The study also stated that Delta variant was 30-70% more transmissible than previous SARS-CoV-2 lineages & the 2020 Covid outbreak in Delhi was unrelated to any variant of concern.
New variants like Delta, which are more transmissible and have been shown to evade protections in some cases, are moving the bar for herd immunity near impossibly high levels.
Experts say the biggest mistake was allowing the virus to travel freely into the rural areas, adding that eradication of the virus now is too far-fetched an idea.
While Covid-19 has been a catastrophe, it’s also an unprecedented opportunity, given the visible public health ravages, to change minds and prove the value of vaccines.
AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said one should not think of herd immunity in 'practical terms' in India, especially in the times of 'variant strains' of Covid-19 and varying immunity.
Covid-19 in Manaus peaked in April-May 2020 and then developed a supposed 76% herd immunity by October, but the Brazilian city is now besieged by a second wave.
Evidence is compelling that a robust and rapid vaccination campaign could render Covid less of a threat than seasonal flu through building herd immunity.
The US could have used its coercive resources to compel Pakistan to shut down the Taliban’s transborder sanctuaries. It chose not to—costing its victory.
The government will permit purchases of 2 million tons each of the two vegetable oils per annum this fiscal year and the next, according to a notification by the finance ministry.
India is 35th member of the maritime counterterrorism partnership that also includes Pakistan, Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany and Greece, among others.
That temples were destroyed and mosques built is undisputed history. The past can’t be changed, but we can’t deny the wrongs of the past either before we consider reconciliation.