Category: Covid-19

Some hospitals across the United States are reinstating indoor masking rules amid rising cases and hospitalizations of respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 and influenza.

Hospitals in at least six states -- California, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin -- have put masking guidelines in place, according to an ABC News count.

Over the weekend, Mass General Brigham, which is the largest health system in Massachusetts, told ABC News it issued guidelines requiring employee caregivers and those working in patient care areas to wear masks.

Another Massachusetts hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told ABC News it reinstated its masking requirement on Dec. 18 due to higher rates of respiratory illnesses.

Additionally, Cook County Health, which has hospitals and community health centers in and around Chicago, wrote on its website that it began requiring masks for all staff, patients and visitors aged 2 and older in waiting rooms and patient exam rooms on Dec. 26

What's more, a Los Angeles County Public Health order, requiring all health care personnel to wear masks while in contact with patients or working in patient care areas, went into effect after the county's COVID-19 hospital admission level hit the "medium" threshold, meaning between 10 and 19.9 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000.

Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor, said hospitals are full of patients and staff at risk of severe illness, which is why mask guidelines have been reintroduced as cases rise.

"Ultimately, health systems, hospitals, places that deliver care are going to see some of the most vulnerable and at-risk individuals -- many, with underlying conditions," he said. "Those are especially the places where we want to protect individuals and so when we have this rapid rise in respiratory illness, those are going to be the first places to try to use measures to reduce chances of transmission, both to protect patients, those receiving care, as well as workforce."

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 31 states, plus Washington, D.C., are experiencing '"high" or "very high" levels of respiratory illness activity, described as people visiting their primary care office or the emergency departments with respiratory complaints such as fever, sore throat or cough

During the week ending Dec. 23, the latest date for which data is available, there were 29,059 new weekly hospital admissions due to COVID-19, according to the CDC. It marks the seventh consecutive week of increases and the highest figure reported since late January 2023.

Meanwhile, there were 14,732 new hospital admissions linked to influenza for the week ending Dec. 23 compared to 9,930 the previous week, CDC data shows.

Brownstein said the increase is not surprising given that the U.S. is in the middle of respiratory virus season in combination with recent holiday travel and gatherings.

"While there's nothing unusual about what we're seeing, the data still reflects an increase in illness and, as we know, masking will be helpful, regardless of the respiratory pathogen: RSV, COVID, flu, and the other respiratory pathogens that are circulating," he said." So, it's sort of a one size fits all strategy."

Because an increase in respiratory illnesses risks putting a strain on the health care system, Brownstein recommends staying home when sick and seeking care if symptoms worsen or do not improve.

"Of course, we're in a situation where there's a lot of illness out in the population, but we want to make sure that we limit the impact on hospitals and save care for those who especially need it," he said. "If people need to use emergency department, they absolutely should, but we're in a moment now where capacity definitely is a big topic of focus for hospitals that are trying to both maintain their ability to take care of patients with severe illness as a result of these pathogens, but also be able to manage routine care as well."

ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud, Dr. Chris Medrano and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.

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Why hospitals in several states are reinstating mask requirements - ABC News

Many people now view covid-19 as an almost routine inconvenience, much like flu, RSV and other seasonal infections. But four years after reports surfaced of a new respiratory illness, prompting a massive response among researchers, the diseases aftereffects commonly called long covid continue to confound doctors and patients alike.

We know a lot about this particular coronavirus, said Francesca Beaudoin, chair of the department of epidemiology at Brown University. That does not translate into an understanding of the long-term consequences of infection.

As many as 7 percent of Americans report having suffered from a slew of lingering symptoms after enduring covid-19, including fatigue, difficulty breathing, brain fog, joint pain and ongoing loss of taste and smell, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But there is still no clearly defined cause of, or cure for the syndrome.

The costs of our lack of understanding are vast, Beaudoin and others say, creating a huge new burden on the health-care system, as people report limitations in their daily activities including being able to work.

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Four years on, long covid still confounds us. Here's what we now know. - The Washington Post

India has recorded more than 160 cases of the new Covid variant as per the data by the INSACOG, a forum set up under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The INSACOG's data showed 145 Covid cases recorded in the country in December had the presence of JN.1, while 17 such cases were detected in November.

Besides, 743 fresh infections were also reported, the highest single-day rise in 225 days. Additionally, seven deaths were also reported on Saturday as per the data by the Union Health Ministry.

Seven new fatalities -- three from Kerala, two from Karnataka, and one each from Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu -- were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The number of daily cases was in double digits till December 5 but it began to rise again amid cold weather conditions and after the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified JN.1 as a separate "variant of interest" given its rapidly increasing spread. However the UN body said that it poses a "low" health risk.

