Coronavirus Vaccine News Live Updates: Can turmeric treat COVID-19, research shows it has antiviral properties

Coronavirus Vaccine Live Updates: As per a study published in the Journal of General Virology, curcumin- a naturally-occurring chemical compound found in the spice turmeric, has potential antiviral properties and can prove to be effective in eliminating certain viruses. The study showed that curcumin can prevent Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV)- an alpha-group coronavirus that infects pigs, from infecting cells. The higher doses of curcumin were also found to kill virus particles. TGEV causes a disease called transmissible gastroenteritis in piglets, characterized by diarrhoea, acute dehydration and death. The virus is highly infectious and proves to be fatal in piglets who are younger than two weeks.

Also Read: COVID-19 vaccine will be called 'Covishield' in India, says Adar Poonawalla

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3.15 pm: Coronavirus vaccine updates: To take coronavirus first or last: Donald Trump in pickle

US President Donald Trump has said that he is ready to take COVID-19 vaccine- first or last- as people want. Trump stated on Wednesday that he is faced with an impossible situation- if he should be the first to pop the coronavirus vaccine. "If I'm the first one they'll say 'he's so selfish'. 'He wanted to get the vaccine first'. Then other people would say 'hey, that's a very brave thing to do'," he told Fox News.

2.59 pm: Coronavirus vaccine India: Cipla to launch Favipiravir for treatment of COVID-19 patients: CSIR

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) announced on Thursday that Mumbai-based pharma company Cipla is ready to launch coronavirus treatment drug Favipiravir for the treatment COVID-19 patients. The inoculation has demonstrated encouraging results in treating mild to moderate coronavirus cases during human clinical trials.

2.49 pm: 5 people will be vaccinated today as Covaxin trial begins at AIIMS Delhi

Five volunteers will be vaccinated on Friday as India's first coronavirus vaccine Covaxin's trial start at AIIMS, New Delhi, according to news report by Jagran. Covaxin is the country's first indigenous vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR and National Institute of Virology (NIV).

2.39 pm: Coronavirus news: Janta curfew to be imposed in Nagpur on July 25 and 26

Nagpur Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said on Friday that a 'janta curfew' will be imposed in the city on July 25 and 26 to contain the spread of COVID-19. He added that only essential services will remain operational.

2.25 pm: Pfizer-BioNTech SE coronavirus vaccine: Trump administration orders 60 crore vaccine doses

The Trump administration has placed order of up to 60 crore COVID-19 vaccine shots that Pfizer Inc and BioNTech Se are jointly developing. This deal is the latest in a series of similar agreements with several other vaccine firms. Describing the deal as "historic", US President Donald Trump told reporters during a press briefing on Wednesday that "we think we have a winner here. We also think we have other companies right behind that are doing very well in the vaccines, long ahead of schedule." As part of the agreement, the US government will pay Pfizer around $2 billion for delivery of 10 crore vaccine shots by December if it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

2.10 pm: Coronavirus vaccine: Research on turmeric demonstrates strong antiviral properties

As per a study published in the Journal of General Virology, curcumin- a naturally-occurring chemical compound found in the spice turmeric, has potential antiviral properties and can prove to be effective in eliminating certain viruses. The study showed that curcumin can prevent Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV)- an alpha-group coronavirus that infects pigs, from infecting cells. The higher doses of curcumin were also found to kill virus particles. TGEV causes a disease called transmissible gastroenteritis in piglets, characterized by diarrhoea, acute dehydration and death. The virus is highly infectious and proves to be fatal in piglets who are younger than two weeks.

1.58 pm: India's coronavirus cases, death rate per million among lowest in the world, says govt

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said on Friday that India has one of the lowest COVID-19 cases and deaths per million in the world. He further stated that the country has so far recorded 1.25 million virus cases and over 30,000 deaths due to coronavirus. Dr. Harsh Vardhan added that "our recovery rate stands at 63.45 per cent, whereas our mortality rate is at 2.3 per cent."

1.45 pm: Why coronavirus surged steeply in Bihar? Patna AIIMS director has an explanation

Prabhat Kumar, Director, AIIMS Patna, explained that the spread of COVID-19 was under control in Bihar till the lockdown was imposed in the state. He added that the virus cases surged steeply in Bihar after the lockdown restrictions were relaxed. "The number of cases has been increasing. The situation is worsening due to carelessness by people in following the guidelines," Kumar told news agency ANI.

1.30 pm: India coronavirus news: UP CM Yogi Adityanath holds key meet in Lucknow following sharp surge in COVID-19 cases

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, held a key meeting in capital Lucknow with officials following a steep rise in coronavirus cases. Lucknow has emerged as one of the biggest hotspots in the state.

1.15 pm: Who gets coronavirus vaccine when it first becomes available? CDC suggest idea

An initial plan developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives priority to healthcare workers, then to patients with underlying medical conditions and older people. However, the CDC has not yet taken a call on whether the next in line should be Blacks or Latinos, as these groups are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, the New York Times reported.

