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Updated COVID vaccine effective against newer variant, says Moderna

Updated COVID vaccine effective against newer variant, says Moderna

Moderna has said clinical trial data showed its updated COVID-19 vaccine will likely be effective against the highly-mutated BA.2.86 subvariant of the coronavirus that has raised fears of a resurgence of infections.

Moderna has said that the clinical trial data showed its updated COVID-19 vaccine shot generated an 8.7-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies in humans against the highly-mutated BA.2.86 subvariant of the coronavirus that has raised fears of a resurgence of infections, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

“We think this is news people will want to hear as they prepare to go out and get their fall boosters,” Reuters quoted Jacqueline Miller head of infectious diseases in Moderna said in an interview, adding that the data should also help reassure regulators.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has previously indicated that BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who previously had COVID or were vaccinated with previous shots.

Updated COVID vaccine effective against newer variant, says Moderna

The Omicron offshoot carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the virus compared with XBB.1.5, the dominant variant through most of 2023 and the target of the updated shots.

Moderna said it had shared the new finding on its vaccine with regulators and submitted it for peer review publication.

The retooled Moderna shot is expected to be available later this month or in early October, though it is yet to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Meanwhile, rival COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers Novavax and Pfizer with German partner BioNTech have created versions of their shots aimed at the XBB.1.5 subvariant.

In August, Moderna and Pfizer each said their new vaccines appeared to be effective against another new subvariant of concern dubbed EG.5 in initial testing

Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved Pfizer/BioNTech shot, but have not make any announcements on Moderna’s updated vaccine.

A WHO official said the BA.2.86 the subvariant of the coronavirus has been detected in Switzerland, South Africa as well as Israel, Denmark, the US and Britain.

According to experts it is important to monitor the variant, but it is unlikely to cause a wave of severe disease and death because of immune defenses built up worldwide from mass vaccination and prior infection.

Read more at-https://shorturl.at/quyUZ

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COVID-19 Government Guidelines Medical Equipments

Covid-19 vaccine boosters are the best defence: Older adults shouldn’t rely on previous infection for immunity

Covid-19 vaccine boosters are the best defence: Older adults shouldn’t rely on previous infection for immunity

Despite researchers’ efforts to understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus continues to hold many secrets.

Despite researchers’ efforts to understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus continues to hold many secrets. As much as we’ve tried to shoehorn it into our thinking about how respiratory viruses work, it will simply not comply. Some thought the virus would settle into a strictly seasonal pattern. It hasn’t. Some thought we could we move to a single annual vaccine every autumn. That was upended by having multiple waves of infection each year, that seem to occur in the late summer.

Some variants we thought would be terrible turned out to be mild, while others have turned out to be very problematic.

Surprising study results

Now we have a new puzzle.

Through the first couple of years of the pandemic before the emergence of the Omicron variant, it was believed the combination of vaccination and prior infection — which is called hybrid immunity — provided the highest level of protection against future infections.

Our research group has been studying vaccinated older adults in long-term care and retirement homes throughout the pandemic, and our recent findings have jolted us.

We found that those who had battled the BA.1-2 variant of Omicron in early 2022 had a 30-fold higher risk of contracting the BA.5 variant later in the year. That was exactly the opposite of what we, or anyone, would have predicted.

This new knowledge is critically important, not just to other older adults, but to all of us.

Covid-19 vaccine boosters are the best defence: Older adults shouldn’t rely on previous infection for immunity

Does this surprising twist apply to the broader population? Possibly, but until we know how infections work to increase susceptibility to reinfection, we can’t know if this susceptibility is specific to older adults. Does it apply to other variants, including the newest ones in circulation? That’s unclear.

What the findings do tell us is that older adults who have had a previous COVID-19 infection shouldn’t rely on that to protect them against reinfection this fall. To protect against severe illness, keeping booster shots up to date is recommended.

We can’t let our guard down

We were able to make this discovery because our study participants in long-term care and retirement homes are part of the most frequently tested, highly vaccinated and closely observed group in the entire population.

