Kumaraguru Action for Relief and Empowerment (KARE), was founded in Nov, 2015 during the Chennai floods. KARE supports the victims of natural disasters such as floods, cyclone and other calamities and has supported during Kerala floods & Gaja Cyclone. This is a volunteer movement of Kumaraguru Institutions where many join hands when the need arises.

KARE COVID 19 Response Bulletin is an effort by a group of Kumaraguru alumni, students & informed citizens alike to clear the clutter around COVID 19 by providing informative, insightful news, articles & data around the world under various tags such as Research, Technology, Education, Economy & Insights with a short summary for each.

COVID19 Basic Info & Previous Bulletin Link: tinyurl.com/blog-KARE

STATISTICS

COVID-19
 		Active Cases
 		Recovered
 		Casualties 
 
India416,56430,504,747420,196
World13,787,562176,307,140 4,164,065

VACCINE

4 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in trial stage, 1 in preclinical stage

As many as four coronavirus vaccine candidates are at different stages of human trials while one, developed by Genique Life Sciences, is in the advanced preclinical stage, Jitendra Singh, Union Science and Technology Minister, said in the Rajya Sabha. The clinical development of vaccine candidates is being undertaken across the clinical trial sites situated pan-India.  ‘Mission COVID Suraksha-the Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission’ was announced as part of the third stimulus package ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0’ for promoting research and development of Indian COVID-19 vaccines. |Live Mint

Several countries have allowed mixing COVID vaccines

Mixing and matching vaccine doses has apparent benefits in raising immune response and antibody defence. The immunogenicity and tolerability results from several clinical trials have shown that there is no harm in mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines and would build better immune strength. While there are some who have stressed that mixing vaccines could lead to more, or different side-effects than expected, as of now experts say it is not advisable to mix and match vaccines citing the lack of available data and concerns. |Times of India

Zydus Cadila plans to start vaccine trials on children above 5 yrs soon

Ahmedabad-based pharma major Cadila Healthcare (Zydus Cadila) is planning to start clinical trials on children aged 5 years and above soon, after receiving the approval from DCGI for its vaccine ZyCoV-D. It has already sought approval for use in children above 12 years. So far, no other vaccine has been approved globally for children below 12 years. India’s Bharat Biotech is now in the middle of conducting clinical trials on children above 2-years for Covaxin. If things go well, ZyCoV-D could be the first approved vaccine for adolescents. ZyCoV-D has shown a 66.6 percent efficacy in interim analysis of phase 3 trials. |Business Standard

Pfizer-BioNTech to start producing COVID-19 vaccines in South Africa in 2022

Pfizer and BioNTech will start to manufacture their COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa. The companies said annual vaccine production would exceed 100 million doses, to be distributed exclusively within African countries. Vaccination rates across Africa remain extremely low, with just over 20 million full vaccine doses administered to a population of over 1.3 billion. Countries including South Sudan and Kenya have either run out of jabs, or have come close to running out, as cases surge across the continent. |CNN

IISc-incubated Mynvax to get funding to bring “warm” COVID-19 vaccine to the market

Mynvax, a vaccine technology startup, incubated by the Society for Innovation and Development (SID) at the Indian Institute of Science, has signed an agreement to raise 4.2 million dollars to bring thermotolerant COVID-19 vaccine to the market. The company was developing novel recombinant vaccines for COVID-19 and human influenza, and would use the proceeds to further clinical development for the same. |The Hindu

Next gen COVID-19 vaccines in the pipeline

The next generation of COVID-19 vaccines in development could come as a pill or a nasal spray, in addition to the shots that dominate the current vaccination drive. Novavax is making a protein-based vaccine engineered from the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2. Cuba’s Abdala, developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology(CIGB), is a protein vaccine that uses yeast as a receptor-binding domain protein and alumina as an adjuvant. Medicago is an adjutant vaccine that uses plants as the base. These are just a few of the next gen vaccines that are in the pipeline now. Other than this, Cadila Healthcare’s ZyCoV-D is currently in trials and might turn India to become the first country in the world to develop a DNA-based vaccine. |CNBCTV18

EU approves Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12-17

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12-17 years has been approved, making it the second jab for adolescents for use in Europe. Spikevax vaccine will be given in two injections, each four weeks apart. The decision by the Amsterdam-based agency follows the approval of the first vaccine for European youngsters, by Pfizer/BioNTech in May.The effects of the vaccine have been studied among 3,732 children aged 12-17 years, the European Medical Agency said. |India Today

Center focuses on busting COVID-19 Vaccination myths

The Centre’s Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation along with UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) will be conducting COVID-19 vaccination campaign to ramp up the vaccination drive among the tribal people. This campaign will focus on dispelling myths, misconceptions and fear about jabs. The government has also involved traditional leaders and local influencers to be a part of this campaign. More than 50,000 villages in 309 districts will be covered in this campaign. |Live Mint

COVID Vaccine booster shots

As mutations of the Coronavirus emerge, the beneficiaries who have been vaccinated might still need a booster with a second generation COVID-19 shot, said Dr Randeep Guleria, the chief of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Globally, experts suggest that for the time being, priority should be given to the first round of vaccinations, noting that worrisome Coronavirus mutants would not be popping up so fast if people had gotten the initial round of shots. The World Health Organization (WHO) also said earlier this month that there is not enough evidence to show that third doses are needed, and instead of using them as boosters, they should be shared with countries that are in need of COVID-19 vaccines. |Live Mint

COVID-19 vaccines for children likely by September

AIIMS chief, Dr Randee Guleria announced that India is likely to start the vaccination drive for children by September and also pointed out that this will be an important move to break the chain of transmission. Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila, is waiting for it’s emergency authorisation and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin trials would be over by August or September. Earlier this month, Dr N K Arora, who heads the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration, had said that vaccination for children will start by September with the Zydus vaccine for 12 to 18-year-olds. |NDTV

Where can we get authentic information about Coronavirus?

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KARE COVID-19 Response So Far

43038 Cooked meals
2279 Volunteering hours clocked.
10 Tons of Vegetables transacted so far.
28+ Number of Farmers impacted so far.
640 Helpline Calls.
500 Grocery Kits & 500 kg Rice
50+ hours of student mentoring & 8 Gadgets
1400 Liquid sanitizer packs
5500 Masks
₹ 4,95,141 Funds Raised.
₹ 6,50,000 Funds Spent.
63000+ Lives Impacted

Impact areas: 

Chinnavedampatti, Saravanampatty, Vellaikinar, Sathyamangalam, Sulthanpet, Paapampatti, Sulur, Thondamuthur, Narasipuram, Kangayam, Coimbatore & Pollachi.

TO MAKE A DONATION
KARE Bank Account Details

Account name: KCT KARE
Account number: 1245155000078376
Bank: Karur Vysya Bank
Branch: KCT Extension Counter
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Bank address: Kumaraguru College of Technology, Chinnavedampatti, Coimbatore – 641036