India records over 4,000 active Covid cases, 5 deaths today | 10 updates

The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country.

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Published: 30 Dec 2023, 09:40 AM IST

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Covid-19 in India: Over 740 Covid cases reported in 24 hours | 10 updates - Mint

Hospital overcrowding increased sharply on the first day of the new year as flu and Covid-19 cases continued to rise.

Hospitals are bracing themselves for further increases in patient attendances this week as the holiday season comes to an end.

However, with trolley numbers so far running at about half the level recorded last year, a repeat of last years record overcrowding crisis is not expected. There were 80 per cent fewer patients on trolleys over Christmas compared to the previous Christmas.

Attendance at emergency departments remained relatively high throughout the Christmas period, and GP out of hours services were also very busy, the Health Service Executive said. High levels of respiratory illness continue to circulate, and we are seeing increasing numbers of patients attending our EDs and subsequently being admitted due to respiratory symptoms.

An expected 3,000 cases of respiratory illness in the coming weeks and the re-opening of GP surgeries on Tuesday will place further pressure on hospitals, it added.

There were 229 patients waiting for admission to a hospital bed on New Years Day, up from 165 the previous day, according to the HSEs TrolleyGar count. Some 182 of these were boarded in hospital emergency departments and 47 were on wards.

New Years Day 2023 saw 454 patients on trolleys, and numbers increased to record levels in the days that followed.

The HSE has warned that flu and Covid-19 cases will continue to rise for a number of weeks, putting hospitals under further pressure.

Hospitalisations of patients with Covid-19 are running at slightly over half the level seen a year ago. There were 358 patients with Covid-19 in hospital on New Years Day, compared to 678 on the same day in 2023.

There were 11 patients with Covid-19 in ICU on New Years Day, compared to 29 on the same day a year earlier.

Nonetheless, the number of Covid-19 hospitalisations has increased significantly over the past month, as has the percentage of positive tests recorded.

Flu infections were increasing sharply before Christmas, while RSV cases were in decline from very high levels. Updated figures for both viruses were not published over the holiday period.

Monaghan GP Illona Duffy said her practice had its busiest week after Christmas, with three doctors seeing over 100 patients last Friday.

Its almost all respiratory. Theres a definite rise in flu cases, RSV is increasing among kids and Covid-19 is still there.

Some of the children are sicker with RSV, in line with what the HSE is saying, and require hospitalisation.

Anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms with high temperatures should restrict their movements and take a Covid-19 test, she recommends.

Vaccine fatigue has contributed to a drop in the number of people with recent flu or Covid-19 shots, she noted.

Separately, some parents anxious about their childrens condition are seeking medical advice prematurely, before the progression of the illness can be established, she said. So long as the child isnt serious, its often better to wait a day or two before going to the GP.

With many people reporting sinus congestion, she advises over-the-counter decongestant remedies and nasal rinsing to ease the problem.

Entering the fifth year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation said the virus continues to evolve and a new phase is beginning with the XBB and BA.2 sublineages circulating and the HN. 1 variant becoming dominant.

Senior WHO scientist Dr Maria van Kerkhove said she was worried that Covid-19 was still a global health threat, circulating at the same time as other pathogens such as flu and RSV.

Cases and hospitalisations for Covid-19 have been on the rise for months. Hospitals in many countries are burdened and overwhelmed from Covid and other pathogens, and deaths are on the rise.

Im worried that too many think Covid is not something to worry about, that they need a new variant with a Greek letter to take this virus seriously.

Im worried we so badly want to move on that governments, many of whom have new leadership and have moved on, will forget the overflowing hospitals, the tents in parking lots for the sick, refrigerated trucks serving as morgues, burial grounds, fire pyres, exhausted health workers.

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Hospital overcrowding surges on first day of new year as flu and Covid-19 cases spread - The Irish Times

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) showed reduced immune responses to the COVID-19 vaccine compared with controls, in a recent study published in Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.

Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine Model | image credit: Jacob Lund - stock.adobe.com

Patients with RA carry increased risks for developing infections, including COVID-19. Since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, additional concerns have emerged regarding the potential of vaccine-induced RA flare-ups or other forms of autoimmune or inflammatory phenomena. As DMARDs have provided benefits to patients with RA, such as reducing and modulating inflammatory and immune system responses, researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate lacking data on COVID-19 vaccine responses in patients with RA receiving DMARDs.