The end of frequent PCR testing and documentation of infection for those who are sick (after all, we researchers don’t know if you tested positive on a rapid test) left us without much data about COVID infections and reinfections in the broader population, so these seniors are helping us see things we’d otherwise have missed.

Through them, we’ve realized the virus has evolved in a way that means one infection doesn’t necessarily guarantee immunity from another.

Though we still have so much to learn about many aspects of COVID-19 — including its lingering health effects and the mechanics of its endless mutations — we do know enough to say one thing: we can’t let our guard down.

Among other conclusions, we know that while vaccines mitigate the worst consequences of subsequent COVID infections, the virus is still developing new ways to elude our immune systems.

Protecting ourselves and our communities

So, do we still need masks and boosters? Yes. However tiresome they have become, they’re still crucial. This is especially true for our most vulnerable, including older adults, people with chronic conditions or who are immune compromised and those who work with them.

We know the protective value of multiple COVID vaccines does not accumulate like money in a bank account. It’s the recency of our boosters that will determine our degree of protection.

Though imperfect, timely boosters are still our best shields. It’s time to think of them less like our childhood vaccines, where we expect to be protected for long periods of time, and more like annual flu vaccines where we need to be vaccinated for the strain that is circulating and can only expect that protection to reduce symptomatic infection, last a few months but — importantly — help keep us out of hospital.

We need to remain vigilant and to continue to keep our vaccines up to date, to protect against COVID infections and their threat of debilitating long-term effects and even death.

Protecting ourselves and our communities

Our participants have been great partners in our work. As a group, and are willing to participate in this research because they are interested in helping others. They helped us discover that hybrid immunity does not always protect older adults from future COVID-19 infection, suggesting that some assumptions about COVID-19 infection risk may need to be revisited, and that we need to study how different variants evade the immune system.

These research partners deserve the thanks of the community for contributing to this important lesson. We can all honour them by heeding that lesson and taking precautions against spreading COVID-19 this fall, including wearing masks and getting a booster shot.

Read more at-https://shorturl.at/uEFJ7

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COVID-19 Government Guidelines Medical Equipments Medicine & Health

ICMR study: Who’s more at risk after leaving the hospital with COVID-19?

ICMR study: Who's more at risk after leaving the hospital with COVID-19?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently published a research paper highlighting varying vulnerability to post-discharge mortality in COVID-19 cases. The study highlights three risk factors for death after discharge while also highlighting the importance of vaccinating prior to contracting the coronavirus.

“Post-discharge mortality” refers to the occurrence of death after a person has been discharged from a medical facility, such as a hospital, following treatment for a specific medical condition.
The new ICMR study, titled “Determinants of post-discharge mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients,” identifies three prominent risk factors associated with post-discharge mortality among COVID-19 survivors. People over the age of 40, men with co-morbidities and individuals who endured moderate to severe COVID-19 cases have a more pronounced risk of post-charge mortality.
On a more positive note, the study reveals that those who received at least one dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine before contracting the virus experienced a 60 percent reduction in the risk of post-discharge mortality.
The research accumulated results from 14,419 participants hailing from 31 hospitals nationwide, who were followed up for a period ranging from four weeks to one-year post-discharge. 942 individuals (6.5 percent) had succumbed, while the remaining 93.5 percent were documented as alive during the year-long follow-up.
“Similar trends were seen in participants, 18-45 years of age,” the ICMR team said.
ICMR study: Who's more at risk after leaving the hospital with COVID-19?
While the findings offer valuable insights, the study acknowledges limitations stemming from telephonic follow-ups, which could lead to symptom underreporting. Also, the study’s focus was exclusively on hospitalised COVID-19 patients, which restricts the generalisability of the conclusions to the broader population.
In parallel to this study, the ICMR is currently overseeing a multicentric hospital-based matched case-control study, which seeks to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on heart attacks among individuals aged 18–45 years in India.
Furthermore, the ICMR is actively researching factors associated with sudden deaths among adults aged 18–45 years in India.
Meanwhile, PK Mishra, the principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, held a high-level meeting to review the global and national COVID-19 situation in view of the new variants, Pirola (BA.2.86) and Eris (EG.5).
During the meeting, Mishra highlighted the need for states to monitor trends of influenza-like illnesses despite the stable COVID-19 situation, and prepared healthcare systems. He also focused on the need to send enough samples for genome sequencing.
Read more at-https://tinyurl.com/v7zjzezx
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COVID-19 Government Guidelines Medical Equipments Medical Updates

