oppn parties Preventing A Fresh Covid Outbreak: Intranasal Vaccine And Other Measures

Story Of The Day

Tiranga Rally Is Excellent. Breaking The Law Was Not

October 17, 2026

People Are Talking About

People Are Talking About Junk Food Near Schools

News Snippets

  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Preventing A Fresh Covid Outbreak: Intranasal Vaccine And Other Measures

By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-12-24 07:09:01

About the Author

Sunil Garodia The India Commentary view

With scary reports about a tsunami of Covid infections coming out of China and fresh outbreak in a number of other countries, the government of India has done well to take immediate steps to prevent such an outbreak in the country. Although India is reporting less than 200 cases daily (just 163 fresh cases were reported on December 23, 2022 and active cases dipped to just 3380) as of now, the danger of large scale infections is always there even if one case of a new variant is not detected and the person roams about infecting others. Hence, the moves to randomly screen international passengers and send all Covid cases for genome sequencing are welcome. So is the move to grant emergency use approval to India's first intranasal vaccine, produced by Bharat Biotech, as a heterologous booster. Studies have suggested that intranasal Covid vaccines are more efficient than intramuscular ones.

It has already been established that natural infection combined with vaccination creates hybrid immunity and is the best first shield against the virus. Experts have pointed out that India is secure in this respect as there is abundant hybrid immunity. But although 95% of eligible Indians have taken two doses of the Covid vaccine, more than 75% have missed the booster dose. This is worrisome. After the initial success, the vaccination programme has become slack. The government must now revive it and start giving booster doses to those who have not taken it. There are 6 crore adults who have taken only one dose. They must be given the second dose. Then there are 7 crore senior citizens who have not taken the booster dose. As they are the most vulnerable section of the population (due to age and possible co-morbidities) they must be encouraged to take the booster dose. The same goes for frontline workers who have missed the booster dose. Further, there are a huge number of 12-17-year-olds who remain unvaccinated. They should be covered fast.The intranasal vaccine could be a game-changer (and Bharat Biotech should be asked to ramp up production) to pierce through vaccine hesitancy as it does not involve intramuscular injection. 

Since more than 6 to 9 months have passed since people took the booster dose, it is not clear whether hybrid immunity would hold good for a large percentage of the population. Expert advice must be sought that in the given situation, is it advisable to start giving the fourth dose to frontline workers and senior citizens, to start with.  The government must reinvigorate the vaccination setup, encourage private hospitals to resume it in real earnest and start the vaccination drive again. That, along with strict enforcement of Covid protocols like masking up in public, disallowing crowded events and provision of hand sanitizer in public spaces will keep Indians safe. Genome sequencing of all positive Covid samples will ensure that new variants will be discovered fast and appropriate steps will be taken to prevent an outbreak.

Picture courtesy: Bharat Biotech

Other Stories You Make Like

Editorials

Growth Without Jobs Is a Warning

Growth Without Jobs Is a Warning

 Delhi Curbs: Has The Government Panicked?

Delhi Curbs: Has The Government Panicked?

In Depth

Grounds Of Arrest: The Supreme Court's Rule Must Be Followed By The Police On The Ground

Grounds Of Arrest: The Supreme Court's Rule Must Be Followed By The Police On The Ground

Editor's Pick

For the Goonj to Reverberate, Rahul Gandhi Must Take Regional Parties Along

For the Goonj to Reverberate, Rahul Gandhi Must Take Regional Parties Along
© 2014 India Commentary. All rights reserved.