# Covaxin saga continues: The Technical Advisory Group reviewing Covaxin will reconvene on November 3rd for the final risk-benefit assessment. And this means, Bharat Biotech will have to wait for some more time before getting the Emergency Use tag from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its Covid-19 vaccine.
WHO panel seeks additional clarifications from Bharat Biotech for Covaxin approval
# Zydus vaccine, priced higher? : Despite the hard bargain by the government, the final price of Zydus Cadila’s three-dose ZyCoV-D vaccine will be higher than Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute’s Covishield.
# Back on Mumbai’s locals: The Maharashtra government has issued an order allowing fully-vaccinated people to board local trains.
Full vaccination ‘mandatory’ to board Maharashtra’s local trains
# Focussed on second dose: Health teams in Tamil Nadu districts have been given detailed instructions to focus on increasing daily vaccinations along with local bodies by following a saturation approach after identifying list of persons yet to take first dose and those eligible for second dose.
TN health teams to focus on increasing daily vaccination rate
# Reconciling mortality numbers: Covid-battered Kerala has taken a cue from others States to reconcile the death toll with the unreported or under-reported ones after initiating a review of the processes and procedures used so far to certify and take them on record.
With unmasked new death numbers, Kerala reconciles itself to Covid facts on ground
# Testing for severe disease: A Kochi-based biotechnology start-up has developed a test kit for genomic analysis that can apparently help predict chances of developing severe disease if infected.
Biotech start-up Sagenome develops test kit to predict Covid disease severity
# Kids dosage: Moderna has said that a low dose of its Covid-19 vaccine is safe and appears to work in 6 to 11-year-olds, as the manufacturer joins its rival Pfizer in moving towards expanding shots to children.
Moderna says its low-dose Covid shot works for kids 6 to 11
# US lifts travel curbs: The US will lift all travel restrictions for incoming non-citizen, non-immigrant travellers from November 8, with only limited exceptions, and they will be required to be fully vaccinated and produce proof of their Covid-19 vaccination prior to boarding a flight to the country, the White House announced on Monday.
US to lift all travel restrictions for incoming foreign nationals from Nov 8: White House