New Covid variant Eris symptoms appear a week before positive test? Know all about this ‘pre-Covid’ phenomenon

New Covid variant Eris symptoms appear a week before positive test? Know all about this 'pre-Covid' phenomenon

Experts say this could be because when a person contracts a virus, it takes time for it to replicate within the body to trigger noticeable symptoms.

New Covid variant EG.5 has been spreading fast in different parts of the world and while the strain is good at escaping immunity, the symptoms remain mild, and experts say it doesn’t pose a significant threat. EG.5 has been declared as a variant of interest and will be monitored for its mutations. The strain may become dominant in many countries with its rapid spread. As the Eris and other Omicron variants are being detected, people are also reporting a ‘pre-Covid’ phenomenon that was even being reported in the initial days of pandemic. This means that people are showing signs of Covid even with a negative test and upon being tested again after a week or so, the result comes positive.

Experts say this is because when a person contracts a virus, such as Covid-19, it takes time for the virus to replicate within the body to trigger noticeable symptoms. The initial test comes negative due to low viral load and the same increases with each passing day. If you too are facing this ‘pre-Covid’ phenomenon, get tested again after a week for correct diagnosis.

The incubation period effect

“This phenomenon can be attributed to the virus’s incubation period. When a person contracts a virus, such as Covid-19, it takes time for the virus to replicate within the body to levels that trigger noticeable symptoms. This period between exposure to the virus and the appearance of symptoms is known as the incubation period. Eris is one of the two latest sub-variants of Corona virus. The symptoms of Eris variant start about a week before it could be detected by tests. The symptoms are nearly the same as those of Covid illness,” says Dr Anurag Saxena, HOD-Internal Medicine, Primus Super Speciality Hospital.

“In the case of Eris and similar illnesses, symptoms may manifest roughly a week before a positive test because the virus or pathogen has been present in the body long enough to cause noticeable symptoms, but it might still take a little more time for the viral load to reach a level detectable by the testing methods in use,” adds Dr Saxena.

New Covid variant Eris symptoms appear a week before positive test? Know all about this 'pre-Covid' phenomenon

Go for RT-PCR tests

“In some patients, they continue to test negative for Covid illness, because they don’t have it. In some cases, initial tests can be negative due to low viral load initially, i.e., load below the limit of detection of that particular test. In such cases, repeating a test after few days usually helps to confirm the diagnosis. In other patient, use of rapid antigen tests, improper sampling technique (when performed by self) etc. can be cause of negative result despite having Covid illness. In such cases, RT-PCR tests, a more accurate test than rapid antigen tests, should be performed, and sampling performed preferably by trained personnel. As of now, there is very limited data to suggest any significant difference compared to previously circulating variants with respect to transmissibility, immune evasiveness, severity, diagnostic modalities, or response to available treatment. Furthermore, more robust, large cohort-based data is needed, on viral dynamics of new emerging variants, and performance characteristics of various tests in such scenarios to ascertain such phenomenon and its plausible explanation,” says Dr Rohit Garg, Consultant, Dept of Infectious Disease, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad.

“Symptoms such as nasal congestion, sneezing, cough, fever and fatigue is commonly seen in the ‘pre COVID’ period. This can last upto first 7 days of the infection. It is seen with Eris variant as the transmissibility of this virus is higher than the previous variants. However, there is no need to panic and it becomes imperative to follow Covid appropriate behaviour, especially hand hygiene, during the monsoon season when the rate of airborne and droplet infections are already high,” says Dr Charu Dutt Arora, Infectious Disease Specialist, Consultant Physician, AmeriHealth, Asian Hospital.

