- Friday, April 26, 2024
A clinical trial testing a novel cancer immunotherapy, which may prevent skin cancer from recurring, is currently on in Britain. The "personalised" mRNA vaccine is being tested against the deadliest form of skin cancer - melanoma. One of the first patients to sign up for the trial is Steve Young,…
A 62-year-old German man has reportedly received 217 doses of the Covid vaccine against medical advice, as detailed in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. The shots were obtained and administered privately over 29 months. Despite concerns, the man has shown no adverse effects, according to researchers from the University of…
London’s Overground train lines have never before had the attention of the iconic underground. The tube map was a popular hit straightaway in the 1930s, a design classic copied the world over. The Overground lines have kept a low profile on the map’s periphery, with its 114 stations hiding behind…
THE minister of state at the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), Lord Tariq Ahmad, has spoken to Eastern Eye about his recent trip to India, during which he tried to negotiate deals on such issues as climate change, pharmaceuticals, cyber and education with the prosperous states of Tamil Nadu…
An alarming increase in premature births was attributed to Covid-19, but researchers, analysing birth records in California, US, have found that vaccines played a crucial role in restoring the premature birth rate to pre-pandemic levels. Maternal Covid-19 infection increased the probability of preterm delivery, which is birth occurring before 37…
The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, recognised as Vaxzevria in Europe and licensed as Covishield in India, is confronting a legal challenge in the High Court in London, a media report said on Thursday (9). According to ‘The Daily Telegraph', UK-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca could face a number of further claims based…
AS THE weather cools, people tend to see more of their friends and family indoors, which increases the risk of catching colds, flu and Covid-19. This is why the NHS has once again offered vaccines to those most vulnerable to infection. Dr Nikki Kanani, a GP and director of clinical…
In anticipation of the winter season, individuals are being encouraged to receive flu vaccinations to alleviate the strain on the NHS. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a stark warning, emphasising the serious effects of the flu. According to data, during the 2022/23 winter, deaths from flu surpassed…
THE trade deal between the UK and India is facing uncertainty due to disagreements over the former's request for stricter regulations on the manufacturing of affordable generic medicines, reported The Telegraph. India's negotiators have opposed the proposal to extend drug patents before allowing the production of less expensive alternatives. This…
The government has urged those who have not yet received their first and/or second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to do so before the offer ends on June 30. The NHS vaccination programme has already administered over 146 million Covid-19 jabs across England, with 40 million adults receiving both dose.…
The process of selecting the "Oxford Word of the Year" was elaborated by Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, in an interview with PTI from New York. Grathwohl explained that each year, a team of lexicographers from Oxford University Press reviews the evidence and selects the word of the year.…
A number of Indian medical experts on Monday supported calls from an eminent British Indian cardiologist for a full safety review into the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, administered in India as Covishield, over feared serious side effects such as heart attack and stroke. Dr Aseem Malhotra, a National…
Widely conceived to occur in 'obese' and 'high-on-cholesterol' people, recent instances of young people 'collapsing' from heart attacks may tell a different, alarming story. Many videos have emerged showing people doing everyday activities such as walking on the street, working out at gyms and dancing at weddings before seemingly 'dropping'…
Britain's health regulator on Tuesday authorised a COVID-19 vaccine for infants as young as six months, opening the door for vaccinating the country's youngest children once the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) agrees. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorised the vaccine - made by…
Pregnant women are eligible for both free flu and Covid-19 booster vaccine this winter. Pregnancy can be an exciting, yet vulnerable time for any woman, but Covid-19 fears and isolation have added an extra strain. It feels like it is all behind us now, but viruses like Covid-19 and flu…
Having received her own flu and COVID-19 booster doses at her local pharmacy this week, Dr Nikki Kanani, Medical Director for Primary Care at NHS England, and deputy lead for the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programmme, has recorded a video message encouraging others to get vaccinated without delay. The doctor states,…
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis is inflammation of the lining outside the heart. In both cases, the body’s immune system causes inflammation in response to an infection or some other trigger. In their most severe and rare…
The NHS will roll out the next phase of the Covid-19 vaccination programme with the next generation, bivalent vaccine on 5 September starting with care home residents and people who are housebound, a statement said. The UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised boosters should be given to…
A 26-year-old Indian-origin doctor who played an important role during the coronavirus pandemic securing early access to vaccines and therapeutics for Singapore, is among the three recipients of the bond-free Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship given to outstanding Singaporeans to help them pursue postgraduate studies. Dr M Premikha will get an…
