Sohini Das And Aneesh Phadnis

Stories by Sohini Das And Aneesh Phadnis

Covaxin safe for children: Bharat Biotech

Covaxin safe for children: Bharat Biotech

Rediff.com   31 Dec 2021

Bharat Biotech is targeting to manufacture one billion doses of its intra-nasal vaccine in 2022 which is under clinical trials now.

Commercial 5G services will be rolled out in 13 cities in 2022: DoT

Commercial 5G services will be rolled out in 13 cities in 2022: DoT

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2021

Commercial 5G services will be rolled out in 13 cities in India, including the metropolises, in 2022, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said in a statement on Monday. These cities are Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Jamnagar. "These metros and big cities would be the first places for the launch of 5G services in the country next year," the DoT said.

'Antibodies induced by Covishield and Covaxin gradually increase and decrease'

'Antibodies induced by Covishield and Covaxin gradually increase and decrease'

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2021

'Antibodies remain in the blood for at least seven to nine months.'

Are You Eligible For A Booster Shot?

Are You Eligible For A Booster Shot?

Rediff.com   27 Dec 2021

'Someone may have diabetes, but at what level the disease qualifies as a comorbid condition is something a doctor will decide upon and certify accordingly.'

Covishield booster works against Omicron

Covishield booster works against Omicron

Rediff.com   24 Dec 2021

If the vaccine is recommended for use as a booster against Omicron, it may significantly boost the demand for Covishield in India.

Omicron Cancels Christmas, New Year Parties

Omicron Cancels Christmas, New Year Parties

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2021

'We are not organising any large celebrations on New Year's Eve to avoid last-minute changes in guidelines.'

Expect flight delays as winter schedule kicks in

Expect flight delays as winter schedule kicks in

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2021

The issue of fog and low visibility primarily impacts airports in northern India and Bengaluru.

India's vaccine makers prepare to take on Omicron

India's vaccine makers prepare to take on Omicron

Rediff.com   8 Dec 2021

As the Omicron variant of Sars-CoV-2 takes centrestage, vaccine makers in India are of the view that scaling up the existing vaccines to make them more effective is possible.

Health expenditure's share in GDP down

Health expenditure's share in GDP down

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2021

The share of total health expenditure as part of the gross domestic product (GDP) went down to 3.3 per cent in 2017-18 from 3.8 per cent in the previous two years, according to the national health account data released on Monday by the health ministry. The share of government expenditure as part of total expenditure as well as GDP has gone up from from 3.78 per cent to 5.12 per cent between 2013-14 and 2017-18, which could also explain a decline seen in out of pocket expenditure in 2017-18. Health ministry also emphasised the increase in the government health expenditure as part of the total GDP from 1.15 per cent in 2013-14 to 1.35 per cent in 2017-18.

Nearly 33% of India's medical devices capacity lying unused

Nearly 33% of India's medical devices capacity lying unused

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2021

After ramping up production to meet the steep demand spike during the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian medical device makers are now struggling with idle capacity. According to industry estimates, around a third of the installed capacity, especially for consumables, disposables, small-ticket electronic items, etc., is lying unutilised. Sample this: India used to produce just 6.24 million pieces of PPE kits per annum before the pandemic, but by June this was ramped up to 233.87 million pieces per annum.

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.'

Omicron impact: Dark clouds gather over travel firms

Omicron impact: Dark clouds gather over travel firms

Rediff.com   6 Dec 2021

India's largest online travel agency, MakeMyTrip said that it is premature to assess the impact of Omicron variant on overseas tour bookings. Others in the travel sector however are worried about cancellations in the coming days as countries tighten travel restrictions. "It is too early to assess the impact of the new Covid-19 variant on outbound travel. "Additional protocols are already set in any case from several countries which will help contain the variant coming to India.

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.

Omicron: Airports ready to implement new health norms

Omicron: Airports ready to implement new health norms

Rediff.com   30 Nov 2021

Under the new norms, passengers coming from 12 'at risk' countries/regions undergo an RT-PCR test and wait for result at the airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight

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.

Airlines, ground handlers told to go green

Airlines, ground handlers told to go green

Rediff.com   22 Nov 2021

The civil aviation ministry has mandated airlines and ground-handling companies to phase out airport equipment older than 12 years and switch to electric or fuel-efficient variants by May 2022. While companies have welcomed the ministry's green initiative, they said that the deadline for implementation is tight. This is especially in the wake of financial challenges faced by the aviation sector during the pandemic.

Domestic airlines look to revive zero bag fares to grow traffic

Domestic airlines look to revive zero bag fares to grow traffic

Rediff.com   18 Nov 2021

Domestic airlines are preparing to offer lower fares for passengers without check-in bags in a move to improve seat occupancy and market share. IndiGo chief executive officer Ronojoy Dutta indicated the airline's interest to offer zero bag fares in an interaction with Bloomberg. Regulatory caps on fares and capacity related to Covid-19 have prevented IndiGo from taking a decision and the airline is discussing the issue with the government, he said.

Should you buy JioPhone Next? Here's what experts say

Should you buy JioPhone Next? Here's what experts say

Rediff.com   9 Nov 2021

Reliance-Google's new smartphone has got mixed reviews from analysts and brokerages. The phone pricing is seen unattractive for low-end customers and bundled offers are being viewed as non-disruptive. While this could slow the pace of adoption, it could set the stage for tariff hikes in the industry, feel analysts.

Airtel to lean on its 180 mn digital users to propel payments bank business

Airtel to lean on its 180 mn digital users to propel payments bank business

Rediff.com   5 Nov 2021

Bharti Airtel aims to leverage its 180 million plus digital service customers and its wide presence in rural areas to grow its payment bank business. "We are well placed as we can leverage the 180 million plus customers we have across our digital assets. "We offer a plethora of services such as lucrative interest rates, gift cards, FASTag, telecom recharges, payments and debit cards. "Our large merchant base of more than eight million allows us to drive both engagement and monetisation.

Air India Will Help Tata Rule The Skies

Air India Will Help Tata Rule The Skies

Rediff.com   29 Oct 2021

The acquisition will give the Tatas a firm footing on international routes and generate economies of scale.