“Understanding this timeline helps in both managing the illness and preventing further transmission, as individuals with symptoms can take appropriate precautions and seek medical attention promptly, reducing the risk of spreading the illness to others,” says Dr Saxena.

Eris symptoms

Dr Saibal Chakravorty, Senior Consultant – Internal Medicine, Metro Hospital Noida says the symptoms of the new variant as of now are same as we have seen and witnessed previously, though more research on this is being done.

As per limited evidence, the symptoms are:

  • Cough
  • High Fever
  • Severe Headache
  • Body ache
  • Weakness and Fatigue
  • Decreased Appetite

Read more at-https://shorturl.at/ceptO

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Cancer-infecting virus warms up cold tumors, boosts immunotherapy: Research

Cancer-infecting virus warms up cold tumors, boosts immunotherapy: Research

The study states that cancer-infecting viruses can boost immunity of the body and support immunotherapy.

According to recent research published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, equipping cancer-infecting viruses with tumor-inhibiting genetic cargo boosts the immune system and supports immunotherapy in reducing or totally eradicating aggressive tumours in mice. The findings pave the path for clinical studies combining oncolytic viruses with immunotherapy.

Oncolytic viruses are genetically modified viruses that target rapidly dividing tumor cells while avoiding normal cells.

Oncolytic viruses were originally designed to directly kill cancer cells, but researchers later noticed that they also stimulated the immune system, suggesting that they could be coupled with other cancer therapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, which remove the brakes on the immune system so that T cells can recognize and attack tumors.

“Immune checkpoint inhibitors work only in ‘hot’ tumors, which have already been infiltrated by T cells,” said senior author Greg Delgoffe, Ph.D., associate professor of immunology at Pitt’s School of Medicine and director of the Tumor Microenvironment Center at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. “Oncolytic viruses can help ‘warm up’ cold tumors, so they have amazing potential to work hand-in-hand with immunotherapy, but they haven’t yet lived up to that promise.”

According to lead author Kristin DePeaux, a graduate student in Delgoffe’s lab, the problem is that many patients’ tumors do not respond to oncolytic viruses.

Cancer-infecting virus warms up cold tumors, boosts immunotherapy: Research

“There’s been a lot of interesting lab-based research on oncolytic viruses, but it hasn’t translated to the clinic,” she said. “We wanted to understand the mechanisms behind tumor resistance to these viruses to see what we can do to help patients.”

The researchers first developed a head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell line that is very sensitive to an oncolytic virus called vaccinia. Tumors injected with the virus regress after a single dose. They also developed a second cancer cell line that was otherwise identical but resistant to vaccinia.

After injecting both types of cells into mice and comparing immunological differences in the tumors that grew, they found that resistance to vaccinia was driven by high levels of a signaling protein called TGF-β, which is known to promote cancer growth by suppressing the immune environment.

Partnering with Andrew Hinck, Ph.D., professor of structural biology at Pitt, the team next engineered vaccinia to carry a gene encoding a TGF-β inhibitor.

“TGF-β inhibitors are very potent. They’ve been tried in the clinic, but they’re usually toxic because they’re delivered systemically,” said Delgoffe. “What’s really cool about using oncolytic viruses is that they deliver this cargo directly to the tumor microenvironment, so it’s very targeted and a much safer way to treat.”

When they injected the modified vaccinia into mice with vaccinia-resistant HNSCC, the tumors shrank or, in about 50% of mice, completely cleared, greatly increasing survival compared to animals that received the control virus, which didn’t carry the TGF-β inhibitor. Importantly, the treatment didn’t cause any autoimmune or toxicity-related side effects.

Next, the researchers tested whether the modified viruses could work similarly in a highly aggressive form of melanoma that is resistant to anti-PD1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. Animals that received no treatment, anti-PD1 or control vaccinia all died within about 24 days, while about 20% of those that received the modified virus had complete clearance of the tumor.

The most dramatic results occurred when modified vaccinia was combined with anti-PD1. In 67% of mice, tumors completely cleared, and survival was greatly extended.

