Third dose will be of same vaccine as two earlier shots

Third dose will be of same vaccine as two earlier shots

9-Month Gap After Second Jab Required

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:27.12.2021

Nearly three crore health and frontline workers are estimated to be eligible in January for the ‘precaution dose’ of Covid vaccine that will be administered with a gap of nine months from the second dose, official sources said.

As of now, the third jab that will also be given to around three crore people aged above 60 with co-morbidities will be of the same vaccine that one had received in the first and second instances.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, on Saturday, announced that Covid vaccination of children aged between 15 and 18 will begin on January 3, whereas administration of “precaution doses” of Covid vaccines to health and frontline workers as well as for those above 60 with co-morbidities will begin from January 10.

However, few of the elderly people may be eligible for the third dose in January after completing the ninemonth gap.

Around six to seven crore children in the age bracket of 15-18 years will be eligible to receive Covaxin from January 3.

Self-discipline key to fighting Covid: PM

In his Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, PM Narendra Modi said self-awareness and self-discipline as well as collective strength of citizens are important in the battle against the virus. Crossing the140-million vaccine mark is an achievement of each and every Indian, he said. P 10

CM Stalin reviews preparedness

Chief minister M K Stalin on Sunday inspected infrastructure, amenities and availability of medical oxygen in Chennai to tackle the Omicron variant. Around 1.15 lakh beds are ready, and steps are being taken to set up 50,000 additional beds if required, said a release. P 6

‘Call on mixing of doses will be based on clinical trial results’

ZyCoV-D Vax Is Still Not Part Of Govt’s Programme

An official said, “Any decision on mixing of doses will be taken based on clinical trial results. CMC Vellore is conducting trials to assess the efficacy level if vaccines developed on different platforms are mixed for the booster dose. If they come up with any interim findings, that will be considered but as of now the same vaccine will be administered as the third dose.” Besides, around six to seven crore children in the age bracket of 15-18 years will be eligible to receive Covaxin from January 3.

The nationwide Covid immunisation programme was first rolled out on January 16 this year with preference to health and frontline workers in the first phase. Vaccination of those above 60 started from March 1. While initially the gap between two doses of both Covishield and Covaxin was 28 days, it was later increased to 6-8 weeks in March and 12-16 weeks in May for Covishield.

Since Covishield accounts for majority of the nearly 89% of the total over 141 crore doses administered in the country so far, it is estimated that a maximum of one crore people above 60 with co-morbidities would complete the nine-month gap in January. “Our estimates suggest almost all of the health and frontline workers would be eligible for the third dose. However, it may still take a few more weeks from January 10 for those above 60 with co-morbidities to become eligible after completing the nine-month gap between the second and third doses,” the official said.

While Zydus Cadila’s DNAbased vaccine ZyCoV-D has also been approved for use in children above 12 years, the vaccine is still not part of the government’s programme.

Full report on www.toi.in

TAKING NO CHANCES: A healthcare worker collects a nasal swab sample for Covid-19 testing in Prayagraj on Sunday

Jabbing of 15-18-year-olds based on scientific assessment: NTAGI chief

-Sushmi Dey

New Delhi:

The government’s decision to start Covid immunisation of children in 15-18 age bracket is based on scientific assessment of local as well as global data that shows 75% of Covid deaths in children during the last two years have been in this age group, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) chairman N K Arora said.

“Assessment of data from last two years shows 75% of deaths in all children — less than 18 years — due to Covid-19 are among 15-18 years. This is also the age when children also interact more with other adults. So, youngsters behave more like adults and worldwide, the vaccination is given step wise in this manner. We have also done vaccination on the same scientific principles. Our own data shows that complications among children below 18 years are concentrated in the age bracket of 15-18 years. This is the reason for prioritising this age bracket for vaccination in children,” Arora said.

Tamil Nadu farmer’s daughter gets scholarship of Rs 3 crore

Tamil Nadu farmer’s daughter gets scholarship of Rs 3 crore

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

27.12.2021

Swega Saminathan, 17-year-old daughter of a farmer from Erode, Tamil Nadu has received a full scholarship worth Rs3 crore to pursue a bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago (UChicago) in the US. Born and brought up in Kasipalayam village in Erode district, Swega will be the first from her family to go to college. At UChicago, Swega plans to study Biology to become a scientist. Swega was groomed by Dexterity Global, a national organisation powering the next generation of leaders through educational opportunities and training. The Rs 3-crore full scholarship will cover Swega’s entire cost of study for four years – tuition, room and board, books and supplies, health insurance, personal and travel expenses, etc. On receiving the scholarship, Swega said, “This is unbelievable! My father is a small farmer and mother is a housewife. I grew up in small villages of Tamil Nadu where girls are married by the time they are of my age. They don’t get to see what college looks like. And, I will have the privilege of studying at the world’s top most institution on a full scholarship worth Rs3,”says Swega.

