It's official. The government's two top watchdogs have admitted to 'multiple side-effects' of Covid-19 vaccines that were jabbed in over a billion Indians in the past more than two years. The startling revelations are made by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in an RTI reply to Pune businessman Prafful Sarda.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered strengthening Covid-19 prevention and control in the country as the Lunar New Year is approaching with several festivals expected to be held, local media reported on Monday.Though the pandemic has been basically brought under control, it still develops in a complicated way with new variants emerging including XBB, he said in a statement.

 Nearly 23.8 million people over the age of 60 in China are yet to receive their first shot of Covid-19 vaccine as the country goes through a massive surge in infections, the media reported on Monday.According to the South China Morning Post, as China eased its zero-Covid policy, the country doubled down on vaccination drives but the vaccination rate for the elderly is worryingly low.The vaccination figure fell to "just 42.4 per cent for those aged 80 and over", the report mentioned.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has updated its recommendations on the use of Covid-19 vaccines for children younger than 12 years.

Health Canada has authorised an adapted version of the Moderna Spikevax Covid-19 vaccine that targets the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 sub-variants.

Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Biological E has applied for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for its Covid vaccine Corbevax for children in 5 to 12 age bracket, official sources said on Wednesday.

Three doses of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, are effective in protecting against emergency department visits (ED) and hospitalisations associated with Omicron and Delta variations of the virus, claims a new study.

Millions of people in 48 countries have received two shots of Sinovac, a Chinese-manufactured Covid-19 vaccine, but those vaccinations alone are of no help against the Omicron variant, a peer-reviewed study published in Nature Medicine has said.

India has so far administered more than 50 lakh precaution doses of Covid-19 vaccine to healthcare workers, frontline workers and 60 plus population.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said that there is no need for new registration for beneficiaries of precautionary Covid-19 vaccine dose.

With the vaccination drive for adolescents entering its third day, as per the Co-WIN portal 1,06,27,277 children in the 15 to 18 years' age group have been vaccinated with the first Covid-19 vaccine dose so far.

Johnson & Johnson has announced that new preliminary results from a South African study has shown that the homologous booster shot of the company's Covid-19 vaccine (Ad26.COV2.S) demonstrated 85 per cent effectiveness against the virus-related hospitalisation in South Africa after Omicron became the dominant variant.

Pune-based Covid vaccines manufacturer Serum Institute has requested the Indian health ministry and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for full market authorisation for its Covishield vaccine.

Biological E. Limited, whose Corbevax on Tuesday received the approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI), plans to produce 75 million doses per month and anticipates over 100 million doses per month from February 2022.

The protection offered by the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, named Covishield in India, declines after three months of receiving two doses, according to a study published in the journal The Lancet.

Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine is 90 per cent effective at preventing Covid-19 illness, according to results from a Phase 3 clinical trial.

Vaccines developed by US drugmakers Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson against Covid-19 have proved to be less effective against the new super mutant Omicron variant that has now spread to 77 countries.

India registered 7,350 fresh Covid-19 cases and 202 fatalities in the last 24 hrs, the Ministry of Health and Family welfare said on Monday.

With the fresh fatalities, the nationwide death toll climbed to 4,75,636.

India reported 8,503 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, while the fatalities rose to 624, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.

The death toll now stands at 4,74,735.

India reported 8,439 fresh Covid cases in the past 24 hours pushing the tally to 3,40,89,137, the Ministry of Health and Family welfare said on Wednesday morning.

The 'Har Ghar Dastak' nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign has resulted in a significant hike of 11.7 per cent in the second dose coverage till November 30, said the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.

Covid-19 infections in the 'fully' vaccinated are rare but are more common and severe in people with weaker immune systems, according to a real-world retrospective study led by the US drug maker Pfizer involving nearly 1.2 million people.

The currently available vaccines against Covid-19 appear to be effective against the newly detected omicron Covid variant, South Africa's health minister has said.

India recorded 8,318 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the country's total caseload since the pandemic began to 3,45,63,749, according to health ministry data updated on Saturday morning.

Two-dose of Covaxin, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, provided only 50 per cent protection against the Covid-19 infection during the second wave of the pandemic in India, according to the first real-world assessment published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on Wednesday.

The national capital Delhi on Saturday reported 32 fresh cases of Covid-19, pushing the tally to 14,40,637, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department. However, no Covid death has been reported in the last five days in Delhi. The city's death toll stands at 25,095. The death rate stands at 1.74 per cent in the city. The Covid infection rate in the national capital stands at 0.06 per cent. The active case in the city stands at 325 as per the latest health bulletin. With 32 patients recovering in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries rose to 14,15,217 so far, the health bulletin said.

Covaxin, India's first indigenous vaccine for Covid-19, has been found to be 77.8 per cent effective, according to the safety and efficacy analysis data from Phase III clinical trials peer reviewed and published in reputed medical journal The Lancet.

More than 12 crore people are due for their second Covid-19 vaccine shot in India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday.

Of the total eligible adult population, only 79 per cent has got the first dose, while 38 per cent has received the second dose, he added.

France has become the fifth European nation to recommend people aged under 30 against using the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine due to concerns over the risk of myocarditis -- a rare heart inflammation.

A single shot of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals's antibody cocktail reduced the risk of Covid-19 by 81.6 per cent for two to eight months, according to results of the phase-3 trials presented by the company.

The Union Health Ministry on Monday said that more than 15.6 crore of balanced and unutilised doses of Covid-19 vaccines are available with the states and the Union Territories (UT).

A total of 11,04,55,016 people above the age of 60 years have been administered with the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine in the country so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. However, only 6,78,27,591 people in this age group have been administered with both the doses.

Hyderabad-based vaccine maker, Biological E expects the rollout of its Covid-19 vaccine 'Corbevax' by the end of November and is looking to supply nearly 10 crore doses on the day of its launch.

After endorsing both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson's Covid booster doses last week, the US Food and Drug Administration is now planning to grant a go ahead for 'mix-and-match' approach for the third jab.

India reported 13,058 new Covid cases on Tuesday, the lowest in 231 days, and 164 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data.

With the new fatalities, the overall death toll has increased to 4,52,454.