Delgoffe and his team hope that a version of their modified vaccinia virus, which they’ve licensed to Kalivir Immunotherapeutics, could soon be ready to test in human clinical trials as an adjuvant for immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients who haven’t responded to these immunotherapies.

Read more at-https://shorturl.at/pxCZ7

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COVID-19 Government Guidelines Medical Equipments Medical Updates

COVID variant EG.5: What we know about Eris

COVID variant EG.5: What we know about Eris

The WHO says new omicron subvariant EG.5 Eris is a virus of interest. It’s reignited talk about vaccines and speculation about a return of the pandemic.

After more than three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization ended the global public health emergency on May 5, 2023. But at the same time, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that leads to COVID, had not been fully defeated, that it continued to circulate in the world and that we could still see the emergence of new and more dangerous variants.

And that’s where we are now: there is a new COVID variant: EG.5, also known as Eris. We just don’t know whether it’s more dangerous than previous variants yet.

The WHO has classified the EG.5 as a Variant of Interest (VOI). At time of writing, it is not a Variant of Concern (VOC), which is one step worse that a Variant of Interest.

Variants of Concern are those whose characteristics have a significant influence on the spread of the virus — because of higher rates of contagion and rising infection rates, or an increase in severe cases of the illness and COVID mortality rates.

EG.5 is one of three variants on the WHO’s watchlist. The other two are XBB.1.5, which is largely circulating in Europe and the Americas, and XBB.1.16, which is predominant in Asia.

Eris is just a nickname for EG.5

T. Ryan Gregory, an Canadian evolutionary biologist based at the University of Guelph, Ontario, has studied the subtype EG.5.1 (Ed.: note the added “.1” which indicates this is the first version of EG.5) and posted a comment on its nickname, Eris, suggesting that the nickname may lead to some confusion as we talk more and more about the variant.

Eris is also the name of one of the largest dwarf planets in our solar system — Eris is the Greek goddess of chaos. But, notes Gregory, the nickname is unlikely to cause a big wave in itself.

COVID variant EG.5: What we know about Eris

How has EG.5 spread so far?

The WHO classified EG.5 as a VOI due to rising infection rates attributed to the variant, the fact that it spreads fast and its ability of so-called “immune escape”.

EG.5 is a descendent lineage of XBB. 1.9.2. It has an additional spike mutation that may explain why it can escape the human immune system’s response.

That’s according to the Neherlab research group, based at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland. In a Neherlab variant report posted at the end of June 2023, EG.5 was already described as the “fastest growing lineage with significant circulation” in the world.

The report said that EG.5 “might also be a slightly beneficial mutation.”

Neherlab’s data suggests that EG.5 was first detected in February 2023 in Indonesia and the following month in the USA.

EG.5 was also on the agenda of a virtual press conference hosted by the WHO on July 27, 2023. During the briefing, Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Technical Lead for COVID-19, said “all of the variants that we are detecting that are sublineages of Omicron have an increased growth rate.”

That, said Van Kerkhove, “raises the point that this virus continues to circulate and it continues to change.”

In its EG.5 Initial Risk Evaluation report (August 7, 2023), the WHO said the variant had been sequenced more than 7,350 times, with samples from 51 countries.

Most of the variant sequences were from China, with 30.6%, or 2247 sequences. Other countries listed with at least 100 sequences included the USA, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the UK, France, Portugal and Spain.

Why we still have to ‘keep an eye’ on COVID

At the end of July, Van Kerkhoven said “[w]e aren’t seeing the same level of impact in terms of hospitalizations and deaths because people are protected largely from vaccination but also from past infection, so we have some immunity that has been built up.”

But Van Kerkhove says there is a concern that “we could potentially see new variants that could be more severe and that’s something we have to keep an eye out for […].”

As a result, warned the epidemiologists, it’s important that nations continue to report COVID-related mortality rates, hospitalizations, cases requiring intensive. But in July, only a quarter of all nations provided the WHO with death rates, and only 11% of nations provided data on severe cases.

Continuing sequencing is also vital, said Van Kerkhove: “make no mistake, the virus has not gone away.”