Maternity leave for PhD students can help

Maternity leave for PhD students can help

This provision enables students experience psychological ease and develop zeal for academic excellence

Astha.Hemant@timesgroup.com

27.12.2021

The UGC directed the VCs of universities to frame appropriate rules and norms in relation to granting maternity leave and attendance-related relaxations to women students in UG and PG programmes. Most central universities have already put the provision, first introduced by UGC in 2016, into place and hail this as a necessary addition to the field of academia.

Guidelines were introduced

Uma Shankar Pandey, PhD supervisor, department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Calcutta, says, “As per the 2016 UGC provision, women candidates may be given maternity or childcare leave once in the entire duration of their MPhil and PhD for up to 240 days.” The provision, which is available in other sector, is missing in academia, he adds.

On why UGC felt the need to remind universities of this provision recently, BJ Rao, VC, University of Hyderabad (UoH), says, “Numerous guidelines are issued on an annual basis. General reminders need to be communicated from time-to-time to ensure coherence and acceptance of the same by all stakeholders.”Rao adds that this guideline is more relevant to PhD than other PG courses. “In any regular course, if a female student was to take a maternity leave, she would just miss out on certain courses, which she can catch up on once she rejoins. However, a PhD student would miss out on time deadlines, which would affect her overall academic journey,” he tells.

Revealing numbers

As per the academic section at the UoH, out of a total number of 1,533 PhD students in the current academic year, 668 are women. Over the last three years, 16 female students have availed the provision of a maternity leave/medical leave.

At University of Delhi (DU), there are a total of 4011 PhD students, of which 2093 are females. Yogesh Singh, VC, DU, says, “Since the inception of the provision, only 10% female PhD/MPhil students have availed it.”

JN Baliya, head of department, Education Studies and Mass Communication & New Media, Central University of Jammu (CUJ), says, “This academic year, I am mentoring 21 PhD scholars, of which about 80% are women. Currently, two are on maternity leave while about three others have availed this option in the past couple of years.”

Various advantages

Baliya says that prior to this provision, female PhD students in the fields of both Science and Social Science suffered. “While Science students must spend numerous hours in a lab, Social Science students are required to conduct field research. In both cases, female students who were in the family way suffered healthwise. Thus, this provision has acted as a boost to their personal and academic lives,” he tells. Whether it is psychological ease or zeal for academic excellence, there has been a positive change due to this provision, says Rao. “It is a presumption that taking a break from PhD might affect women adversely. However, I have repeatedly observed that female students who come from their maternity break to resume their PhD make extraordinary efforts to prove their academic excellence. Thus, I believe that quality of research has been impacted positively,” he tells.

As per Singh, due to the emphasis on international rankings, the focus on PhD has increased manifold. “If the correct ecosystem is provided to PhD scholars, the dropout rate among them stands to decrease, which will automatically improve both our research quantity and quality. Earlier, the dropout rate amongst PhD students was about 20%,,” he says.

If the correct ecosystem is provided to PhD scholars, the dropout rate among them will decrease

Court junks plea by govt employee who tried to bribe HC

Court junks plea by govt employee who tried to bribe HC

Srikkanth.D@timesgroup.com

Chennai:27.12.2021

A special court for cases booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act has dismissed a petition from a sacked government servant to drop the charges against him, months after directing him to undergo medical check-up at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) after he claimed to be suffering from mental illness as a case was taken up against him for attempting to bribe judges of the Madras high court.

Accordingly, the government employee, V Balasubramanian, was subjected to a clinical examination and psychological assessment and the report from IMH held that Balasubramanian is able to understand the details of the charges against him and has adequate cognitive functions (thinking, memory and problem solving abilities).

Citing the report, the court held that the petitioner was fit to stand trial and the prosecution had a prima facie case to proceed against him and dismissed his petition to drop charges against him. The accused, after being terminated from service, had appealed twice before the high court and after both appeals were dismissed, he had sent a letter to the Chief Justice of the Madras high court to provide him a job along with ₹10,000 bribe to give him a favourable order. Based on a complaint from the registrar of the Madras high court, a FIR was registered by the Central Crime Branch and he was arrested. Police filed the report and the special court had taken cognizance of the report on November 11, 2020. When the case was taken up for trial, the accused appeared before the court and raised various grounds to discharge him from the case and one such ground was that he had been suffering from mental illness between 2012 and 2014 and he is continuing psychiatric treatment for the same till date.

Education officials acted against accused for harassment only after stir by students: Teachers

Education officials acted against accused for harassment only after stir by students: Teachers

The classmates collected the evidence of the teacher’s chat with the girls and handed it over, along with a complaint, to the headmistress seeking to transfer him to another school.