PHARMACISTS are being forced to offer extra services including botox and skincare in order to survive amid a drop-off in government funding. Chemists are turning to providing ear wax removal, lip fillers and travel vaccination clinics to “make ends meet”, and have urged more financial support as they deal with…
THE Labour party has claimed that ministers are risking the emergence of other Covid variants like Omicron by thwarting a bid by poorer countries to manufacture their own vaccines, The Guardian reported. According to the opposition party, the government has “actively blocked countries in Africa and across the developing world from…
Revealed: Fewer than one in four has had third vaccination Health experts are urging south Asians to get their booster jab after Eastern Eye revealed that fewer than one in four has taken a third vaccine. Analysis by this newspaper suggests that as of 5 December, only 22.6 per cent…
SERUM Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, has pledged £50 million to the University of Oxford for establishing a research campus that would also house the institute behind the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 jab, Reuters reported. The university on Wednesday (15) said the investment was made through Serum Life…
BRITAIN's health minister has said that there is now community transmission of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across regions of England but it is too early to say if this will "knock us off our road to recovery". Defending the introduction of stricter rules to slow the spread of…
TOP Indian genome scientists have recommended a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for those above 40 years with preference to high-risk and high-exposure population. The weekly bulletin of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 genomics sequencing consortium (INSACOG), a network of national testing labs set up by the government to monitor genomic…
'No jab, no job' policy adds to mounting care worker vacancies WORKERS from India are needed to help tackle the UK’s care home staffing crisis, according to industry leaders. They have appealed to the government to put care workers on the list of shortage occupations to fill more than 112,000…
TO increase the diversity of participants, AstraZeneca is planning to allow more people take part in clinical trials from their homes, The Guardian reported. Recruiting volunteers to clinical trials is a crucial step in the development of new drugs, tests, devices and other interventions. Diversity among trial participants is crucial,…
BHARAT Biotech-manufactured Covaxin, one of the vaccines being administered in India against the coronavirus, is on the UK's list of approved Covid-19 jabs for international travellers from Monday (22). It will benefit more fully vaccinated Indians planning travel to the UK without the need for a pre-departure PCR test or…
BRITISH pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said Friday (12) it has begun to sell its Covid vaccine at a profit as the company posted a third-quarter loss on higher costs. AstraZeneca, which has sold its vaccine at cost during the pandemic in contrast to rivals including US giant Pfizer, said it expects…
INDIA prime minister will be presenting the formal position on India's climate action agenda and lay out the best practices and achievements in the sector at the COP26 summit in Glasgow on Monday (1). During the high-profile segment of the World Leaders' Summit, Narendra Modi is scheduled to deliver a…
PRESIDENT of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid has said he had received his two doses of the Covishield vaccine manufactured in India, as have a “large portion” of other countries around the world. The Covishield vaccine, which has been developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca,…
US Vice President Kamala Harris met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (23) and stressed the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific region at a time when the US is trying to solidify its pivot toward Asia and strengthen ties with allies to take on China's growing influence in…
NEW research has revealed that extremist views and conspiracy theories are rising among England’s pupils, reported The Guardian. Teachers, who were interviewed by researchers at UCL’s Institute of Education, have warned that this will grow unless schools equip them with training and resources to tackle dangerous thinking and ideologies, the…
TOP doctors and pharmacists have been praised for using quirky TikTok videos in order to pass on vital health advice to Asian communities. The medics have gained large followings on the video-sharing app for posting musical footage about issues including the importance of the Covid-19 vaccine, sleep tips and diet…
VAXXERS: The Inside Story of the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine and the Race Against the Virus is a truly wonderful book about the design and development of the life-saving vaccine by two women who write their respective chapters as “Sarah” and “Cath”. This is a must-read book for the British Asian…
AN Indian American Congressman has urged the Biden administration to do more by expanding its global vaccine aid programme to India. Raja Krishnamoorthi added that the US has allocated only 7.5m doses of Covid vaccines to India. His statement came on a day when the White House said it is…
NHS doctor Amir Khan, who regularly appears on ITV's Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, has revealed that he has sought police help after he was bombarded with a series of vile messages and death threats online, said recent reports. Khan recently revealed that he has been receiving abusive messages…
THE world is divided between the haves and have nots by the availability of Covid vaccines, but even more dramatically by the Olympics. Every four years we witness a dispiriting occasion – the ritual humiliation of the vast majority of countries. Is there a case for scrapping the Olympics? More than…
A charity in northwest London will be sending its third batch of clothes to pandemic-hit India very soon. Lelung Dharma Trust, a London based charity with an outlet on Field End Road, Eastcote, has been playing an active role in donating clothes for needy people in India with some…
