‘1 IN 4 WHO TAKE COVISHIELD, PFIZER SHOTS EXPERIENCE MILD SIDE EFFECTS’
GENEVA: The Indian strain of the coronavirus, also known as B.1.617 or “double mutant”, has been found in at least 17 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, as the world grapples to contain the surge in the Covid-19 cases with 5.7 million infections detected last week, surpassing previous peaks.
The B.1.617 variant of Sarscov-2, or the “Indian strain”, feared to be contributing to a surge in coronavirus cases in India, has been designated as the Variants of Interest (VOI) by the WHO, the UN health agency said in its weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday.
“As of 27 April, over 1,200 sequences have been uploaded to GISAID and assigned to lineage B.1.617 (collectively) from at least 17 countries,” it said, adding that most sequences were uploaded from India, the United Kingdom, the US and Singapore.
“Preliminary modelling by WHO based on sequences submitted to GISAID suggest that B.1.617 has a higher growth rate than other circulating variants in India, suggesting potential increased transmissibility,” it said.
NEW DELHI: One in four people experience mild, short lived systemic side effects after receiving either the Covid-19 preventive by Pfizer or Astrazeneca vaccine -known as Covishield in India -with headache, fatigue and tenderness the most common symptoms, according to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
The researchers from King’s College London also found that most systemic side effects peaked within the first 24 hours following vaccination.