It is, however, as yet unclear whether EG.5 caused the most recent rise in COVID cases. US-based physician and scientist Eric Topol said in a post that while it was important to “track the evolution” of the virus, there was “no clear [cause] and effect relationship with the current (small) increases in wastewater, cases, hospitalizations […].”

That was backed up by the WHO’s August 9 EG.5 risk assessment.

COVID-19: The seasonal effect

Despite conclusions drawn at the time of writing, the WHO sees a potential for EG.5 to “cause a rise in case incidence and become dominant in some countries or even globally” due to its “growth advantage and immune escape characteristics” — same as it was with other variants in the omicron lineage of the virus.

Right now, though, the consensus is that EG.5 is not a big threat. The rise in cases could be explained by the fact that we (in the Northern Hemisphere) are in the midst of a summertime COVID-wave. During the heat of summer, people tend to stay in air conditioned spaces. The virus continues to mutate, protection we had from previous infections diminishes, and the risk of our catching a new infection goes up.

So, it’s a good reminder for us to keep COVID-19 in view and under control. Latest reports suggest that updated COVID vaccines — for protection against new variants, including EG.5 — should be available in the coming months.

Read more at-https://shorturl.at/fCFJL

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COVID-19 Government Guidelines Medical Equipments Medical Updates Medicine & Health

Long covid symptoms may appear months after infection: Study

Long covid symptoms may appear months after infection: Study

The study states that the symptoms of long covid can last even after a year after the sickness has subsided.

According to the most thorough examination of how symptoms develop over a year, long COVID-19 can last at least a year after the acute sickness has subsided.

The multicenter study, a collaboration between UC San Francisco, the Centers for Disease Control, and seven other sites, advances understanding of post-COVID-19 conditions by describing trends in greater detail than prior research and highlighting the significant effects the epidemic has had on the American health care system.

The study appeared in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a publication of the CDC.

For about 16 per cent of the COVID-positive people in the study, symptoms lasted for at least a year; but for others, they came and went. The study assessed symptoms every three months, enabling researchers to differentiate between symptoms that improve and those that emerge months after the initial infection.

“It was common for symptoms to resolve then re-emerge months later,” said lead author Juan Carlos Montoy, MD, PhD, associate professor at UCSF’s Department of Emergency Medicine. “A lot of prior research has focused on symptoms at one or two points in time, but we were able to describe symptom trajectory with greater clarity and nuance. It suggests that measurements at a single point in time could underestimate or mischaracterizes the true burden of disease.”

Long covid symptoms may appear months after infection: Study

Fluctuating Nature of Disease:

Long Covid involves a range of symptoms that persist or develop about a month after initial infection. These symptoms are associated with significant morbidity or reduced quality of life.

The study involved 1,741 participants – two-thirds of them female – who sought COVID-19 testing at eight major healthcare systems across the country. Three-quarters tested positive for Covid-19, but those who tested negative may also have had an infection of some type, since they were experiencing symptoms. These included fatigue, runny nose, headache, sore throat, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhoea, forgetfulness and difficulty thinking or concentrating.

Covid positive participants were more likely to have symptoms in each of the symptom categories at baseline, but by the end of the year, there was no difference between those who were Covid-positive and negative.

“We were surprised to see how similar the patterns were between the Covid positive and Covid negative groups,” said Montoy. “It shows that the burden after Covid may be high, but it might also be high for other non-Covid illnesses. We have a lot to learn about post-illness processes for Covid and other conditions.”

Read more at-https://shorturl.at/avL29

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Medical Equipments Medical Updates Medicine & Health

Rainbow diet for mental health: 9 colourful foods to boost energy, feel happy

Rainbow diet for mental health: 9 colourful foods to boost energy, feel happy

Different coloured plant foods contain a variety of nutrients, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that support brain function and mood regulation.

When it comes to disease prevention, boosting immunity and brain power, people often wonder what foods to add to their diet for warding off chronic diseases, dementia, depression and to supply their bodies with essential vitamins and minerals. Apart from a balanced diet, nutrition experts recommend including a blast of colours to your plate for improving not just body function but cognitive function. It is usual to feel lethargic, low on energy and anxious for people in modern times due to a combination of factors from lack of good nutrition to accumulation of stress. There is a deep connection between mood regulation and diet and if one can understand it, it’s possible to stay in the best of moods that will also support productivity and a feeling of well-being.