From May 2022 to April 2023, patients with RA receiving DMARDs were evaluated at 2 tertiary care centers. Patients with seropositive as well as seronegative status were accepted. Investigators gathered data on individual COVID-19 infection and vaccination histories, prescribed and administered medications (DMARDs), as well as scaling on the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28). Blood samples of 10 mL were also taken for examination of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP), liver and renal function, and neutralizing antibodies for COVID-19.

In total, 103 patients with RA were recruited and compared with 185 controls. In the RA group, 42% of individuals had comorbiditiesmost commonly, hypothyroidism (16.5%). The RA group was also vaccinated against COVID-19 at rates of 79.6% compared with 91.3% in the controls. No controls had a history of COVID-19 infection, but 13.6% of patients with RA did. Most of the patients with RA were identified as having low disease activity (mean DAS28 of 2.9).

Researchers observed that patients with RA had overall higher mean levels of ESR and elevated IL-6 compared with controls (ESR: 26.0 vs 19.2; P = .0004; IL-6: 15.8 vs 3.7; P < .0001).

Each group registered positive results for antispike antibodies; this was significantly higher in controls compared with patients with RA (95.9 vs 89.5; P < .0001). Interestingly, in patients with RA, age was positively correlated with levels of anti-spike antibodies (P = .0015), but this was not significant in controls. Antibody status in groups using different amounts of DMARDs were statistically significant, especially between individuals on a 3-drug regimen compared with those on a single-drug regimen of hydroxychloroquine alone (P = .0192). The authors noted that neither the presence of comorbidities nor the type of COVID-19 vaccine received, prior infection, or booster status had a statistically significant effect on antibody concentration.

The authors noted the positive takeaway that patients with RA exhibited robust immune responses following their COVID-19 vaccination, although this response was reduced compared with controls. They theorized that this could be due to disease-related or immunosuppressive treatment factors, and advocated for future research to be conducted to analyze responses following second vaccination doses.

Reference

Eerike M, Parimi VP, Pyati A, et al. Clinical and immunological responses to COVID-19 vaccination in rheumatoid arthritis patients on disease modifying antirheumatic drugs: a cross-sectional study. Rheum Dis. 2024;31(1):15-24. doi:10.4078/jrd.2023.0054

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Patients With RA Receiving DMARDs Have Reduced COVID-19 Vaccine Immune Responses, Study Finds - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

Areas across the U.S. are experiencing a rise in COVID-19 infections, with some hospital authorities recommending mask mandates once again.

A map using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows where the worst-affected areas in the country are, with the Midwest and Northeast showing notable case numbers.

The flu season, when respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 rise in the winter, has led to some hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington D.C. bringing in mask mandates.

The data shows that, on average, the worst-affected area is known as 'Region Seven,' consisting of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. Region Seven has seen 18.3 percent of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in the week leading up to December 23. There was a minor rise in positivity of 0.1 percent.

There is a similar picture in 'Region Five', which is made up of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, where positivity rates have gone down by 0.1 percent, but 14.8 percent of performed tests were positive.

Major Massachusetts care system Mass General Brigham said masks would be in place for all healthcare staff in direct contact with patients until the COVID-19 rate fell sufficiently.

MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington D.C. staff are required to wear masks at work, The Hill reported, along with NYC Health + Hospitals.

Newsweek has approached MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital and Mass General Brigham for comment by email.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) made an advisory statement on December 14 that healthcare facilities should "step up mitigation efforts to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses."

A recommendation in Yolo County, California, not mandatory, advised individuals to consider wearing masks "in crowded, indoor spaces."

Aimee Sisson, Yolo County public health officer, said: "Our wastewater monitoring program is currently detecting high COVID-19 and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] levels. I recommend that everybody in the community take steps to protect themselves from infection, including wearing a high-quality mask when indoors around others."

Another CDC map showing the rate of hospital admissions shows high rates in counties U.S. from Idaho to New England and as far south as Texas.

The most-recent data from the CDC indicates there is around 7.36 percent of the U.S. with high levels of hospital admissions per 100,000 people. This increased by just over 1 percent in the week to December 23.

Data for COVID-19 hospitalizations in certain counties is difficult to assess, due to low populations in some areas. In Idaho, new hospital admissions in Lemhi County were down by a third in the week to December 23, but there were just two cases per 100,000 people.

Lemhi County has an estimated population of around 8,000. On the CDC map, it is still considered to have a high rate of COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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COVID Map Shows States With Highest Cases as Hospital Mask Mandates Return - Newsweek

In the highest single-day rise In Covid cases, India on Sunday recorded 841 fresh cases of the noble virus, the health ministry's daily bulletin informed. The active cases number of cases has gone up to 4,309 cases.

Three new fatalities due to Covid-- one each from Kerala, Karnataka and Bihar -- have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. India had recorded 865 new cases on May 19.