12.55 pm: Coronavirus vaccine news: Mothers unlikely to pass COVID-19 to newborns, says Lancet study

The scientists are claiming that mothers with coronavirus are unlikely to pass it to their newborns if right and proper hygiene safeguards are observed. This new claim is contrary to previous findings. The study was published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal and examined 120 newborns to mothers with COVID-19 infection, but found no cases of virus transmission during childbirth or even after two weeks of breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact. The study findings observe that mothers with coronavirus can breastfeed their babies and also stay in the same room as them if they use appropriate face coverings and follow infection control procedures.

12.45 pm: COVID-19 vaccine trial: Bharat Biotech to complete screening of volunteers by July-end

Bharat Biotech will finish screening volunteers for the first phase human trials for its coronavirus vaccine 'Covaxin' by July end. The company will choose 375 subjects to start dosing by early August. Bharat Biotech has developed Covaxin in collaboration with the ICMR and National Institute of Virology. The clinical trials of the vaccine candidate being indigenously developed in India are being conducted throughout the country. About 1,800 volunteers registered for the trials whose phase 1 and 2 will be carried out at 12 clinical sites across the nation, including AIIMS Patna and Delhi. The clinical trials first started in Post-Graduate Institute (PGI) of Medical Sciences in Rohtak on July 17, after which AIIMS Delhi carried out the trials on July 20. The latest trials began on July 22 (Wednesday) at a Bhubaneswar-based institute, which is one of the 12 centres chosen by the ICMR to conduct phase one and two of the trials.

12.35 pm: Coronavirus vaccine latest updates: WHO says Oxford's trial results are positive but still a long way to go

Mike Ryan head of WHO's emergencies programme recently lauded the good news in results shown by two coronavirus vaccine candidates in their early human trials but also cautioned that there is a long way to go. Ryan told reporters at a news conference in Geneva that the need of the hour is to move into larger-scale real-world trials. His comments came as researchers at Oxford University, in a paper published by The Lancet Medical journal, said that their experimental COVID-19 vaccine induced a strong immune response in over a thousand people who got the shot in early human clinical trials.

Read more here: Coronavirus vaccine: WHO lauds 'good news' from early trial results

12.25 pm: First 'made in India' ventilator soon in the country

The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) located in Bengaluru is working on developing the first 'made in India' ventilator, SwasthVayu. The non-invasive ventilator can not only support coronavirus patients but also benefit patients suffering from other respiratory conditions concerning complex sleep-disordered breathing.

12.15 pm: 50% of Indian people will get our coronavirus vaccine; Centre will provide them free cost: Adar Poonawalla

The Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla recently said that 50% per the COVID-19 vaccines that will be produced by his company will be supplied to India and the rest to other nations. He added that the vaccine will mostly be bought by the governments, which will provide it to the people free of cost through immunisation programmes.

12.05 pm: 300-400 million doses of coronavirus vaccine by December: Adar Poonawalla

The Serum Institute of India's CEO Adar Poonwalla recently said that the company will ready around 300-400 million shots of potential COVID-19 vaccine by December this year. He added that this will be possible only if the trials of coronavirus vaccine, being designed and developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, shows favourable results. Each shot of the vaccine, which will be called 'Covishield' in India, has 10 vials, Poonawalla informed. He further stated that he expects the vaccine to reach the people of India in large numbers by the first of 2021.

11.55 am: Coronavirus latest news: Home Ministry issues advisory for Independence Day celebrations

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an advisory on Friday for Independence Day celebrations in India next month amid rising coronavirus cases in the country. The ministry has directed all government offices, governors and states to avoid assembling public and rather use technology for celebrating the day.

11.45 am: India, Israel to develop new rapid testing kit that gives COVID-19 test results in 30 seconds

India and Israel have collaborated to come up with a new kind of coronavirus rapid testing kit that would give test results in a few seconds. 

Read more here: COVID-19 test results in 30 secs? India, Israel to develop new rapid testing kit

11.30 am: Coronavirus tracker India: Check BusinessToday.In tracker to get state-wise tally of COVID-19 cases

INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graph.

11.20 am: Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine status

Homegrown Bharat Biotech has already started human trials of its coronavirus vaccine candidate 'Covaxin' in most of the 12 sites chosen for carrying out the tests. AIIMS Delhi has already begun the trials while Bhubaneswar-based institute, started conducting the tests on July 22. Covaxin is being developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

11.10 am: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine roll-out likely by this year-end

German biotech company BioNTech and US pharma giant Pfizer said earlier this week that the human clinical trials of their BNT162 COVID-19 vaccine candidate have shown to be safe prompting an immune response in patients. The trials are being conducted in Germany currently. According to media reports, Pfizer is hoping to seek regulatory nod for the vaccine "as early as October" and ready to roll out a vaccine in the market by this year-end. The US government has also announced an around $2 billion contract with Pfizer for 100 million coronavirus vaccine shots by December as part of US' Warp Speed Project.