What is a rainbow diet

A rainbow diet is one which contains fruits and vegetables in different colours like red, yellow, purple, green, orange et al. The idea of this diet is to minimise carbs, gluten, fat or meat which could be burdening your system and making it ill over a period of time. Rainbow diet has fruits and veggies with specific micronutrients that can support health and provide necessary antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules. The high amount of fibre in this diet can work wonders for digestive system which can further support your overall health including mental well-being.

“Eating the rainbow is essential for optimal mental health and well-being. Different coloured plant foods contain a variety of nutrients, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that support brain function and mood regulation. As a nutritional psychiatrist, I recommend various ways to incorporate the rainbow into your diet,” says Dr Uma Naidoo, Harvard trained psychiatrist, Professional Chef and Nutrition Specialist in her recent Instagram post.

Dr Naidoo shares different ways to add colours to your plate and how they benefit you:

Rainbow diet for mental health: 9 colourful foods to boost energy, feel happy

1. Colourful vegetables and fruits

Aim to consume a diverse range of colourful vegetables and fruits. These foods provide vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help protect brain cells from damage and support cognitive function.

2. Leafy greens

They are rich in folate, which is important for neurotransmitter production and mood stability:

3. Berries

They are packed with antioxidants that protect against oxidative stress, which can contribute to mood disorders.

4. Orange and yellow foods

Consume foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. They contain beta-carotene and vitamin C, which are beneficial for brain health and immune function.

5. Purple foods

Include purple fruits like grapes, blackberries, and plums. They contain anthocyanins that have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects.

6. Whole grains

Choose colourful whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, and whole wheat. These grains provide sustained energy and are linked to improved mood and cognitive function.

7. Nuts and seeds

Snack on a variety of nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. They provide healthy fats, fibre, and essential nutrients that support brain health.

8. Lean proteins

Opt for lean protein sources like fish, poultry, legumes, and tofu. These foods provide amino acids that are essential for neurotransmitter production.

9. Herbs and spices

Incorporate herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, and rosemary. They contain compounds that have anti-inflammatory and cognitive-enhancing properties.

Read more at-https://shorturl.at/e0267

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Medical Equipments Medical Updates Medicine & Health

New Covid variant Eris detected in Maharashtra; should India be worried? What experts say

New Covid variant Eris detected in Maharashtra; should India be worried? What experts say

Amid spread of new Covid variant, India needs to be careful, as Covid appropriate behaviour has taken a back seat and immunity is waning, says expert.

New Covid variant EG.5.1 or Eris that has been adding to the surge of Coronavirus cases in UK has also been causing slight increase in Coronavirus caseload in Maharashtra. The new Omicron variant was first detected in May but did not cause any notable impact in the months of subsequent months of June and July. However, as per state health department data, Covid cases have increased from 70 at the end of July to 115 on August 6, said a TOI report. The new Covid strain Eris has increased hospitalisation cases among elderly in UK and while there is no need to panic, it’s imperative to keep a close watch on it. The rise in Corona cases could be due to waning immunity from previous infections or vaccinations and it’s important to take booster shots to fight the virus.

New Covid variant Eris detected in Maharashtra; should India be worried? | Health - Hindustan Times

‘India needs to be careful amid waning immunity’

“The concern about new Covid-19 strains depend on various factors, including their transmissibility, severity, and the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against them. Given that viruses can mutate over time, there is always a possibility of new strains emerging. The latest strain EG5.1, also known as Eris is one such strain which WHO is closely monitoring. India needs to be careful, since the Covid appropriate behaviour has taken a back seat and vaccination immunity is probably waning. So, if caught off guard, it can be disastrous,” says Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, Director & HOD-Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Faridabad.