The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but cases have again gone up after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. The daily numbers were in lakhs at the peak of the pandemic, which began in early 2020 and has seen more than 4.5 crore people getting infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths in about four years since then across the country.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's website. According to the website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country.

Just a day earlier, Kerala reported the highest number of JN.1 variant cases. The state reported 41 cases of the JN.1 subvariant, the majority of which were home-isolated, official sources said. Ahead of the New Year, both the central and state governments are keeping a close watch on the new Omicron Subvariant JN.1.

JN.1 is a Variant of Interest (VOI) which is under intense scientific scrutiny. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported more than 7,000 cases of COVID-19 JN.1 subvariant from 41 countries.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi has issued guidelines for COVID-19 suspected or positive cases that will be reported at hospitals following the sudden surge in the cases of Coronavirus in the country. The JN.1 sub-variant is a descendant of the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.86 or Pirola. The first case of the JN.1 variant of COVID-19 was reported in Kerala. A total of 109 cases of the JN.1 sub-variant have been detected in India until Wednesday, as per Health Ministry sources.

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Covid19: India records highest single-day rise in cases in seven months, logs 841 new infections - India TV News

More than 190,000 people, comprising tourists, students and workers, crossed the border between Hong Kong and mainland China on February 6.

The requirement of having travellers declare their health status when crossing the border was later dropped in November, except for those experiencing symptoms.

190,000 cross Hong Kong-mainland border on first day of full reopening

The policy change was also seen as beneficial to the economy because it symbolised the citys efforts to return to a state of normality. Health chief Lo Chung-mau said at the time that people could show their smiles and say Hello Hong Kong, a reference to the name of the governments global campaign back then to attract visitors to the city post pandemic.

Secondary schools in Hong Kong were no longer required to conduct daily rapid antigen tests (RAT) for the coronavirus from March 1. The same relaxation was later applied to other pupils in mid-March. Students, staff and visitors were also not required to measure their temperature before going to school.

Daily RAT tests for students at all levels were introduced in April 2022 when half-day face-to-face classes resumed.

March also marked the scrapping of RAT for visitors and clinical staff at public hospitals and visitors and residents at care homes.

Hong Kong to end daily RAT tests for all pupils from Thursday

In 2023, 22 paediatric cases of severe influenza-associated complications were recorded, along with five deaths. In October, it was reported that 232 severe adult cases were recorded since the start of the summer flu season in August, with 141 deaths to date.

The Centre for Health Protection warned that after the Covid-19 pandemic receded, a phenomenon called immunity gap had emerged around the world in which social-distancing measures caused immunity against other viruses to have weakened. That has led to outbreaks of respiratory illnesses.

The Hospital Authority in December announced that it had allocated over HK$890 million (US$114 million) to all public hospitals to prepare for the winter flu season between the end of 2023 and next May.

Although the Covid-19 pandemic had subsided, Hong Kong did not cease efforts in providing vaccines to residents.

The first batch of 100,000 doses of the mRNA vaccine targeting the Covid-19 variant XBB manufactured by BioNTech and Pfizer arrived in Hong Kong in late November, with people aged 65 or older being eligible from December.

Another batch of about 100,000 doses of the same type of vaccine produced by Moderna, would also arrive in the city soon, the government added without giving a date.

Hong Kong receives first batch of Covid XBB variant vaccines

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and fellow scientists from other top mainland and overseas institutions such as top respiratory disease expert Professor Zhong Nanshan and renowned virologist Professor David Ho of Columbia University launched the Pandemic Research Alliance in December for joint research on novel viruses and to help prepare for the next pandemic.

Top scientists, including Hong Kong scholar, vow to prepare for next pandemic

The alliances membership also included scientists from the University of Melbournes Doherty Institute in Australia, Singapores Duke-NUS Medical School, Guangzhou National Laboratory and Tsinghua University on the mainland.

With travel resuming, monkeypox (mpox) cases continued to rise in Hong Kong this year after the first case was discovered in the city in September 2022. Fifty-four confirmed mpox cases have been recorded in Hong Kong as of November.

More than 14,800 doses had been administered under the governments mpox vaccination programme which began in October 2022.

Hong Kongs mental health situation came under the spotlight in 2023. In June, the governments Advisory Committee on Mental Health proposed 10 measures to improve the citys public mental health services in the wake of a tragedy where two women were stabbed to death at a shopping centre by a man said to have schizophrenia.