Published: 26th December 2021 05:35 AM |

By N Dhamotharan

Express News Service

COIMBATORE: The School Education officials failed to conduct inquiries with a computer teacher even one week after a complaint of sexual harassment and assault was filed against him with the headmistress of the government higher secondary school near Vellalore in Coimbatore, the teachers in the school alleged. While the teacher was suspended on Friday, the teachers said the officials took the action only after the school students staged protests. Meanwhile, the teacher was arrested on Saturday.

According to the teachers, "Ever since the online classes began, the computer teacher started sending inappropriate messages to girl students on their WhatsApp. Further, he threatened to either reduce their marks in exam or die by suicide if they revealed his messages to others. Fearing this, the students had hid his torture."

They said the accused teacher reportedly misbehaved with some students after regular classes began. Following awareness programmes held in the wake of a class 11 girl dying by suicide after a teacher allegedly sexually harassed her, the girls in the Vellalore school shared the messages of the computer teacher with their classmates. The classmates collected the evidence of the teacher's chat with the girls and handed it over, along with a complaint, to the headmistress seeking to transfer him to another school. However, the teacher had gone on leave ever since, the teachers said.

A second-level educational official told TNIE, "In a meeting that was held in Chennai after the class 11 student’s suicide, the educational officials were instructed not to inquire sexual harassment complaints in schools but forward it to the childline officer. Following that instruction, we did not conduct an inquiry into this complaint at Vellalore school.”

A teacher, seeking anonymity, said, "If educational officials had inquired immediately, they could have expedited legal action against the teacher. The failure to do so only indicates that they have failed in their duty."

Palli Kalvi Paathukappu Iyakkam’s Coimbatore district coordinator C Chandrasekar said, "This issue shows that an internal complaint committee is not functioning in the school. The headmistress and the officials are unaware of the committee. How will the students be safe if the officials do not follow the instructions?" He alleged many other schools too did not have internal complaint committees even after the School Education department instructed them to form the committees.

According to sources, though there are procedures laid out for the school administration to follow in such cases, those in the Vellalore school failed to act against the computer teacher for over a week. Only then the students took to protests following which the teacher was suspended.

When contacted, Chief Educational Officer N Geetha said, "The teacher has been arrested and we have taken steps to provide psychological counselling to the students. Necessary steps would be taken to avoid such incidents in the future.

Coimbatore: Ex-computer teacher held for sexual assault

Coimbatore: Ex-computer teacher held for sexual assault

The computer science teacher was arrested on Saturday morning and will be remanded to the prison in the evening, according to police.

Published: 26th December 2021 05:37 AM 

By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: City All-Woman police (AWPS East) on Saturday arrested a former computer teacher of Government Higher Secondary School near Vellalore, who was suspended on Friday on charges of sexually assaulting girl students. Based on a complaint from a 17-year-old student, the accused, C Vijay Anand (41), was booked under the POCSO Act on Saturday. The suspect allegedly sent obscene text messages and images via WhatsApp to the girl students of Classes 11 and 12 and touched them inappropriately in school premises. The computer science teacher was arrested on Saturday morning and will be remanded to the prison in the evening, according to police.

Medical staff among 39 found with S-gene drop

Medical staff among 39 found with S-gene drop

Health workers at RGGGH had contracted Covid-19 from a patient

Published: 26th December 2021 05:45 AM 

A woman being questioned by health workers at the Corona outpatient ward of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai on Saturday | R Satish Babu

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Several doctors and medical staff have tested positive for Covid-19 after they contracted the infection from a patient who underwent a surgery at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) recently, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Saturday.

After the patient tested positive, 3,038 contacts were traced and screened. Of the 54 samples that tested positive for Covid, 39 specimens, including those of a few healthcare workers, showed S-gene drop, indicating possible Omicron infection. The samples have now been sent for genome sequencing to the National Institute of Virology (NIV). The health minister further said none of the patients have major symptoms.

Till date, 12 patients who were affected with Omicron have been discharged. Seven of them are from Chennai. The health minister said it is compulsory for all international passengers to be quarantined for seven days as the Omicron variant has a high transmission rate.

He further highlighted that the 16th mega vaccination camp will be held on Sunday. According to the Public Health Department, though TN’s vaccination coverage for the first dose is 84.8 per cent, and for the second dose is 55.8 per cent, the coverage among people above the age of 60 is 59 per cent for the first dose and 42 per cent for the second dose.

As per the evidence available, two doses of vaccination offer protection from death and severe illness even if there is an immune escape. As of now, TN has about 80.57 lakh vaccine doses, of which 50.68 lakh are Covishield and 29.88 lakh are Covaxin.