10.55 am: Coronavirus vaccine trial latest status from China: CanSino vaccine shows promise, company set to begin Phase-III trials in Canada

The COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Chinese firm CanSino Biologics Inc has shown encouraging results in a mid-stage clinical study. The company's vaccine shot has shown to be safe and prompted an immune response, according to a report in the Lancet.  CanSino's experimental vaccine has finished the second phase of three stages of human clinical trials. The company is not set to start phase-III trials in Canada.

10.45 am: Coronavirus vaccine news updates: 7 Indian firms in race to find COVID-19 vaccine

Seven Indian firms have joined the list of hundreds of foreign companies to develop a potent vaccine against COVID-19. Bharat Biotech, Zydus Cadila, Indian Immunologicals, Nynvax, Panacea Biotec, and Biological E are among the domestic pharma companies working on it are in different stages of trials.

Reade more here: Coronavirus update: 7 Indian firms in race to find COVID-19 vaccine

10.30 am: Russian minister claims COVID-19 vaccine 'ready for use'

Russia has claimed that is ready to unveil its coronavirus vaccine by next month. The Russian Defence Ministry, which is developing the vaccine, has successfully finished its phase-II human clinical trials. This led the nation's First Deputy Defence Minister Ruslan Tsalikov to say that Russia's first indigenous vaccine is ready for use.

Read more here:  Russia inches closer to coronavirus vaccine; 'ready for use,' says minister

10.20 am: Coronavirus vaccine could be ready by this year-end, says China's Sinopharm

Chinese pharma company Sinopharm's vaccine candidate could be ready for public use by this year-end, state media reported on Wednesday, Reuters said in a news report. The news came ahead of a previous expectation that the inoculation may be available in 2021. The company's chairman Liu Jingzhen told state broadcaster CCTC that the firm is hoping to complete its last-stage human clinical trials within around three months.

10.15 am: Don't expect first coronavirus vaccine until early 2021: WHO

A World Health Organisation (WHO) expert said on July 22 that although scientists are making "good progress" in developing vaccines against COVID-19, their first use cannot be expected until early 2021. Mike Ryan, head of WHO's emergencies programme said that WHO is working to ensure a fair vaccine distribution, but at the same time it is key to supress stop the virus's spread. Ryan said that "we are making good progress" noting that several vaccine candidates are now in phase-III human trials and none has failed so far as regards their safety and ability to prompt an immune response.

10.05 am: Over 7 billion shots of coronavirus vaccine may be needed globally: Bill Gates

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said on Thursday that multiple shots of a potential COVID-19 vaccine could be needed to immunise onself. Gates told CBS Evening News in an interview that if necessary, the multiple doses may require over 7 billion vaccinations which need to be administered globally.

9.55 am: India records over 49,000 new COVID-19 cases, 740 deaths in 24 hours

According to the Union Health Ministry's latest update, the country reported 49,310 fresh coronavirus cases, and 740 new deaths in 24 hours taking the total count to 12,87,945. India now has 4,40,135 active COVID-19 cases, while the country's death toll has climbed to 30,061. 8,17,208 people have recovered so far.

9.45 am: Coronavirus vaccine latest updates: Brinton Pharma gets DCGI approval for selling COVID-19 tablet

Brinton Pharmaceuticals on Thursday announced that it has got the Drugs Controller General of India's (DCGI) approval to market antiviral drug Favipiravir under the brand name 'Faviton' for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients. The drug will be available in 200 mg tablets and will be cost Rs 59 per tablet, Brinton Pharmaceuticals said in a statement.

9.35 am: US govt sets global benchmark for COVID-19 vaccine price

The US government has fixed a benchmark for coronavirus vaccine pricing in a $2 billion deal announced on Wednesday with Pfizer Inc and German biotech company BioNTech SE. This agreement will likely put pressure on other producers to set similar prices, industry analysts told Reuters. The inoculation's price is fixed at around $40 a person.

Read more here: U.S. sets global benchmark for COVID-19 vaccine price at around the cost of a flu shot

9.25 am: 'Covishield' to be priced below Rs 1,000 per dose, says Adar Poonawalla

The coronavirus vaccine 'Covishield' will cost below Rs 1,000 per shot, said Serum Institute of India's CEO Adar Poonawalla. He added that since the vaccine manufacturer would be targeting low- and middle-income countries, including India, it would keep the price under Rs 1,000 per dose so that people from all economic classes can afford the vaccine.

9.20 am: Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine 'Covishield' in India likely by end of this year

The Serum Institute of India has signed a deal with Oxford University and AstraZeneca to manufacture the coronavirus vaccine in the country. The vaccine maker's CEO Adar Poonawalla recently said that it will begin phase-III human trials of the inoculation in August (2020) with 4,000-5,000 volunteers. The Serum Insitute will conduct human clinical trials in India and will also produce the vaccine. Poonawalla also stated that 50 per cent of the vaccine shots that will be manufactured by the Serum Institute will be supplied to India and the rest to other nations.

9.15 am: Coronavirus vaccine wil be called 'Covishield' in India

The vaccine designed and developed by Oxford University and UK-based bio-pharma company AstraZeneca grabbed a lot of attention raising hopes of its availability by the end of this year. The inoculation will be called Covishield in India.