastic wave in the near future.

States, Centre not on same page on digital health mission

States, Centre not on same page on digital health mission

Rediff.com   14 Oct 2021

Tamil Nadu plans parallel programme with unique user IDs

Will syringe shortage puncture India's Covid vaccine plans?

Will syringe shortage puncture India's Covid vaccine plans?

Rediff.com   14 Oct 2021

Will syringe shortage puncture India's Covid vaccine plans?

India's digital health mission likely to face privacy issues

India's digital health mission likely to face privacy issues

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2021

Lack of clarity on data-sharing persists, public health experts sceptic about the pilot that was run in six Union territories as benchmark for national roll-out

Bharat Biotech plans to supply 90 million Covaxin doses a month by Dec

Bharat Biotech plans to supply 90 million Covaxin doses a month by Dec

Rediff.com   30 Sep 2021

In September, Bharat Biotech aimed to supply 35 million doses, and take this up to 55 million by October. This is still less than what the Indian government expects from the company.

5G Spectrum Auction Unlikely Before 2023

5G Spectrum Auction Unlikely Before 2023

Rediff.com   27 Sep 2021

'We are targeting the 5G tender around January-March 2023.'

Mystery fever in wake of falling Covid cases raises alarm

Mystery fever in wake of falling Covid cases raises alarm

Rediff.com   20 Sep 2021

The sudden spike in cases of fever in India has claimed over 100 lives in five states, including UP, MP, Bihar, Haryana, and West Bengal. In UP, Firozabad and Mathura alone have reported 72 cases.

Explained: What USFDA full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine means

Explained: What USFDA full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine means

Rediff.com   17 Sep 2021

Pfizer can show the FDA approval to the Indian regulator and present a case that based on whatever data submitted, the US regulator has granted a full marketing nod, says Sohini Das.

Covid Vaccine: Syringe manufacturers are ramping up

Covid Vaccine: Syringe manufacturers are ramping up

Rediff.com   15 Sep 2021

The Centre is looking to procure around 1 billion syringes between September and December to support the COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Gennova's mRNA vaccine to come in powder form, stay stable at 2-8C

Gennova's mRNA vaccine to come in powder form, stay stable at 2-8C

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2021

Gennova has also got permission for phase-2 and 3 clinical trials for its lyophilised mRNA vaccine for injection from the subject expert committee advising the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation, reports Sohini Das.

Govt developing multi-variant Covid-19 vaccine

Govt developing multi-variant Covid-19 vaccine

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2021

Government institutions and pharma industry are examining if a 'cocktail' approach to making a multi-variant Covid-19 vaccine works against multiple strains of the ever-mutating virus, reports Sohini Das.

Focus on hospitals as India braces for Covid third wave

Focus on hospitals as India braces for Covid third wave

Rediff.com   1 Sep 2021

The health system is trying to ensure that it isn't caught by surprise -- the way it was last time. So, hectic preparations are on.

Pharma majors shift focus to inhalants, nasal spray for Covid

Pharma majors shift focus to inhalants, nasal spray for Covid

Rediff.com   30 Aug 2021

While Lupin is working on a Remdesivir powder for inhalation, Glenmark has tied up with a Canadian Biotech firm for nitric oxide nasal spray that reduces Sars-CoV-2 viral load and thus transmission.

Fee for Bharat Series-registered vehicles can be paid in tranches

Fee for Bharat Series-registered vehicles can be paid in tranches

Rediff.com   30 Aug 2021

The owner can pay registration fee for two years and the other amount in instalments in later years, in multiples of two.

India's internet user base touches 825 million, bulk of it wireless

India's internet user base touches 825 million, bulk of it wireless

Rediff.com   28 Aug 2021

The subscriber base is made up of 778.09 million broadband internet users and 47.21 million narrowband internet users.

Gennova's mRNA Covid vaccine gets nod for Phase 2-3 trials

Gennova's mRNA Covid vaccine gets nod for Phase 2-3 trials

Rediff.com   25 Aug 2021

If things go according to plan, the vaccine would be available in the market by the end of this year.

More bad news: Vodafone Idea may get notice for licence fee delay

More bad news: Vodafone Idea may get notice for licence fee delay

Rediff.com   20 Aug 2021

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is in the process of issuing a show-cause notice to Vodafone Idea (Vi) for delaying the payment of licence fee. Companies pay 8 per cent of their adjusted gross revenue as licence fee. This also includes a universal service obligation levy. The fee is collected from each of the 22 telecom circles in the country on a quarterly basis.