Health
Bharat Biotech’s intranasal vaccine to cost Rs 800 at private hospital, Rs 350 at government hospitals
Bharat Biotech said in a statement that the intranasal vaccine was designed to be cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries.

Bharat Biotech on Tuesday announced the price of the country’s first intranasal vaccine, iNCOVACC, which will be used as a Covid-19 booster dose for those above 18 years of age. The Covid-19 intranasal vaccine is priced at Rs 800, excluding 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) for private hospitals and Rs 325 for government hospitals.
According to the reports, the nasal vaccine will be used as a heterologous booster and will be available first in private hospitals. Those who have been injected with 2 doses of either Covishield or Covaxin can book Bharat Biotech’s nasal vaccine on the CoWin platform from Friday evening onward.
Bharat Biotech said in a statement that the intranasal vaccine was designed to be cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries. The approval of the nasal vaccine was announced on December 23, 2022.
The needle-free vaccine will be rolled out in the fourth week of January as a precautionary dose for those above 18 years of age. The company said the phase-III trials and heterologous trials were conducted for 14 and 9 sites across the country, respectively.
During the trials, the pharma major said, those who administered the vaccine demonstrated significant levels of antibody levels in the saliva. Mucosal IgA antibodies in the upper respiratory tract may help reduce infections and infection transmission, according to the study.
The nasal vaccine doses are stable at 2-8 degrees Celsius for easy storage and distribution, it further said.
The government approved the nasal vaccine amid the surge in Covid-19 cases in China. The most populous country is facing the world’s largest outbreak, with over 250 million people infected with the contagious virus.
Health
India records 1,300 fresh Covid cases, highest in past 140 days
The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has surged to 7,605 as India registered 1,300 fresh cases of the coronavirus, the highest in the past 140 days, as per updated data available on the Union Health Ministry website today.

The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has surged to 7,605 as India registered 1,300 fresh cases of the coronavirus, the highest in the past 140 days, as per updated data available on the Union Health Ministry website today.
According to the Union Health Ministry’s data updated today at 8 am, the daily positivity was recorded at 1.46 per cent while the weekly positivity was logged at 1.08 per cent.
The data revealed that the number of cases in the country since the pandemic’s outbreak is tallied at 4.46 crore (4,46,99, 418), while the death toll has increased to 5,30,816 with three more deaths—one each from Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra—attributed to the deadly virus.
As per the health ministry’s date, the active cases now comprise 0.02 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.79 per cent.
Further numbers from the health ministry’s data reveal that a total of 92.06 crore tests for detection of Covid have been conducted so far with 89,078 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours.
According to the data posted on the health ministry’s website, 4,41,60,997 people have successfully recuperated from the deadly virus while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
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The data also reveals that 220.65 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
Meanwhile, the surge in deaths due to the H3N2 variant of the seasonal influenza virus is triggering an outbreak scare in the country.
According to official data, India has recorded at least three deaths associated with H3N2 this season.
Fearing the outbreak of another Covid-19 like pandemic, health officials have urged people to wear masks, practice hand hygiene and get a flu shot if they haven’t already. H3N2, is a subtype of the influenza A strain, responsible for one of the three respiratory pandemics in the past century.
The flu variant’s symptoms tend to be the same as other forms of influenza, including fever or feeling feverish, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults), among others
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Health
India records 1,134 new Covid cases
Over 7,000 coronavirus cases are currently active in India after the country recorded 1,134 fresh cases of the Covid-19 virus, the Union Health Ministry informed on Wednesday.

Over 7,000 coronavirus cases are currently active in India after the country recorded 1,134 fresh cases of the Covid-19 virus, the Union Health Ministry informed on Wednesday.
According to the updated data on the Health Ministry’s website, the number of active cases in the country increased to 7,026 with five more deaths reported due to the Covid-19 infections raising the death toll to 5,30,813.
One death each has been reported from Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra and one reconciled by Kerala, while the tally of total number of Covid cases since the viral outbreak has reached 4.46 crore (4,46,98,118), as per the health ministry’s data.
As per the data, the daily positivity was recorded at 1.09 per cent while the weekly positivity was pegged at 0.98 per cent, adding that the active cases now comprise 0.02 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.79 per cent.
Further numbers from the health ministry’s data reveal that a total of 92.05 crore tests for detection of Covid have been conducted so far with 1,03,831 being tests conducted in the last 24 hours.
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According to the data posted on the health ministry’s website, 4,41,60,279 people have successfully recuperated from the deadly virus while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
The data also reveals that 220.65 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
Meanwhile, the surge in deaths due to the H3N2 variant of the seasonal influenza virus is triggering an outbreak scare in the country.
According to official data, India has recorded at least three deaths associated with H3N2 this season.
Fearing the outbreak of another Covid-19 like pandemic, health officials have urged people to wear masks, practice hand hygiene and get a flu shot if they haven’t already. H3N2, is a subtype of the influenza A strain, responsible for one of the three respiratory pandemics in the past century.
The flu variant’s symptoms tend to be the same as other forms of influenza, including fever or feeling feverish, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults), among others.
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Health
Gujarat woman dies of flu-like symptoms triggering H3N2 scare
An elderly woman passed away due to a flu-like disease in Gujarat’s Vadodara city triggering a H3N2 scare as officials suspected that she may have died due to the dangerous variant of the seasonal influenza virus.

An elderly woman passed away due to a flu-like disease in Gujarat’s Vadodara city triggering a H3N2 scare as officials suspected that she may have died due to the dangerous variant of the seasonal influenza virus.
According to officials, the 58-year-old woman was shifted to Sir Sayajirao General (SSG) Hospital on March 11 from a private medical facility where she passed away on March 13.
Resident Medical Officer (RMO), SSG Hospital, D K Helaya shot down any preliminary assumptions that the H3N2 virus might have caused the woman’s death, saying that they’ve sent the samples for testing and the exact cause of death will be ascertained by a review committee.
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The deceased woman was a resident of Fatehgunj area in Vadodara.
Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel revealed last week that three cases of seasonal influenza subtype H3N2 have been reported in the state so far this year. Patel said that a total of 80 cases of seasonal flu were reported in Gujarat till March 10, out of which 77 are influenza of H1N1 and three of H3N2 subtypes.
However, the minister said, that no deaths due to the H3N2 variant have been reported in the state so far this year.
According to official data, India has recorded at least three deaths associated with H3N2 this season.
Fearing the outbreak of another Covid-19 like pandemic, health officials have urged people to wear masks, practice hand hygiene and get a flu shot if they haven’t already. H3N2, is a subtype of the influenza A strain, responsible for one of the three respiratory pandemics in the past century.
The flu variant’s symptoms tend to be the same as other forms of influenza, including fever or feeling feverish, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults), among others.
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