COVID-19 update: Deltacron & omicron subvariant — 2 looming threats?

COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the United States, countries in Europe and Southeast Asia

Shanghai COVID-19 update: No relief from lockdown in sight amid record case surge

Economic activities have come to a halt; military deployed to help tackle situation

WHO begins monitoring two new variants of COVID-19 named BA.4 and BA.5

The move comes in the footsteps of the global health body declaring two more variants in circulation named XE and XD

Are booster doses for COVID-19 vaccines the new normal?

Making boosters integral to India’s containment strategy can trigger medical, ethical dilemmas 

COVID-19: INSACOG shares genome sequencing data after a gap of 3 months 

India sequenced 89,860 samples between January and April, according to the latest bulletin. The total is now 240,570 sequenced samples  

COVID-19: What we know so far about fresh case surge in South Africa

In April, more than half the samples sequenced in South Africa were reported as BA.4 and BA.5 

COVID-19 in South Africa: what to expect in the short and long term

Fallout from pandemic put significant obstacles in the way of managing patients with chronic illnesses

COVID-19: What’s driving Portugal’s high caseload, toll despite impressive vaccination rates?

Around 87% of Portugal’s population is fully vaccinated & over 65% received boosters 

COVID-19: Omicron's stealthy behaviour behind reinfections in people with immunity, says new study

People infected with initial strains had less sustained antibody response to omicron, scientists find

Update COVID-19 vaccine to target omicron variants: Advisory panel to USFDA

Unclear which combination of updated vaccine will work best; body expected to decide by July

Experts suggest updating vaccines for new variants. How does it work & what are the challenges?

It is easier to update certain vaccine platforms than others, say experts

Clever coronavirus: Spike mutations help Omicron dodge antibodies

Research findings can help developers of vaccines, treatments understand what part of novel coronavirus to target    

Omicron’s BA.5 sub-variant is 4 times more vaccine-resistant

Study finds sub-lineage behind rise in COVID-19 cases in Europe, US

COVID-19: BA.5 spread has differed from one country to another; here is why

Eric Topol, a US-based professor of molecular medicine, argues it is the immunity wall of a country that plays a decisive role in whether BA.…

A vaccine only for Omicron: Does India really need it?

Experts bat for considering benefits, economics carefully before spending on bivalent shots    

COVID-19 surge in Delhi: 8-10 deaths every day, doctors recommend masks, booster dose

The recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Delhi can be attributed to the dominance of omicron sub-variant BA 2.75

Patients unaware of omicron infection, may be contributing to COVID-19 spread: Report

Study finds 56% people were unaware of infection status  

COVID-19: Time to watch out for BF.7

For almost a year now, omicron and its lineages and sub-lineages have dominated the global COVID-19 variant map

New ‘highly infectious’ Omicron strains scare China

BF.7 variant was first detected in the northwestern region of China and has spread fast to the southern side

COVID-19: Is SARS-CoV-2 evolving differently after omicron

Cases are expected to rise with the advent of winter

COVID-19: Infections to rise in India in winter; more hospital resources needed

In the past 24 hours, India reported 1,946 new cases

Can China’s dynamic zero-COVID policy survive in the face of citizen protests, infectious variants?

China is recording more than 70,000 COVID-19 cases daily, a pandemic high for the country  

COVID: What we know about new omicron variant BF.7

BF.7 may well cause more serious illness in people with weaker immune systems.  

Fingers crossed: Experts cautious about variant evolution in the wake of China’s COVID-19 tsunami

Any new variant that emerges from the current surge in China may not have the same lethal ability as past ones. But one cannot rule out …

2022 too short, too far: How the pandemic progressed

Down To Earth recaps the primary environment, health and developmental news from 2022