PREGNANT women in Black and Asian minority communities are most hesitant towards the Covid vaccine, claimed a medic, as hospitals across Birmingham continue to swell with Covid-contracted unvaccinated pregnant women with many requiring intensive care and premature emergency surgeries. Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust is now considering offering…
ABOUT 1.4 million teenagers, aged 16 and 17, in England will soon be offered Covid-19 vaccines, as per media reports on Wednesday (4), which claimed that Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will update the advice “imminently”. It is not yet known when the jabs will start though…
THE NHS has urged pregnant women to get Covid-19 vaccine as jabs are now being offered to everyone aged 18 and over. "The Covid-19 vaccines are now being offered to everyone aged 18 and over, including pregnant women. Whatever stage you’re at in your pregnancy, if you’re breastfeeding or plan…
ONLY clinically vulnerable children and those living with vulnerable adults will be soon offered Covid vaccinations, the vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said on Monday (19), as he urged people to be extremely cautious as almost all lockdown rules ended in England. Speaking to Sky News, Zahawi said he will…
The UK government on Sunday (17) declared it had hit its target of offering every adult in the country a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this month ahead of time. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said a total of 81,959,398 doses of COVID vaccines have been…
A decision to offer Covid jabs to under-18s will be made soon as the ministers are “sympathetic” to the idea, claimed media reports. Meanwhile, schools across England are closing early for the summer break or moving to online teaching as tens of thousands of pupils are forced to isolate themselves…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson on Friday (2) said he saw no reason why people who received Indian-made AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines should be left out of vaccine passport schemes after the European Union did not initially recognise it. About five million people in Britain are thought to have had the vaccine…
AS MANY as five million Britons could remain locked out of their European holidays because the vaccine they took against Covid-19 is not recognised by the European Union’s passport scheme. Millions of vaccines administered in the UK are yet to qualify for the EU’s vaccine passport scheme since they have…
FOR months those against taking the Covid vaccines have been spreading fake news about the vaccine. They include false claims that the Covid vaccine contains pork, and so they cannot be taken by Muslims. In WhatsApp messages, south Asians have been told the vaccine will make women infertile. Others simply…
AT LEAST one in three south Asians, aged 18 or over, is still not fully protected from the Covid virus, Eastern Eye can reveal. Despite the government spearheading a “concerted community-led effort” to persuade minority communities to get vaccinated, the latest figures reveal that about 67 per cent of “Asians…
INDIA has overtaken the United States in administering Covid-19 vaccine doses, the country's health ministry said on Monday (28). After launching its vaccination drive on January 16, the country has administered over 323.6 million doses so far. The US, on the other hand, started its drive in December last year…
Informed consent is vital when collecting medical records, says expert ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2021, NHS Digital will collect General Practice data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) in England. According to the NHS Digital website, the data will be used to “support a wide variety of research and analysis to help…
By Paul Faulkner LANCASHIRE is one of the areas that lies “at the heart” of the government’s decision to delay the lifting of the last remaining Covid restrictions by a month. That was the message from the county’s director of public health, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, after the prime minister announced…
INDIA is a natural ally for the G7 countries in defending the shared values from threats like authoritarianism, terrorism and violent extremism, disinformation and economic coercion, prime minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday (13). In a virtual address at a session on 'open societies and open economies' at the G7…
THEY both are promising economies and with mammoth populations on either side of the border, these two neighbours can aspire to be world beaters in decades to come. But in reality, India and China have been more at odds than in unity. From border to political to geostrategic, the two…
MILLIONS of Covid-19 vaccines will be wasted if rich countries do not donate large amounts of leftover doses to poorer nations in one go, UNICEF has warned in an open letter published on Tuesday (8) ahead of the three-day G7 summit in Cornwall. The call for vaccine sharing is backed…
INDIA will provide free Covid-19 vaccines to all adults, prime minister Narendra Modi said on Monday (7), in an effort to rein in a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands and led to the world's second-highest tally of infections. Modi's announcement on national television came after weeks of criticism…
TOP American lawmakers on Friday (4) applauded the Joe Biden administration for its decision to distribute 25 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to India and other countries. "I applaud the Biden administration's commitment to getting Covid-19 vaccines to countries that need them the most," senator John Cornyn, co-chair of the…
WORLD bodies have warned richer countries, including the UK, to donate jabs to poorer nations or face the grim prospect of millions more global deaths and future lockdowns. In a joint plea, the heads of World Health Organization (WHO), the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group and the World…
