This Omicron sub-lineage may have increased ability to infect people who’ve been infected before, or are vaccinated, according to some scientists. However, there's no govt data on this.
The BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages appear to be more infectious than the earlier BA.2 lineage, which itself was more infectious than the original Omicron variant.
INSACOG, in its latest bulletin, revealed that nearly half of all Covid-19 samples sent for genomic sequencing in India since January this year have been identified as Omicron.
Nasal vaccines and sprays have been subject of discussion since early days of Covid, with research finally making headway into actually testing them for mucosal immunity.
UK Health Security Agency has added ‘Delta x Omicron Recombinant (UK)’ under list of Covid variants being monitored and investigated. Experts say such cross mutations are expected.
According to Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) director Christopher JL Murray, over 50% of the world will have been infected by the Omicron variant by March-end.
The Budget’s emphasis on seven ‘strategic and frontier’ manufacturing areas is clearly not random. These are areas of high import dependence, strong employment, and rising geopolitical sensitivity.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed AI integration in several sectors, from agriculture to the manufacture of assistive devices for Divyangjan or people with disabilities.
After lapses exposed by terror attacks at Pahalgam and Delhi's Red Fort, Centre has hiked Intelligence Bureau's expenditure for investments in long-term assets from Rs 257 cr to Rs 2,549 cr.
The key to fighting a war successfully, or even launching it, is a clear objective. That’s an entirely political call. It isn’t emotional or purely military.
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