“The new strain was initially started from the United Kingdom, and now very few cases have been reported in Mumbai. Since the positivity rate or any upsurge in cases have not been reported so far, thus this strain may not be of much concern for India,” says Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover, Head of critical care & Pulmonology – CK Birla Hospital, Gurgaon.

Symptoms of Eris or EG5.1

“The symptoms are same as previous variants, like cough, cold, fever, throat pain and chest tightness, but in immunocompromised people and some susceptible individuals, it can lead to fatal ARDS. It also appears to be more contagious than previous variants,” adds Dr Jha.

“Usually, infected people may witness mild kind of Covid feelings since this is the new co-variant of Omicron strain, but that may not cause any significant harm. As we all know that rapid spread of the Covid strain is characterised by more infectivity and less visibility. But since almost every individual has been double vaccinated and has developed hybrid immunity, the infection spread rate may be minimal, with almost nil hospitalisation,” says Dr Grover.

“We need to keep a close watch and need to follow normal hygiene like hand wash and mask at public places which also effectively reduces the risk of other viral and some bacterial infections. The cases in Maharashtra are not of too much concern but again, since this is flu season and season of fever due to other causes too, like malaria, typhoid and Dengue, we are not testing enough for Covid, so cases may be missed. We need to be careful if we see sudden spike in fever cases where no cause could be established,” says Dr Jha.

What people in India need to do for avoiding Covid infection

“So first and foremost, three things to ensure – healthy balanced diet, hygienic lifestyle, regular vaccination (if applicable or flu shots), and again following the Covid appropriate behaviour – wearing mask, avoiding crowded places and proper sanitisation,” says Dr Grover.

While the strain hasn’t increased the cases much, “public need to be vigilant on their part and follow the safety precautions, even though this strain does not seem to be that much contagious,” as per Dr Grover.

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New Covid variant Eris spreading rapidly in UK; know symptoms and prevention measures

New Covid variant Eris spreading rapidly in UK; know symptoms and prevention measures

From running nose to fatigue, know 5 symptoms of new Covid variant Eris that is spreading fast in UK.

The pandemic has eased but newer variants of Covid keep emerging. EG.5.1 or Eris that was first identified in May has been raising the number of Covid cases in UK and currently 1 out of 10 Covid cases in UK are due to this latest strain which is not currently listed as variant of concern. Eris has been contributing to hospitalisation cases in UK albeit mostly among elderly.

Experts opine that there is a need to keep a close eye on this new strain which is of Omicron lineage and spreads faster than the original Covid-19 virus. However, there is no reason to believe that EG.5.1 is deadlier than previous strain. The rise in cases could be due to waning immunity from previous infections or vaccinations and it’s important to take booster shots to build up a defence against the virus.

Eris raising hospitalisation cases among elderly

“As seasons are changing and Covid virus continues to spread, newer variants continue to emerge worldwide. One of the recent variants that has been identified is Eris variant which has recognised to be come out of UK where it has been known to cause 1 in 10 of the Covid cases. This is showing an increase in number of cases in UK, with a somewhat higher levels of hospitalisation for people who are seniors even if they are vaccinated. So, it is something which we need to keep an eye on. This is strain of the Omicron variant which itself was significantly mutated compared to the original Covid 19 virus that came in 2019,” says Dr Pavithra Venkatagopalan, corona-virologist and Covid awareness specialist at Rotary Club of Madras NextGen.

New Covid variant Eris spreading rapidly in UK; know symptoms and prevention measures

Symptoms of new Covid variant Eris

This variant has very similar symptoms compared to previous variants as per Dr Pavithra.

  • Running nose
  • Sneezing
  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Fatigue (mild or severe depending on the person’s composition).

Preventive measures

Dr Pavithra says people need to take booster shots if they haven’t done already and get tested in case of any symptoms to contain the spread.

“We have to keep an eye on spread of this variant. However treatment and preventive measures continue to be the same. Unvaccinated people should get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. Booster shots have to be taken if not done so far. If people are known to be showing symptoms, they need to be isolated, get tested if needed. More importantly, now that the schools have started in full swing, the wave will see increase in number of cases. But whether this will result in hospitalisation of the younger population we do not know,” says the expert.

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