BRITAIN'S massive public borrowing began to head downwards last month for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, bolstered by a brightening economic outlook that pointed to a potentially faster improvement in public finances. Public sector net borrowing in April totalled 31.7 billion pounds, official figures showed…
PAKISTAN’S National Institute of Health (NIH) has collaborated with China to produce the first batch of a single-dose coronavirus vaccine called CanSino. The regularity and health authority body in Pakistan will examine the vaccine and give final approval. "Congratulations to the NIH Pak team and its leadership for successful fill/finish…
BANGLADESH is desperate to get vaccines from the US, China, Canada, Russia, the UK and India, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said. He made various appeals through ITV News and CNN to secure coronavirus vaccines for the country's emergency needs. Amid fears that the Indian variant of Covid-19 could rapidly…
INDIA’S foreign minister S Jaishankar will meet the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, on Monday (24) to emphasise the procurement of coronavirus vaccines. During his five-day visit to the country, the minister explore the possibility of joint production as well as procurement of coronavirus vaccine with American companies. He…
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have announced a disaster relief center to be built in Mumbai to help people battle Covid-19 as the couple marked their third anniversary earlier this week. A Community Relief Centre will be built in collaboration with World Central Kitchen (WCK), the couple said.…
A NEW study has revealed that 96.42 per cent of people who received of dose of Covid-19 vaccine had developed antibodies after 28 to 34 days. That rose to 99.08 per cent within seven to 14 days of the second jab. The findings are based on a study of 8,517…
PRESIDENT Joe Biden announced on Monday (17) that the United States is surging exports of Covid vaccines to other countries to reclaim "American leadership" in the global fight against the pandemic. About 20 million more doses are confirmed to be released over the next six weeks, bringing the total earmarked…
The Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines should remain highly effective against two coronavirus variants first identified in India, according to new research carried out by US scientists. The lab-based study was carried out by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Center and is considered preliminary because it…
PEOPLE aged 18 and over in Blackburn and Darwen are to be offered Covid vaccines as the cases of Indian variant of the virus upsurge. There has been a rise in the number of cases in Blackburn that can be linked to the new Indian variant. However, surge in vaccinations…
PEOPLE in their 30s can book their Covid vaccines from tomorrow (13), it has been announced. The NHS.uk website will be updated at 7am. Those aged 38 and 39 are the first to qualify for a jab with around a million people being sent text messages that allow them to access the national…
The Maldives is still welcoming Bollywood stars and other rich Indians to its secluded beaches and crystal-clear lagoons even as countries ban flights because of a brutal Covid surge. The Indian Ocean archipelago of more than a thousand islands reopened its international borders in mid-July after being shut for three…
US president Joe Biden promised emergency assistance to Covid-ravaged India in a telephone call on Monday with prime minister Narendra Modi, the two countries said. Biden "pledged America's steadfast support for the people of India who have been impacted by the recent surge in Covid-19 cases," the White House said.…
RESTRICTIONS on exporting its Covid vaccines have left India's Serum Institute needing financial help from the government, its CEO said, with the world's largest jab manufacturer under pressure at home from soaring cases. Prime minister Narendra Modi's government last month put the brakes on exports of AstraZeneca jabs made by…
ENGLAND's health service said it expected later on Monday(1) to have offered the Covid-19 vaccine to residents at every care home with older residents in the nation, in what British prime minister Boris Johnson called 'a crucial milestone'. Britain, which has one of the world's highest Covid death tolls, is…
India exported its first batch of locally produced coronavirus shots on Wednesday (20), officials said, as the world's biggest vaccine manufacturer scrambled to meet requests from other countries desperate to protect their populations. The Maldives and Bhutan will be the first recipients of India's coronavirus vaccine, while Brazil and South…
by LAUREN CODLING ASIANS have been urged to take the coronavirus vaccine as doctors expressed concerns that “fake news” was causing many from the community to reject it. Rumours claiming that the vaccines contain alcohol and animal products (such as beef and pork) have been circulating on social media and…
By Professor Dinesh Bhugra A WEEK before Christmas, I was at an Indian greengrocers shopping for fruit and vegetables. The cashier, whom I have known for many years, asked me: “Doctor, will you take the injection (vaccination) when it comes?” I was surprised at the question as I could not…
INDIA's drugs regulator approved for emergency use two coronavirus vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other by local company Bharat Biotech and a state-run institute. The decisions on Sunday(3) mark the first vaccine approvals in India, which after the US has recorded the most infections of…
by LAUREN CODLING COMMUNITY leaders have questioned why ethnic minority groups have not been prioritised for the Covid-19 vaccine, as the UK became the first country in the world to roll out the immunisation on Tuesday (8). As Eastern Eye went to press, the shot became available at 50 hospitals…
By NADEEM BADSHAH GPs will see patients and also administer Covid vaccine LEADING GPs have called for support to help them deal with “workload pressures” during the upcoming rollout of a coronavirus vaccine. Family doctors are set for a hectic few months with a Covid-19 jab expected to be unveiled…