Hong Kong urged to set up high-level body to coordinate mental health policies

A rise in suicides among primary and secondary school pupils has also triggered concerns over the mental health of the citys younger generation. At least 31 students took their own lives in the first 11 months this year, compared with 25 in 2022, 25 in 2021 and 21 in 2020.

A citywide study released in December found nearly one in four Hong Kong children and adolescents suffered from at least one mental disorder in the past year and more than 8 per cent of secondary school students had thought about suicide.

It was believed that some people made the withdrawals because the government said they were exploring the setting up of a standing organ transplant mutual assistance mechanism with the mainland after the December transplant.

But more than half of all attempted withdrawals were found to be invalid as the applicants had not registered in the first place or repeatedly made requests to leave the scheme.

Under law amendments proposed by health authorities in May, patients suffering from terminal illnesses may be granted more legal power to stop receiving medical treatment if they wish.

Their decision not to receive resuscitation or other life-sustaining medical treatments at the final stage should also be respected by paramedics outside hospital settings, according to the proposal.

Hong Kong to give terminally ill patients more say over where and how they die

The government in November also proposed allowing Hongkongers to give legal instructions electronically to reject certain medications in end-of-life treatment, in addition to the current practice in paper format.

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Hong Kongs post-Covid public health wins and battles in 2023 - South China Morning Post

12:41 (IST), Dec 30

India reports 743 new Covid cases, seven deaths

India recorded 743 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. The total active caseload increased by seven, reaching 3,997, according to the Union Health Ministry.

As per official data, seven deaths have been reported in the country in the last 24 hours - three in Kerala two in Karnataka, and one each in Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu.

With this, the total count of coronavirus cases in India since its outbreak in January 2020 has reached 4,50,12,484 with an increase of 743 cases in the last 24 hours. The death toll due to COVID-19 cases in India has risen to, 5,33,358 reflecting an increase of seven deaths in the last 24 hours.

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Covid Cases in India Live Updates: India records 841 new Covid cases in 24 hours, highest single-day rise in 227 days, and 3 more deaths - Times of...

India has seen an uptick in Covid-19 cases over the last three weeks, with 743 new cases recorded on Saturday. At least seven deaths with Covid-19 were also reported, taking the toll this week to 25, according to government data.

While 600 to 700 cases of the infection are still being recorded, the number of active cases the number of people who currently have the infection went down to 3,997 on Saturday from 4,091 recorded the previous day.

The increase in the number of cases also coincides with an increase in the number of JN.1 cases. At least 162 cases of the new variant JN.1 have been detected in India so far, with the highest 83 sequences coming from Kerala, according to Indias genome sequencing consortium INSACOG.

Kerala has been reporting the highest number of cases, accounting for 377 of the 792 new cases reported in the country on Friday. After Kerala, the highest number of JN.1 sequences has been reported by Gujarat (34), Goa (18), Karnataka (8), Maharashtra (7), Rajasthan (5), Tamil Nadu (4), Telangana (2), and Delhi (1).

Though more cases are being reported, doctors say that the risk of severe disease remains low.

JN.1 is a descendant of the Omicron variant. And, Omicron variant is known to cause upper respiratory symptoms such as cough and sore throat in most cases. This is what has been seen from other places that are witnessing a surge due to JN.1 as well, said Dr G C Khilnani, chairman of Delhis PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. There could be severe manifestations in the old and those living with several comorbidities, he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in its risk evaluation of JN.1 says that it is low as of now.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that JN.1 is likely to account for 39 per cent to 50 per cent of all Sars-CoV-2 variants but it was too soon to say whether it would lead to increased hospitalisation. Its statement said: JN.1s continued growth suggests that the variant is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems than other circulating variants. It is too early to know whether or to what extent JN.1 will cause an increase in infections or hospitalizations.

In Singapore, where JN.1 accounts for a majority of the cases, an increase in hospitalisation and ICU admission has been seen over the last three weeks or so.

The Indian Express had previously reported that laboratories from states such as Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Meghalaya stopped sending in samples in June and July. The single laboratories in Punjab and Chennai stopped sending samples in April and March, respectively. The laboratory in Bihar stopped sending samples last October.

Not all states have a laboratory and some of the bigger laboratories also process samples from neighbouring states. In fact, the last batch of samples from Delhi was sent for genomic sequencing in July, despite at least one of the labs in the capital being a hub that receives samples from other states.

With several countries across the world reporting an increase in cases of JN.1, the WHO last week designated it as a variant of interest, separate from its ancestor BA.2.86 which is commonly referred to as Pirola. While it has only one additional mutation on the spike protein as compared to its ancestor, there has been an increase in its prevalence as compared to other variants in circulation.

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India records 743 new Covid-19 cases, 7 deaths | India News - The Indian Express