Experts allay Covaxin concerns, say 50% effectiveness against Delta-driven Covid surge not bad
The Hindu
The results of the first real-world assessment of Covaxin published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal
The decline in the effectiveness of Covaxin, India’s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, from 77.8% to 50% during a Delta-driven case surge in April and May this year is neither bad nor surprising, say scientists.
The differing figures led to some concern, particularly among those who had received Covaxin, but several scientists allayed the misgivings, pointing to the potency of the Delta strain, the intensity of the second Covid wave in India and the level of exposure among healthcare workers.
The results of the published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on Wednesday showed that two doses of the vaccine, also known as BBV152, are 50% effective against the symptomatic disease.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”
The festival in Bengaluru is happening at various locations, including ATREE in Jakkur, Bangalore Creative Circus in Yeshwantpur, Courtyard Koota in Kengeri, and Medai the Stage in Koramangala. The festival will also take place in various cities across Karnataka including Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.